Muse Fest 2011

By Monica Kreber
kreberm@mytjnow.com

Artists had their artwork on display to be purchased in the upstairs courtroom at the Getty Art Center in downtown Rock Hill. Photo courtesy of the Gerry Art Center.Perched behind their booth, senior Amanda Valenza and junior Laura Stanger have an array of earrings and necklaces on display for passers-by at the Getty Art Center in downtown Rock Hill.

Valenza and Stanger, both art majors, were some of the student vendors at this past weekend’s Muse Fest, an indoor/outdoor public event centered around a juried craft market. Attendees came to listen to live music, shop at art vendors’ booths, participate in raffles and watch some performance art. 

Muse Fest was three days long, going from Thursday night until Sunday at the Getty Art Center.

In the court room on the second floor, Valenza and Stanger were selling jewelry that was hand-made in the jewelry and metals class. 

Stanger said adopting a booth in Muse Fest was not required for the class, but the jewelry was made for their production pieces as part of their grade.

“It (Muse Fest) is a good learning experience,” Stanger said. “It was strongly encouraged by our professors.”

One of the benefits, aside from the experience, Stanger and Valenza said, was that they got to keep the profits from Muse Fest, whereas other sales such as the Valentine’s Day Sale requires students to give back a portion of their profits for scholarship money.

Valenza said as a senior, the experience is beneficial because she is graduating soon and will have to find other ways to sell her work.

“I’m kinda nervous because I’m going to have to do it all by myself when I’m out,” she said. “It’s interesting to see what sells here.”

Courtney Starrett, Associate professor of Fine Arts, was one of the professors that encouraged their students to try to sell their work in the festival.

Starrett and her husband ran a booth themselves, selling digitally created necklaces and earrings (done using a laser printer and acrylic pieces).

“I think it’s a great learning experience for them (the students),” she said. “I’m very proud of them.”

The signature hand symbol was placed around Winthrop’s campus to promote Muse Fest.. Photos courtesy of the Getty Art Center.Starrett said Muse Fest helps teaches her students how to be good sales people, which she said is the “other side of art” that most people do not know about.

“Everybody is learning the business side of it,” she said. “They did a good job making a variety of products.”

Winthrop alumni Ashley Herron works at the Getty Art Center and headed the organization of this year’s Muse Fest. Herron said preparation for this year’s Muse Fest (this was her first year but the event’s overall second year) took about six months.

“A lot goes into it,” she said. “This has all been planned by Winthrop alumni.”

Herron also said Muse Fest consists of art vendors from across the state. The Winthrop University Student Advocates for the Arts (WUSAA) have also participated, as well as many student and community volunteers.

“We’ve had a great response from WUSAA – about 50 people have responded and participated,” Herron said. “We have had a lot of people and volunteers come – they’re really helpful, super sweet and super nice.”

Among the volunteers that participated in the weekend event was sophomore art major Haley Swanson, who said she helped do “a little bit of everything” including handing out popcorn and cotton candy.

“I wanted to get involved in the art scene,” she said. “I know a lot of these people.”

Swanson said she hopes to eventually get her own artwork into Muse Fest (her focus is ceremics).

“It’s a really cool event and Winthrop students need to know about it so they’ll come next year,” she said.