Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
In the crisp days of early November, photographers (as well as other image-based artists and enthusiasts) gathered in South Bethlehem for the 2017 InVision Photo Festival at the Banana Factory Arts Center and SteelStacks. The festival combined contests, talks, workshops, and exhibitions to provide a unique experience for artists, one rife with educational, professional, and…
A dynamic group of artists from across the country comprise the ArtsQuest’s Artist Collective, a resource of creative, networking, professional development, and career opportunities for visual artists. Katie Hovencamp is one of these multi-talented artists. An internationally recognized artist, Hovencamp explores the deconstruction of gender roles and interrogates social expectations of femininity through sculpture and…
Think Musikfest only offers live music? Think again! See a different side of Musikfest this year. New for 2017, the Spark Orthodontics Familienplatz boasts creative arts, workshops, rides, and more. Nestled in the colonial industrial quarter next to the Monocacy Creek on Bethlehem’s north side, Familienplatz has something for every Musikfester—from tots to adults, inexperienced…
I found Virginia Abbott, a long-standing Banana Factory Arts Center resident artist, hard at work in her studio one Wednesday afternoon. Abbott warmly welcomed me. Her space is bright, open, and inviting. Like many of the studios at the Banana Factory Arts Center, there’s an almost palpable energy here—“good vibes,” if you will. Abbott has…