Columbus and West Point will both offer activities this upcoming weekend that will get your toes tapping and let you channel your inner artist.
Columbus
Third Saturday Art and Music Fair, hosted by Columbus Arts Council and Munson & Brothers, is scheduled for Saturday. The fair, featuring art, food and music, will be held on 3rd Street, next to Munson and Brothers Trading Post, in downtown Columbus.
The event, which also will be held on the third Saturday of August, features about 30 art vendors selling their items from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Music is scheduled from noon-10 p.m.
The first event, held in May, featured a handful of vendors, said Shane Kinder, Columbus Arts Council interim director.
“We had seven vendors for the first 3rd Saturday in May, and had 30 lined up for June before it got rained out,” he said. “For the July fair, we hope to have 25 or 30 vendors selling their creations! This is definitely something we’re excited about and could not be happier about the growth from month one until now.”
A sample of the vendors confirmed so far include Montero Baker, Amy Ballard, Black Warrior Trading Co., Friendly City Books, Leigh Fowler, Andre Ray and Alice Ward.
According to the Columbus Arts Council, the fair will include a car show by the Mississippi HeadTurners and food from Piney Grove United Methodist Church.
During the fair, Munson Brothers will open its beer garden, which will also serve as the music venue. Scheduled to perform are The Seth J. Putnam Tribute Band, from noon-1:30 p.m.; Bo Jeffares and the Exploded Views, 2-3:30 p.m.; White Hawk, 4-5:45 p.m.; Giving up Ghosts, 6:15-8 p.m.; and Night Surf, 8:30-10 p.m.
To apply for a vendor space at the 3rd Saturday Art & Music Fair, visit the Arts Council website at http://columbus-arts.org/calling-all-artists/ .
West Point
“Brzuszek, Beer and Blues,” featuring art, music and beer will be held from 6-9 p.m. Friday at Black Prairie Blues Museum, 640 Commerce St., West Point.
An art reception will be held for Bob Brzuszek, who is a multimedia artist and professor in the landscape architecture program at Mississippi State University.
Brzuszek has special interest in the regional sense of place and its expression in art, music and literature. He has worked with many of the state’s art and cultural institutions and can often be found at area juke joints or blues festivals, according to his bio on the museum’s website.
One of his more visible art pieces is University Drive bridge, over the railroad tracks in Starkville, which he painted with assistant artists Anstacia Doughty and Joseph MacGown. The bridge is painted bright teal with shades of purple dripping off the rails. Cartoon animals and pieces of nature appear along the span’s walls, seemingly waiting for the purple to cover them.
His paintings can be found on canvas, furniture and just about anything else that stays still. Brzuszek favors strongly textured and vibrantly painted pieces.
The Smokestack, which specializes in selling cigars and craft and import beers, will host a beer tasting during the event.
Timothy “Mookie” Wilson is scheduled to perform.
A $30 donation to the Black Prairie Blue Museum is suggested.
For reservations, call or text 662-275-7819. Tickets are available at the Growth Alliance in West Point.
Bob Brzuszek’s artworks can be found on etsy.com at FlatwoodsStudio, or Instagram @Bob Brzuszek .
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