The Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm and the next day 11 am to 5 pm, in Norwich’s East and West Parks. (ES file photo)

NORWICH – The 27th annual Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday, September 11 (10 am to 6 pm) and 12 (11 am to 5 pm), in East and West Parks, downtown Norwich.

The centerpiece of this free, two-day Festival is the art. Coloscape features over 100 creators displaying and selling their paintings, sculptures, fabric art, fine crafts, photography, and more. Professional artists come from all over the northeast to participate in what one calls, “the best show in the region.”

Colorscape celebrates more than just visual arts. There will be live entertainment on three stages, the NBT Main Stage, Peggy’s Stage, and the Art Zone stage. Throughout the weekend nationally and regionally recognized bands and solo performers with an emphasis on folks, blues, and rock will be performing, featuring LJ Gates, fan favorites the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Bruce Beadle, and Mark Sands/Realtime Dixieland Band. Drew Drake will be performing his much-admired poetry and spoken word.

The performance schedule for all the live acts can be on the newly designed website, www.colorscape.org.

For hands-on activities, people of all ages can visit the Art Zone. Parents are invited to bring their children to the Kids’ Art Zone, pre-school through age 9, to participate in a variety of art projects, including Greek Pottery Scratch Art, Watercolor Gold Resist Art Prints, and Sand Art Mandalas. For those ages 10 and up, visit the Golden Art Zone, sponsored by Golden Artist Colors. This year Golden Art Zone is offering two art projects: Discover the Secrets of Monoprinting and The Joy of Watercolor. As always, all arts and crafts activities are free of charge. Additional activities for families can be found in Nonprofit Rox, featuring several area nonprofit agencies.

In front of the Guernsey Memorial Library, there will be two days of poets, illustrators, and local authors. Join published poet and Ph.D. student in creative writing at Binghamton University Suzanne Richardson to learn how to write Japanese haiku poems.

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 over 100 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. Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival is made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House.

- From Colorscape Chenango