By Kelsi Loos
kloos@newspost.com
The Frederick Festival of the Arts, in its 22nd year, will bring together an eclectic collection of artists and artisans.
Isabelle Davidowitz, who goes by Isabelle Glass when she sells her jewelry, has been a part of the festival for about seven years.
“It’s one of my best shows of the year,” she said. “Frederick is wonderful community and they support the arts and it’s a cool scene.”
The Braddock Heights glass maker started out as a hobbyist around 14 years ago, after leaving a job as a clothing designer in New York City.
She was passionate about small businesses, she said, so making glass jewelry at home was a good way to establish her own small business and spend more time with her son and more time with a craft she came to love.
Davidowitz began selling her pieces at parties, which she said was a good way to figure out what people liked wearing. Now she primarily sells her jewelry at festivals.
Her method involves creating a seven-layer collage using different colors of glass. The pieces come out of the kiln looking organic and a bit like rocks.
“A lot of people mistake my work for being natural rocks, which I love,” she said.
Davidowitz then melts the glass to pure silver to create a finished piece of jewelry.
She said the festival is a great way to meet members of the arts community, talk about art and hear the stories behind each piece. “It’s just rich with creativity and things that you won’t see anywhere else in the world,” Davidowitz said. “I cherish the pieces that I get from other artists.”
The festival will feature 110 artists working in a variety of mediums and performances by about a dozen bands and dancers, including the Second Hand Ramblers and the Hard Swimmin’ Fish. The sketch group the Comedy Pigs will make an appearance Saturday night. The art will include painting, photography, glass, jewelry, clay, leather, wood, metal, drawing, digital art, sculpture, fiber and mixed media. There will also be educational opportunities.
One of the more unusual artists to have a presence at the festival will be Twin Oaks Hammocks, a cooperative out of Louisa, Virginia. Member Gordon Sproule said the outfit has been offering custom Carolina-style hammocks since the early 1970s. It’s a little different than making jewelery or other arts, he said, because it can be a team effort.
