Lowertown Art & Music Festival in Paducah

Memorial Day Weekend means that it's festival time in Lowertown, here in Paducah. Lowertown is a neighborhood adjacent to Paducah's historic downtown which benefited from a City initiative which designated it as a gallery district. Paducah's Artist Relocation Program has attracted artists from around the country, bringing in needed cultural and financial capital. Once a neighborhood falling into disrepair, Lowertown now attracts new residents and tourists who enjoy the restored historical homes and galleries, along with a wonderful sense of community.

The Lowertown Art & Music Festival is a chance to celebrate local talent as well as those of vendors and musicians participating from places far and near.

I worked at HeART of Healing Gallery, one of the Lowertown galleries, and had a chance to run around and see if I could find any fiber people. (See tomorrow's post for more info on HeART of Healing.) For some reason, every year during the festival, we get Paducah's worst, hot and steamy weather. Of course it rained the day after the festival was over and now it's gorgeous, crisp and beautiful. Despite the conditions, people seemed to really enjoy themselves. I watched a belly dance presentation for a bit, then went on to find the fiber folks. I found three who were all excellent.

Teresa Hays does some of the best marbling on silk that I have ever seen. It's not a technique that I am normally drawn to, unless it's executed with talent. Well, Teresa has mastered marbling. Her wonderful color palette swirls and feathers, complementing her excellent choice of designs in silk garments, scarves, purses and men's ties. Teresa lives in Franklin, Tn.




Mary Waite came all the way up from Florida and was happy to get away from the humidity down there (!!!!). She was probably one of the few who was actually enjoying the weather.

Mary weaves and her booth was displayed with gorgeous ikats, scarves and natural textures. A hard sell on a hot, humid day, but I did have a customer at HeART of Healing who was a weaver and just had to buy one of her shawls because she knew how much work went into it!


Finally, a booth with musical instruments caught my eye. When I told Chad Scott I wanted to post his work on a fiber blog, he seemed a bit surprised. Well, maybe 3-d bamboo pieces are not normally included in the fiber category, but I love it and for the purposes of this blog, bamboo will always have a welcomed place.

Drumzrguruven (he uses umlas , but I don't know how to add symbols through blogger), has a great website with more info on their drums, didgeridoos, and rainsticks. Make sure to read Chad's artist statement!

The instruments show excellent craftsmanship and design.



I had to run on back to my job, but was happy to see these and other artists making Lowertown come to life. Of course I bumped into a couple of friends:

Monica Bilak, actually did most of the organizing of the festival. Can you tell she didn't want a photo taken? "Come on, Monica! Give me that smile..."

She did it, but if you look closely, she's throwing daggers at me through her eyes. Monica was one of my first friends in Paducah. She and her husband, Paul, lived in Kenya for a few years and when they came to Paducah, Monica opened a retail store in Lowertown called Global Nomad. (My kind of store!) She also bought a lot of the things I made, just to be supportive... Since then, she decided that retail was not for her and they changed the store into a guest house called "The Mary Jane Inn". Monica and Paul also are actively involved in an important project they helped start in Kenya, Project Aids Orphan, which helps children who have been orphaned because of Aids.

Then, I saw Merle, sitting in his recycling booth:

Merle and his wife, Deb, are also Chicago transplants. Deb is also a member of Paducah Fiber Artists, and Merle works for the City as an inspector. Merle has been extremely helpful to me in my housing search, but more importantly, he is mobilizing the city into a rapidly growing recycling movement.

So, that was my little time at the festival. Paducah is a wonderful place to live. If you are an artist looking to relocate, there are still properties available in Lowertown. While most of the country is suffering a housing crisis, Paducah is experiencing revitalization with increasing property values. There are plenty of nice houses with big yards around the city for under $100K and for those of us who are struggling artists, there are also fixer uppers available from 10K on up. If you don't want to move here, but are driving nearby, know that the turn off is worth the exploration. There are plenty of treasures to discover here in Paducah!

