Not all of the art in Syracuse’s Westcott neighborhood was meant to be observed on an easel this past weekend. Ask any of the artists, and most will say they wanted to inspire spectators, or strike a chord with them...
A walking trail of mini art exhibits in Syracuse’s Westcott neighborhood included dog portraits made of duct tape, sewing machines transformed into clocks, and leaf sculptures made of concrete. David Goldman has been turning old machines into clocks and tape dispensers for years now.
“It’s just out of the ordinary. It’s a double-take kind of thing. You see it and it’s all recognizable but it’s not what it was. It’s now re-arranged into something else. I enjoy people’s expressions when they go ‘oh look at that, I used to have one of those, but that’s not what it is now.'”
More than 60 artists were placed at 23 locations across the neighborhood for the art trail. Ceramics Artist Alberto Veronica was selling translucent clay cups at the event. Veronica says the sunlight traveling through his cups is a symbol for togetherness.
“So the sun is facing you, and then you take a drink and can see through the cup. You can see the sun coming through the cup. If you think of the painting and interaction it transforms. These sort of little secrets are not pure necessity but they are what connects us as a community”
Veronica was also selling a bowl that he molded at an angle, to ensure the milk in someone’s cereal does not spill out, even if they pour too fast.
Heather Bivens uses glass fired at thousands of degrees to create her earrings, necklaces, and other pieces. She works independently for her business Weathered Heather in Baldwinsville. Bivens purchases most of her material online.
Syracuse University Department of Public Safety Officer Michael Gaut had his art on display inside the Westcott Community Center at the event. He says most of his inspiration for painting comes from pop culture and family life.
"Painting has been this newer hobby for me that is such a release. It’s a way to find the inner child in me."
