Manayunk Arts Festival

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- June 21, 2011 (WPVI) -- Manayunk is open for your enjoyment every weekend, but this coming weekend is one of the more special times.

The 22nd annual Manayunk Arts Festival happens this coming Saturday and Sunday, but the fun actually begins with a preview party Friday night.

Main Street's signature restaurants will participate in a Taste of Manayunk event that evening.

The actual festival happens Saturday and Sunday. Artists from 20 states have been invited to what's become one of the largest juried art shows anywhere. You'll see painting and many other art forms represented.

The Manayunk Development Corporation and Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program commissioned artist Mat Tomezsko to do a series of 30 paintings representing the neighborhood and its people.

He went up and down Main street, photographing and interviewing people. He also researched Manayunk history. Then it was back to his studio where he merged faces, images and words on a series of plywood backgrounds.

The finished paintings will hang along Main Street. When you see one, you'll see its connection to Manayunk, and the more you find, the more interconnection you're likely to realize.

The finished works are more like gallery pieces than a single image. Tomezsko called it a "shattered mural". You'll see how his art feels like a mural and like museum paintings at the same time. Also engaged for the festival is street artist Peter Gibson, who paints under the name Roadsworth. He will be working "live", applying paint directly to the asphalt pavement in the business district.

Plan to spend some time because once people see him at work, they tend to stay a while.

Manayunk's bars and restaurants will be taking part in the weekend's festivities. Things could get busy, so you're encouraged to make a dining reservation if you have a favorite spot.

For more information visit the Manayunk Arts Festival website.

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