The New England Christian Arts Council will be holding its fourth annual His Gifts and Presence New England Arts Festival this Saturday at the Vineyard Church Fellowship in Westbrook.
The festival will feature 80 artists, from as near as the Lakes Region and as far as Florida, exhibiting their spirituality through painting, song, dance, jewelry, pottery, literature, poetry and photography.
Local artists are especially excited for what is anticipated to be the greatest festival yet.
Barbara Bagshaw, of Windham, is president of the New England Christian Arts Council and is most eager of all. She and the other five members of the board of directors have spent countless hours throughout the past year organizing for this event. However, a year ago, Bagshaw would never have guessed how big this year’s event would be become. Aside from the number of artists participating, a major reason this year’s event is bigger than ever is due to a Stephanie Powell, a dance instructor from New York City.
While attending a “Dance-for-Healing” dinner, Bagshaw started a conversation with a female dancer named Stephanie Powell. The two spoke for a while with Bagshaw eventually inviting Powell to be a part of the festival. Powell accepted.
“I looked her up on Google that night and I was so embarrassed,” said Bagshaw. “I didn’t realize how famous she was.”
It ended up that Bagshaw had invited the dance instructor for Alvin Alley in New York City, one of the finest dance companies in the world. Powell also teaches at Townsend University and owns her own studio in New York as well. She will lead three free dance workshops: beginner, intermediate and advanced with five other members of her company on July 8 for adults, and July 10 for children.
Even though each year the festival gets bigger and bigger, Bagshaw says the act of organizing gets easier and easier. She has organized the City Hall Art Show in Portland as well. With all of the time and effort she puts into coordinating, she still finds time to paint and will have eight pieces on display at the show. In the past, she has also displayed sculpture and jewelry, however this year she has focused on her paintings, influenced by both her faith and her love of dance and movement.
Some local artists are taking part in the festival as well. Sandy Bernier, a member of the Board of Directors in charge of dance and resident of Standish, is influenced even more by her love of movement. She has been dancing for two years, but has been a part of the festival for three.
“The first year I was just a spectator. I had never seen people dancing for the Lord and I was really moved by that,” she recalled, “From then on, I wanted to be involved in all aspects (of the festival).”
At that first festival, Bernier won a gift certificate to Eternity Dance, a Christian dance studio in Biddeford, and has been dancing there ever since.
The Arts Festival is not the only vehicle of outreach for Bernier as she and other members of Eternity Dance have performed at the National Day of Prayer and Christmas celebrations in Biddeford. Dancing has also brought Bernier and her daughter Cassandra closer together. They will be performing a lyrical dance together with two other members of Eternity Dance at the festival. She hopes that the dances can influence others as she was influenced.
“To move people and be enjoying yourself while worshipping the Lord is just a double blessing,” she said. “It’s hard to explain until you experience it.”
This will also be the third year that Victoria James, a singer/guitarist from Casco, has performed at the Arts Festival. She moved to Casco in 1991 and has been performing in coffeehouses, teen centers and churches ever since. Her music is family friendly and designed for listeners of all ages.
Ever since she was in junior high school she has been writing songs that maintain a balance between “light, happy worship and the honest human condition.” In 2003, James recorded her first album, “Heart of Hope,” which will be on sale Saturday at the show. She looks forward to the event as “a great opportunity for artists to get together and share,” and “for people to see what Christian art is all about.” She also appreciates the interdenominational aspect and sees it as “neat to be part of an experience that is outside the box.”
His Gifts and Presence New England Arts Festival will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship at 715 Bridgton Road in Westbrook. The visual art viewing will last for the entirety of the festival and performance art will begin at 5 p.m. Admission is free, however donations are accepted. For more information, visit www.newenglandchristianartscouncil.org or call 773-9718.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
