Redlands Showcases Local Talent at 4th Annual Arts Festival

REDLANDS >> Artists for miles around gathered at Smiley Park on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 - 29, for the fourth annual Redlands Arts Festival. The event took place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and gathered artists, vendors, and musicians in to display and support some of the best talent in the Inland Empire and beyond. Artists came from areas as far as Los Angeles just for this event and for many of them it was their first time. A plethora of artistic styles made their appearance at the Festival. James Born, an artist of about 70 years by his own estimation, is just one of these cases. He mentions that artists such as Cezanne and Picasso influenced his style when he was learning to draw which now showcases his art at other cities in the Inland Empire as well. Tony Galindo is an artist of ten years that specializes in photography. This was his second time at the Festival in which he drove all the way from Carson for the annual event. He mentioned that this year's Festival was different because it focused more on fine art. He draws his inspiration from his love for music, especially Latin jazz. When asked about what he specifically liked about the Festival he replied, "This place is very unique... the city itself is really old but looks so nice." Veta Arnold, a Redlands local of 64 years, has been to the Festival a couple times in previous years. She enjoys viewing all of the art because the wide spectrum of creativity on display. She added, "There are many different ideas; there's some that's so literal... [and some] that are so far out, it's just beautiful." The event was made possible through the contributions of many local organizations. The 2016 sponsors include: Alta Vista Credit Union; Arts Council & Connection, San Bernardino County; Beaver Medical Group; Century 21 Lois Lauer Realty; Century Group Newspapers; ChurchWest Insurance Services; Evans & Co; Gerrards; Hangar 24 Craft Brewery; Hatfield Buick; Maupin Financial Advisors; Pacific Western Bank; Redlands Art Association; Redlands Cultural Arts Commission; Ritual Brewing Co.; Rotary Club of Redlands; and State Street Winery.