Manayunk Arts Festival To Return for 35th Anniversary on Main Street This Month

The 35th Annual Manayunk Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, June 22nd from 11:00am to 7:00pm and Sunday, June 23rd  from 11:00am to 6:00pm. The tradition of being the tri-state area’s largest outdoor juried art festival will continue as Main Street hosts approximately 300 different local and nationally known artists and crafters.Over 100,000 collectors, buyers, and designers will visit Main Street for this iconic event.  Outside of the art and crafts, visitors can also find food and drink vendors, merchant specials, live art demonstrations and much more. The event is no charge to attend and family friendly. 

For event info and updates, visit www.manayunk.com/events/ and follow @manayunkdotcom.

Thirty-five years ago, in June of 1990, Manayunk hosted its first arts festival. Festival organizers closed the street, lined it with juried artists and crafters, and gambled that people would travel far and wide to spend the day in Manayunk, and the bet paid off. From the very first year, record crowds attended the show, and from there, Manayunk as a district was off and running.

Joan Boroff Denenberg, a Marketing & Retail Strategy consultant for Manayunk, was there 30 years ago setting up the street. Her mother, Barbara Boroff, was the original promoter that brought the artists to Main Street.  Denenberg reminisces “We were on the street marking and remarking up to 3am in the morning before the show.  We had no idea how the event would go and just crossed our fingers that year one was good enough to think about year two…..the sun shined all weekend, the street was packed, we were featured on the front cover of the local paper….we knew we had something that would last and change Manayunk.” Joan and her now 89 year old mother will be celebrating 35 years and most certainly making yet again another craft or art purchase!”

The Manayunk Arts Festival, organized and operated by the Manayunk Development Corporation, is a no charge event open to the public and will feature artists from eight different disciplines: fiber, glass, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, painting & drawing, photography, and wood & sculpture. Visitors can also enjoy food and beverages from Manayunk’s renowned restaurants and cool off by shopping at Manayunk’s unique boutiques and stores.

A special feature of the show is The Emerging Artist Program which features local and up-and-coming talent. This initiative allows young artists to begin showing and selling their work.  Each artist is allowed to participate as an emerging artist for up to three years and then are extended an invitation to participate in the show. Many of the Emerging Artists are now regular participants in the show. This year, 30 Emerging Artists will be featured in the Main Street Emerging Artist Tents sponsored by The Main Street Team at Copper Hill Real Estate and Winnie Clowry in addition to 25 Emerging Artists in the Garden being featured at the PHS Pop Up Garden. The Emerging Arts Tents will be located on Grape Street and Roxborough Avenue, and PHS Pop Up Garden on Jamestown Avenue.

“We’re very proud of the Emerging Artist Program as we get to see so many new artists grow into festival artists, not only with the Manayunk Arts Festival, but with other festivals, shows, and circuits too,” said Caitlin Marsilii, Events Coordinator of the Manayunk Development Corporation. “With this year’s expansion in collaboration with PHS Pop Up Garden at Manayunk, we are excited to offer even more opportunities to emerging artists!”

Each year one artist’s work is chosen to be featured in all marketing materials. It has always been an honor to the chosen work and see it featured in magazine ads, posters, billboards and TV ads. The 2024 poster artwork, Poppy, is courtesy of Anastasia Alexandrin.

The Manayunk Arts Festival is a rain or shine event — dress accordingly!

NEW TO 2024

Every year, the festival continues to grow, and there are some fun additions coming to this year’s festival:

Emerging Artists in the Garden: New to this year, in addition to the Emerging Artist Tents, Manayunk and The PHS Pop Up Garden at Manayunk are teaming up to host 25 Emerging Artists in the Garden. The PHS Pop Up Garden at Manayunk is a vibrant seasonal hangout set in a pollinator garden dedicated to making positive social and environmental change through horticulture. This year, festival guests will be able to wander up Jamestown Avenue into the garden to explore the art!

Funk Shop: Lucky’s Last Chance is collaborating with Rose Bear Arts to create a curated collection of artists at the Funk Shop. Stop by the Funk Shop marketplace at 4421 Main Street to see what it’s all about.

Ten Thousand Flowers Project: Manayunk Arts Festival is collaborating with the Ten Thousand Flowers Project to bring in an interactive community art experience. Led by artist Tim Gibson, the Ten Thousand Flowers Project aims to bring communities together to create one giant temporary mural, filled with ten thousand colorful flowers. Over the course of the two day festival, visitors, artists, and residents will be able to help in the painting and creation of a beautiful collaborative piece. The mural will be set up temporarily in Canal View Park (4418 Main Street) throughout the duration of the event.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Painting/Drawing - Anastasia Alexandrin: This year, the face of the festival is Anastasia Alexandrin’s Poppy, which is featured on all festival promotions. Her artistic approach revolves around the meticulous assembly of individual lines, skillfully intertwined to construct a unified and compelling larger drawing. For Anastasia, each line possesses its own unique significance, adding depth and nuance to the overarching composition, while inviting viewers to appreciate the intricate balance between simplicity and complexity within my art.

