Colorscape Chenango announced a 103 fine artisans will attended the event on September 11 and 12. Above, a previous year's Colorscape before last year's COVID cancelation. (Photo by Frank Speziale)

NORWICH – In light of most COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, Colorscape Chenango, the nationally recognized arts festival in Norwich, NY, is excited to announce that there will be 103 fine artisans displaying their creations, twenty are entirely new, September 11 and 12.

“We have two artists who have come to Colorscape for 25 of our 27 years. One is Carolyn Neidlinger, who is a member of Made in Chenango, here in Norwich. She does lovely work. She has also painted the wall mural of the street scene across from the cafe in Eaton Center,” says Peggy L. Finnegan, Visual Arts Coordinator. Another long-term artist is Nancy Miller. “It has been a joy to watch Nancy’s work change and develop over the past 25 years. She says she’s been a jeweler since 1993 and her first time at Colorscape was in 1997,” Peggy continued.

It’s difficult to say who has traveled the farthest, though, Soni Fashner is from Greenville, OH, well over 600 miles from Norwich. “I heard about the festival through Utica Coffee. They raved about the festival and said it was one of the best.”

Colorscape has a newly redesigned website, colorscape.org, you can search by artist name and category. There are 14 categories: Ceramics, drawing, fiber, wearable arts, glass, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media, oil and acrylic paintings, photography, sculpture, watercolor paintings, wood, and others.

Celeste Friend, executive director of Colorscape, said, “Colorscape welcomes artists from all over the Northeast. Every year, we see more and more talent pour into the Parks for our favorite weekend of the year. After a year of missing the Festival and everyone involved, we're back and better than ever."

Colorscape celebrates more than just visual arts. Featured headliners will be on the NBT Main Stage and will include fan favorites the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Vance Gilbert, and Bob Malone. The performance schedule for these and the other live acts can be found on the Colorscape website mid-summer.

For hands-on activities, people of all ages can visit the Art Zone. The Kid’s Art Zone is for children, preschool through age 9. They can participate in a variety of exciting art projects, including paper quilling, sand dollar necklaces, sensory coloring, and fiber arts cards. In the Golden Art zone, GOLDEN Employee Owner Volunteers will be doing two activities, free of charge: Monoprinting (8 people at a time, class starts on the hour every hour) and the joy of watercolor (24 people at any given time). Additional activities for families can be found in the Nonprofit Row, featuring several area nonprofit agencies.

Also during the festival weekend, the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) will host a series of programs featuring local structures. The “Historic Architecture in Norwich, the Seat of Chenango County '' walking tours will take place throughout the city on both Sept. 11 and 12. To find out more about these walking tours, contact the Chenango County Historical Society at (607) 334-9227.

About Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival: Recognized as one of the top 100 classic and contemporary craft shows in the county by Sunshine Artist Magazine, Colorscape Chenango has been celebrating premier artists in downtown Norwich since 1995. This free, two-day festival in September features about 125 creators displaying and selling their paintings, sculptures, fabric art, fine crafts, photography, and more. Colorscape also offers nationally renowned musical performers, poetry and literary arts, food, and interactive art activities for all ages. The 2021 Colorscape will be held rain or shine, September 11-12 in East and West Parks in Norwich.

-– From Colorscape Chenango