NewBo Arts Festival adds student event

CEDAR RAPIDS - Up-and-coming artists from high schools and colleges around Eastern Iowa gathered Saturday for the first NextGen Artist Invitational during the NewBo Arts Festival in the New Bohemia neighborhood.

'We're all nervous about our own work, and we probably compare our work too much to others,” said Randah Espy, a senior from Mount Mercy University. 'But I think this gives people the opportunity to meet other artists and to get more comfortable with your own work. It definitely relieves pressure seeing people in the same boat.”

Arts festival organizers added the event this year in an effort to attract a more diverse crowd to the festival.

A panel of art experts from the community judged the students in two divisions - high school and college.

The students will display and sell their artwork.

For the high school division, Washington, Kennedy, Jefferson and Linn-Mar schools participated. For the college division, students came from Mount Mercy University, Coe College and Kirkwood Community College.

Anne Stamats, owner of Black Earth Gallery and member of the NewBo Arts Festival committee, said the weekend event fits in with her larger goal for the NewBo area.

'I want it to become a destination in the state,” she said. 'We're branding ourselves as an art and entertainment district.”

Stamats said she hopes NewBo becomes a place 'where people want to come because they know what they're going to get,” like the Amana Colonies or Kalona.

Daysha Lichty, market and programming manager for NewBo City Market, said the NextGen addition to the arts festival could encourage young artists to keep coming to the event once they become professionals.

'I think just making people aware of all the local artists that do live in the area is good,” she said. 'It's good to get their names out there.”