Lowertown Art & Music Festival in Paducah

Aynex Mercado: Puerto Rican Sunshine in Paducah

If you are coming to Paducah for the quilt show this year, you might end up at the Texaco Station (7th and Madison) in the heart of Lowertown, the City's Artist Relocation Program.

Inside, you just might find Paducah's piece of Puerto Rican sunshine, Aynex Mercado, who can give you all the ins and outs of what to see in Lowertown. Aynex was so good at bringing people together, organizing events, making things happen, that the City made her official and hired her to help visitors find their way around.

Aynex was the first person I met when I came to Paducah. She's this tiny little thing with a giant spirit. She suffered an accident several years ago which affected her mobility. She moves slowly and carefully, but with determination. She welcomed me and introduced me to several of the artists in Lowertown, walking with deliberation from house to house. I grew up in Brazil and lived in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago for twenty years, so I was thrilled to have another Latino representative here in Paducah. (There are not many of us...)

A couple of months after I moved here in 2005, Aynex started a fiber art group, which I joined. We meet monthly, a highlight and source of great support for me. Aynex is a quilter, just one of her many talents:



It's been said that great gifts come in small packages. Well, this little Puerto Rican got more than her share of talent! Aynex has also become a graphic designer, a film maker and an actress. Her blog, Que Es Lo Que Pasa Aqui? has a video log of work, including an invaluable collection of interviews with Lowertown artists and life in Paducah. Here is a short where she interviews Caryl Bryer Fallert of Bryerpatch Studio, world renowned quilter and a must visit stop during the quilt show:



My favorite, though, is "A Stroll in the Park", a silent movie made in collaboration with other LowerTown artists. This movie was made for Aynex's 29th birthday where she truly became a star! The viewing and blessed event (Aynex's birth) was celebrated at the Maiden Alley Cinema where LowerTown artists and friends turned up in 1930's costume.



The party was captured on film as well:



Aynex has a gift. She brings people together, bosses them around, gets them to do things that they will remember later as a time when they really lived. She is a ray of sunshine. Sadly, though, Aynex is leaving Paducah in May to go back to live with her family. She states in her blog:

"Yes, you heard correctly. I'm leaving Paducah. I need a new hip and a new life which could be a hipper life. I have mixed feelings about the move. I am sad and excited and nervous all at the same time. But change is always a good thing. I have met some great people here and this place will always have a special place in my heart. Everyone has given me so much and I'm a better person than the person that came here four years ago. Has it only been four years? I am a much better artist, I know a lot more about design and have many things to add to my portfolio and hopefully get a job somewhere. I started making videos and did some funny things. I am the class clown. I had my first real job. I almost got my license. Still working on that. But most of all what Paducah has given me is confidence in myself. We'll see what that confidence does in the real world..."

Paducah can be a challenging place to live. There are not many jobs and it's hard for a diva to find a good man. Mary Thorsby of IList Paducah, interviewed Aynex when she was featured as hot date of the week:

IL: So Aynex, what’s the dating scene like in Paducah?
AM: I don’t know. You’re my first date in 10 years. And who would have thought that my first date would be with a woman?

IL: Yeah, sorry about that. A married woman, too. Maybe this column will help you attract more suitable suitors.
AM: I hope so. I’m ready.

IL: What are you doing to get yourself out there?
AM: I’m thinking about going to the Twenty Thirty Group. I just need someone to go with.

IL: I’ll go with you! Except that I’m more like 20 plus 30. Minus seven. Are you only interested in dating other artists?
AM: No, he doesn’t have to be an artist. Just someone with a job.

Sorry, Aynex... Mary did try...

Aynex will have a good-by show, "Adios Paducah" at Aspire Arts Gallery in May. Meanwhile, don't forget to make a stop at that Texaco Station... it will be a grey day in Paducah soon, so get the sunshine while you can!


Aynex's Etsy Shop

Aynex Mercado: Puerto Rican Sunshine in Paducah