Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

On Friday, I went to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (also known as "Arts Fest" or "That whole week I was blacked out" for Penn Staters).

The State College festival features about 300 vendors from across Pennsylvania and the United States. The event attracts so many people that it has gained significant sponsors over the years, including PNC Bank and The New York Times.

As for myself, I go for the art, but always leave disappointed. The artwork is phenomenal, but the prices make me cringe. The cheapest piece I found went for $45. That is tolerable, but the painting was about the size of a postcard. Something that size can hold its own only in a bathroom or a kitchen pantry. Any larger room would make the piece virtually invisible. 

The most expensive artwork I saw was an oil canvas painting -- tagged at $14,000. I know Penn State has some rich alumni, but that is the price of a small endowment for the elite, or the purchase of a car for those of modest means. 

Fortunately, the festival is free. Otherwise, I think many people, including myself, would find something better to do than gaze at artwork they can never hope to purchase.

I felt slightly out of place at the festival after I realized I'm too poor to afford anything of such beauty. 

There was one display, however, that made my visit worthwhile (and it was free).

Greg Glenn of San Luis Obispo, California, made a sand
"illustration" based off The Rhinoceros by artist James Christensen
at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College.

In a small park not far from campus was a man making a sand sculpture. His name is Greg Glenn, an artist from San Luis Obispo, California. 

Glenn said he travels across the United States with his family to various art festivals and makes sand sculptures. The piece he made in State College was inspired by a painting by artist James C. Christensen titled The Rhinoceros. The sculpture consisted of 25 tons of masonry sand, Glenn said. 

Out of every display I saw that day, Glenn's was attracting the most attention. Groups of 15 people or more would gather for minutes at a time to watch as he worked.

"And on the Eighth Day, He did say, 'Let there be sand and
YOLO T-shirts.'"

I've seen good sand sculptures before, like the Jesus sculpture in Ocean City, Maryland. But Glenn's piece, by far, contained more detail than any of the sculptures I've come across. 

What also captivated me was Glenn's spirit. Based off the brief conversation I had with him, it seemed as though Glenn is an easy-going person just looking to express his work and entertain his guests. 

To me, that's the true beauty of art -- not so much the piece itself, but the passion that goes into making it beautiful. The other artists at the festival possess similar passion, sure, but it gets spoiled when they put a price tag with three, four or five figures on it. 

I understand people need to make a living, but the best art will always be by the people doing it out of love instead of financial gain.