Creativity unites generations at this year’s dynamic Art on the Porches
Sanjana Sharma, an illustration student at Syracuse University, shared her passion for pop-up cards at Art on the Porches. Sharma hosted a one-hour workshop for kids at the event teaching them how to make the cards. Zara Abiog | Contributing Writer
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Artwork and floral arrangements adorned the sidewalks and porches of the Strathmore neighborhood’s Ruskin Avenue, and canopy tents housed one-of-a-kind design pieces. Uplifting music and the chatter of art lovers filled the air as people explored vibrant color palettes and intricate woodwork.
On Saturday, Art on the Porches returned for its 23rd year.
“It’s back, alive and active,” Kelly Wise, a long-time Syracuse resident and attendee, said.
This year’s event hosted artists and vendors from central New York and the Finger Lakes. Local families and children participated in workshops, wandered around a variety of stalls of skilled artisans, jammed to country music and enjoyed bites from local food and ice cream trucks. Performances from acoustic bands accompanied the artworks.
Some vendors were first-timers this year at Art on the Porches, selling colorful beaded bracelets. Young children sat criss-crossed on the sidewalk presenting their products on the pavement, hopefully waiting for attendees to purchase from them.
Three porches up from the brightly colored bracelets sat Sanjana Sharma, a third-year Master of Fine Arts illustration student at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. After wanting to do the workshop last year, she participated for the first time to engage with the Syracuse art community and gain teaching experience through her one-hour workshop for children on pop-up cards.
Last fall, as part of a class assignment, Sharma started creating pop-up art and was fascinated by the process and different elements she could capture with depth. She said it was a massive upgrade from 2D to 3D illustrations. As she kept learning more skills, she began to enjoy her craft so much that she wanted to teach it to others.
“Whatever I have in my head, whatever world is in my head, translates really well onto (the 3D art) which I find really exciting,” Sharma said.
This passion prompted her to propose a workshop to this year’s event organizers. It wasn’t Sharma’s first time teaching — she currently teaches art labs for freshmen at SU.
Sharma found that her fascination with working with children stems from their carefree nature when creating art, in comparison to the perfectionist mindset of adults.
“It’s always fun working with younger kids, because they’re so imaginative and creative, that it’s really different from teaching university students,” Sharma said.
Eva Hunter, an artist from Clay, New York, has created art for over 30 years and has been an active participant in the event for about six years.
Hunter creates paintings of vibrant colored birds and greenery. She integrates these paintings into wearable designs in the form of jewelry, which she displays alongside her paintings.
Currently, Hunter teaches art in her studio, at a local art store and in libraries, and shows her work across Syracuse. She focuses on spreading joy and encouraging artists to focus on their craft, practice diligence and believe in their potential to make a living from art, she said.
“Do the work, put the work in practice,” Hunter said. “Get the foundational skills that you need, and keep practicing and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t make a living at this because you can. You just have to work it.”
Art on the Porches is a safe and welcoming place for new artists, young musicians or someone who’s never done art before to show their talent, Wise said.
“It gives them an opportunity to show their art for the first time, to sing their song for the first time on a stage,” Wise said. “Young people can know that you can be an artist as a career. You don’t have to give up your craft because you’ve grown.”
