Saluda Arts Festival Saturday
Saluda’s historic downtown will transform into an artistic mecca this Saturday, May 21.
The eighth Saluda Arts Festival will be held from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine.
A juried event for the second year, the festival features 45 artists from North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. They will exhibit, demonstrate and sell a variety of art including oil paintings, watercolors, acrylic paintings, drawings, photography, pottery, sculptures, fabric art, jewelry, stained glass, metalworking and woodworking.
See first-hand how an artist creates his or her work by watching live demonstrations of painting, weaving, pottery, sculpting and blacksmithing. Children will create their own works of art with an expanded children’s tent under the porch of the Saluda Center.
Live performances at the McCreery Park Pavilion will include the Appalachian Brass Quintet, magician and TV personality Jack Roper, One Leg Up, the Swayback Sisters and more. (See below for a schedule.)
The music for the eighth annual Saluda Arts Festival is provided by a grant from the Polk County Community Foundation’s Saluda Fund.
The Saluda Artists’ Exhibition is on display at the Saluda Center, 64 Greenville Street, Saluda for the month of May and includes paintings, fabric arts, pottery and woodworking from Saluda artists. Hours of the center are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Artist’s awards and cash prizes will be presented at 1pm at the Saluda Center. The judges for the festival this year are:
• Robert Dunning, a professor of art at UNCA, where he is chairman of the art department.  He has a B.F.A. in drawing and painting and an M.F.A. in printmaking. His artwork is on display at Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville.
• Ben Pfingstag, who has an M.F.A. in painting and a Ph.D in art history. He taught art for 10 years at Norwich University in Vermont and currently teaches continuing education in art at Blue Ridge Community College and Isothermal College.
• Terry Holland, an interior designer from Macon, Ga., who has purchased original art for hundreds of clients during his 30- plus years in the interior design business. His personal collection includes paintings, ceramics and glass, which he has placed in his homes in Franklin, N.C., Beaufort, S.C., and Macon, Ga. He has also donated many paintings from his collection to universities, historic homes and museums in Macon, Ga., and Asheville, N.C.
Saluda Arts Festival sponsors include:
• Monet sponsors: Salamander, Essential Elements Massage & Bodywork, Angelo and Amy Zollo and The Dancer’s Extension.
• Picasso sponsors: Cathy Jackson Realty, Charles Street Garden, Heartwood Gallery, Kirby Custom Builders, Inc., The Purple Onion and Scott & Barbara Cardais.
• Van Gogh sponsors: Flat Rock Cinema, Lynn and Mike Cass, Macon Bank and Steve and Georgia Herring.
“The City of Saluda supports the Saluda Arts Festival because it enhances the overall quality of life, promotes the businesses in Saluda and the county, and promotes fine arts and crafts from local and regional artists,” said Saluda Mayor Fred Baisden.
Shuttle carts will be available to help transport visitors around the festival area if required.
For more information about the festival or to get directions to Saluda, visit www.saluda.com or contact Cathy Jackson, spokesperson for the Saluda Business Association, at cathy@cathyjacksonrealty.com or 828-817-2876.
“Saluda abounds with natural assets. It’s our duty to the heritage of Saluda to celebrate and promote its artistic culture, historic buildings and the natural beauty of our mountains and waterfalls,” said Jackson.
– article submitted by Cathy Jackson, Saluda Business Association

Saluda Arts Festival entertainment schedule
McCreery Park Pavillion
11 a.m.  – 1 p.m.    Appalachian Brass Quintet from Brevard, N.C.
1 p.m.    Magician, TV personality Jack Roper will entertain the audience between setups.
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.    One Leg Up
Based in Asheville, N.C., One Leg Up performs a vibrant mixture of upbeat gypsy jazz, Latin, swing and original jazz compositions and is a favorite of club, concert, and festival stages throughout the southeastern United States.
3 – 5 p.m.    Swayback Sisters
The Swayback Sisters are Laura Blackley, Nikki Talley and Lyndsay Wojcik. This Asheville-based roots trio creates a diverse musical experience for themselves as well as their audiences, featuring original songs, crafty guitar work and three-part harmony.
Other venues
11 a.m., Saluda School Auditorium    Spring concert by 20 students from the Dancer’s Extension
2 p.m., Saluda Center parking lot    Saluda School Cloggers