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The Indie Press

The 2009 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the People’s Choice Festival, both “local arts” venues, have again banned the sale of books by local authors. Both festivals tout inclusion of many genres of arts including visual, performing, and culinary (food vendors), yet deny inclusion of literary arts!

 

At least one local couple considers books art. Herwig’s Austrian Bistro in downtown State College will be hosting Ken Hull and his book going LOCAL! in front of their restaurant during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Herwig “Brandy” and Gundi Brandstatter have been supporters of local art since their arrival here from Austria in the early ‘80s. Their generosity and open doors have been a blessing to The Indie Press.

Please come and support a local artist/author and his local art/book at Herwig’s this week! Buy a book and eat THE BEST Austrian food this side of Vienna!

 

Where: Herwig’s Austrian Bistro

132 W. College Ave. State College

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=132+W+College+Ave,+State+College,+PA+16801&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.281301,62.226563&ie=UTF8&ll=40.794806,-77.862167&spn=0.008951,0.015192&z=16&iwloc=A

When: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 11am to 7pm

Commentary:

So books are deemed less of an art than even brooms and Kettle Korn? Apparently so to the keepers of the “arts” keys of central PA.

I spent 20 years as a visual artist and received many accolades for my works – even twice as one of the top 50 artists at the CPFA. In my whole career I’ve sold fewer paintings than copies of my first book in its first year. How many books do you have in your home? How many art pieces? I imagine the ratio to be higher in favor of books.

And what about name and fame recognition of artists vs. authors? I would bet that most people can name more famous, even not-so-famous authors than artists. And dollars spent on books vs. art? Libraries, bookstores, and Amazon are proof (to me) that people buy way more books than art. And books appeal to a much broader crowd. Pretty much everyone from brainiac to the average Joe buys and reads books. And sometimes they talk about their books like it’s a part of their lives or has changed their lives in some way. Even my humble going LOCAL! book gets comments like that all the time. Yet I’m not considered worthy of representation in the arts festivals.

You would think that at least the People’s Choice (a festival I helped to form)would live up to their basic founding standards that local central PA artists and crafts people should be dutifully represented. They do not.

I love the broom guy at the People’s Choice don’t get me wrong – I buy his brooms every few years (they’re really good and really last!), but is that anymore of an art or craft than my book? And if it’s that I’m selling multiple copies of my book and not a “one of a kind” original, then why can artists and photographers sell prints? Even the broom guy sells hundreds of the same exact style of broom (I bought the same type of broom last year as I did ten years ago).

My point is, literature IS ART! According to Wikipedia “The arts encompasses visual arts, literature, the performing arts, including music, drama, film, dance, related media, and by some definitions, other areas such as fashion." Dictionary.com defines art as, “The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.”

If our arts festivals want to truly represent “the arts,” they should include the literary arts as well. An amazing group of local authors, myself included, would like our books to be considered ”beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance,” or at least as worthy as brooms and Kettle Korn.

Ken Hull

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