Ceramics - Babyface Mugs - Kimberly Canfield:  Kim Canfield is a figurative sculptor and ceramist who creates work that explores the impact of the mind on the human body. She enjoys making hand-sculpted, wheel-thrown, one of a kind coffee mugs, planters, pottery, and everything in between. Her Babyface Mugs, which will be available at the festival, are mighty, sassy, and cranky babies that are perfect ways to communicate when you “just can’t deal,” and they come in all different sassy facial expressions.  

Glass - Hokanson Dix Glass - Trefny Dix & Bengt Hokanson:  Since 1996, Trefny Dix and Bengt Hokanson have been creating blown glass sculptures utilizing simple forms, vividly colored murrini and cane patterns, rich color washes, and textured surface patterns. They use a combination of traditional Swedish and Italian glass blowing techniques, as well as experimental techniques that they have developed to make work that feels alive and engaging.

Photography - Aaron Schantz Photography - Aaron Schantz: Native Philadelphian, adventure photographer, and avid traveler, Aaron Schantz brings art that has a story, and his photography is the medium by which he shares his adventures and lens to the world. His work is a balance of viewing the city through his lens, exploring all that PA has to offer, and bringing his camera along for the ride as he explores the world.

Mixed Media - Kesh Logan Art - Keshawna Logan: Last year’s 1st Place Emerging Artist Winner, Keshawna Logan, will have a full booth at this year’s festival. Intrigued by the beauty and intelligence of the natural world and its mystical aspects, Kesh Logan Art, works to depict natural spaces of foliage, plant life, and nature in addition to depicting black and brown women in ethereal environmental spaces. Her work is designed to provide women of color connectivity to a space where all body kinds, shapes, and sizes may be valued. Each piece has many objectives and themes with its overall thoughts and feelings at the core.

Fiber - Nanako - Nanako Miller - Nanako's designs are influenced by unique combinations of life experiences. Drawing inspiration from growing up in Japan, her classical ballet background, and living in London, her clothing, handcrafted with draping and pinching technique is stylish, movement conscious, and great for all ages.

Jewelry - Sun Ah Blair Jewelry - Amy Blair: Sun Ah Blair Jewelry is a fresh and happy line of wearables handcrafted from Baltimore artist, Amy Blair. Each piece is designed thoughtfully and with intention using patterns from textile and her original watercolor paintings. Her work harmonizes past and present, subtle and bold, color and pattern. She makes her work for those who believe art can be a bridge to human connection.

Wood/Sculpture - Assemblique - Lawrence Agnello: Assemblique creates unique upcycled sculptures by carefully assembling broken and discarded objects from the past. The intricately assembled discarded pieces make beautiful art, lasting objects of brass, wood, metal, glass & stone that could be from the past or future, old or new.

FESTIVAL PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

It is highly encouraged to take public transportation to the event. With just a 15-minute train ride from Center City, attendees can take the Manayunk-Norristown Line to the Manayunk Station all weekend or SEPTA Bus Routes 61 and 35. Limited Parking is available at 4000 Main Street lot and Green Lane lot. Handicapped parking is available at Main and Levering Streets.

A round-trip shuttle service is also available for $4 per person ($2 for children). Proceeds benefit the North Light Community Center. Complimentary shuttle parking is available at the following locations: 555 City Avenue on Presidential Blvd. in Bala Cynwyd and Ivy Ridge Train Station on Umbria Street.

555 City Avenue Shuttle Loop Stops
555 City Avenue (Complimentary shuttle parking)
Main Street & Shurs Lane
Ridge Avenue & Shurs Lane
Ridge Avenue & Main Street

Ivy Ridge Train Station Shuttle Loop
Ivy Ridge Train Station (Complimentary shuttle parking)
Main Street & Green Lane
Ridge Avenue & Hermitage Street  
Domino Lane & Ridge Avenue

ABOUT MANAYUNK BICENTENNIAL YEAR:

Manayunk Arts Festival is part of the 200th anniversary celebration of Manayunk! Manayunk Development Corporation will host a year of events for the Manayunk Bicentennial that honor and celebrate the neighborhood's rich history. In May of 1824, Manayunk received its name at the first town meeting. Originally, the area was known as Flat Rock due to the large flat rock formation at the lower side of Flat Rock Bridge. The name was changed to Manayunk for the Lenape word “Maniung” meaning “where we go to drink.”

Manayunk will be celebrating 200 years from January to December with programing and events, including Founders Philly Freeze Out, Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival, Manayunk Arts Festival, Dog Day of Summer, Stroll the Street, Out and About in MNYK, Manayunk Wing Woman, Halloween in Manayunk, Holidays in Manayunk and more. Watch for details, events and updates by visiting www.manayunk.com and following @manayunkdotcom

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