By Taylor Vermillion |Staff Writer|
Artists, musicians, dancers, and vendors gathered on May 2 to participate in CSUSB’s annual Arts & Music Festival.
The free event invited people of all ages, even children and their parents.The festival encouraged students to take a break and relax from midterms an revel in the cultural atmosphere.
Held directly behind the campus museum (RAFFMA) and stretching all the way to the Coussoulis Arena, the art-walk featured an amazing array of talented individuals.
Ranging from painters and sculptures to jewelry and clothing designers,plenty gathered to show off their talents to the world.
CSUSB student Melissa Dailey sat proudly behind her art designs, which featured stunning hand made dreamcatchers that possessed a hint of personalized flair.
Her designs caught the attention of several interested individuals, and the “oohs” and “awes” that emanated from them were well deserved.
Another student, Ruben Chavez, showed off his work that stood out among others. His paintings were beautiful and personal, with some abstract work that derived from his own memory.
Chavez had several paintings of celebrities in recognizable form, including the late Amy Winehouse and the controversial Miley Cyrus.
When asked about his experience at the festival, Chavez said, “I really like this event. There is always a fun turnout.”
The word “fun” doesn’t really do the festival justice. It was an absolute blast. One of the vendors offered a chalk walk, which allowed people to get hands-on with personalized creations.
Everyone was encouraged to grab a piece of chalk, sit down with your their own slice of pavement and let your their imagination run wild. In the words of one of the artists, “keep calm and chalk on.”
After walking around and perusing through the various artistic creations, I had almost forgot that it was an Arts and Music festival. I felt very comfortable in this artistic environment.
It was impossible to ignore the sounds of live music that surrounded you while looking through all the vendors.
Dual stages were set up near the beginning of the art-walk, which featured massive speakers and impressive lighting technology.
The crowd surrounding the stage was pretty impressive as well. Everyone cheered as local bands like The Body Rampant and Zen Tonic played their hearts out.
“I wish I had known that the festival is an annual thing. This is really awesome! I will definitely be coming back and the fact that it’s free doesn’t hurt either,” said festival goer Stephanie Wong.
Food trucks were located all along the art walk as well. The most popular truck being had to be Suite 106 Cupcake Bakery.
For the crowd that was 21 and over, a local brewery was a set up that drew a crowd for themselves.
Dale Bros Brewery brought their hand-crafted specialty beers for those who wanted to indulge.
CSUSB has always been a campus that supports and praises art in all of its forms.
The Arts & Music Festival is one of many events that the campus is home to that shows their support of students and local talent.
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