Arts Festival Oklahoma at Oklahoma City Community College celebrates end of summer over Labor Day weekend

Sitting in front of one of his paintings, Robert Carver, of Wichita, Ks., watches people walk by his tent during Arts Festival Oklahoma at Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City on Sunday, September 4, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman Archives

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From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To learn about more Labor Day weekend activities happening around Oklahoma, click here.

OCCC celebrates the end of summer with Arts Festival Oklahoma
From Saturday-Monday, the Labor Day weekend tradition will feature 160-plus artist booths set up under block-long tents, a performing arts stage spotlighting a variety of live entertainment and a food court serving up a wide array of mouthwatering treats.

Art lovers, music fans and foodies are invited to go back to school to celebrate the final days of summer.

Oklahoma City Community College is hosting the 34^th Annual Arts Festival Oklahoma Saturday-Monday under the big tents on the festival grounds at the north end of campus. The event has become a favorite Labor Day weekend tradition at the school, said Lemuel Bardeguez, OCCC’s director of cultural programs.

“It’s just a really great way to kind of cap the summer: See some great art, buy some prints or original art to finish your home with. If you have a family, bring the kids out,” he said. “It’s a really great family event.”

Every Labor Day weekend, more than 25,000 people flock to the three-day festival, where 160-plus artist booths are set up under block-long tents, a performing arts stage spotlights a variety of live entertainment and a food court serves up a wide array of mouthwatering treats.

Tulsa mixed-media painter Neil Cluck is the featured artist for the 2012 festival. An image of one of his three-dimensional abstract skyscapes is depicted on this year’s limited edition poster. The original oil on wood work will be exhibited during the festival at Cluck’s booth, but Bardeguez said he expects it to sell quickly after the event opens Saturday.

“The poster design doesn’t do justice to the piece (since) the piece is actually three dimensional,” Bardeguez said. “It’s quite interesting. It’s quite eye-catching.”

Cluck, 58, is participating in the festival for the sixth time in the past decade and his second year in a row.