The second annual Sunflower Art Festival will be held this Saturday, August 13 from 10 a.m. to dusk on the grounds of the Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery in Gardiner. The Sunflower Farm and Craft Marketplace, new to the festival this year, was conceived as a festival version of a farmer’s market, with the work of local artisans presented alongside farm products that include produce and cheeses as well as cold-pressed juices, organic teas and local honey and syrup.
Two stages will host live music throughout the ten-hour festival. Performers include Connor Kennedy, Mike + Ruthy Band, Lindsey Webster Band, Mad Satta, It’s Not Night: It’s Space, Acoustic Mandala Project, Heritage Op, In the Kitchen, David Kraai & Amy Laber, Luck & Senses, The Other Brothers and Shlomo Franklin & Co. Swing Shift Orchestra and The Shoe String Band will host swing and square dance in the jam tent.
In addition to food and drink samplings, the festival will offer food trucks, smokehouse barbecue and a wine, beer and spirits garden featuring local distillers, wineries and craft brewers. Tuthilltown Distillery, which donates the use of its property for the festival, will be open as usual, offering spirits tastings, and the restaurant will serve its regular menu. Reservations are suggested.
Esther’s Kids Art Tent will be sponsored by Tantillo Farms, with free peaches and apple juice for kids along with the craft activities and free face painting. Hayrides will be available from Goodnow Family Farm, and Aikido of New Paltz will be on site doing martial arts demonstrations.
Lady Pink, the Gardiner-based street artist who made a name for herself in 1980s New York City street art, will lead the Flowerworks Project, a live art installation featuring a dozen street artists creating nine-foot-square canvases of sunflowers as viewers watch. An additional live art experience will happen when 50 blank canvases are turned into a field of painted sunflowers by local artists including Annie O’Neill and Jean Tansey, along with community members of any and all skill levels. Pre-registration is required.
Sippin’ Create will offer guided painting sessions throughout the day to enjoy the creative experience while sipping an adult beverage at a festival special price of $20, which includes supplies. Pre-registration is on the festival website at www.SunflowerArtFestival.com.
Join the family! 
