When night is deep and all is quiet in a certain east Columbus neighborhood, don’t be surprised to see a light still on at Lukuise Swanigan’s house. A floral designer by day, Swanigan — who goes by Kesha — often creates her “paintings” at night, usually with nary a drop of paint in sight. Fabric is the favored medium for this artist getting ready for Columbus’ Market Street Festival. Her abstract artworks made with fabric-wrapped jute are loaded with texture and swirling with shapes and colors often inspired by nature.
“I love fabric. This is just something that came to my mind, and I just tried it and loved the look of it,” said the first-time Market Street vendor. Her Lukuise Designs booth will be among more than 220 others at the 23rd annual festival in downtown Columbus May 5. Festivities kick off with a concert Friday night at the Columbus Riverwalk.
“We’re excited for the return arts and crafts vendors we have this year but also pleased to have many new vendors, like Lukuise Designs,” said Barbara Bigelow, executive director of Main Street Columbus. “They all provide a great variety of merchandise for the public, including many unique items not seen before.”
Free-flowing
Swanigan has been focused on building her festival inventory, using the living and dining rooms of the home she shares with her husband, Spencer, and their two teenage sons as her primary workspaces. Market Street will be her debut.
“This is my first time to just kind of put myself and my work out there,” she said.
Most of Swanigan’s larger pieces are free-flowing designs, begun without a fixed plan for exactly what the finished image will be.
“Sometimes I have an idea and I’ll start to do that — and it’ll go someplace else,” she smiled. “I can’t mimic the abstracts. Even if I try, they won’t be exactly the same. They are one-of-a-kind.”
Some of her art, however, is more representational, like “Sisters.” It’s a likeness in fabric of Swanigan and her elder sister, Demetrice Brown of Pontotoc, as little girls. The siblings, in their colorful dresses, are set against a whimsically vivid background of greens and blues — grass and sky. Swanigan has made a smaller version for her sister.
The textures are compelling.
“I like to touch art; this is made to touch,” said Swanigan, explaining that the fabric has a protective sealant applied.
Each piece is a significant investment of time and painstaking work. The artist bears the hot glue marks to show it.
Her work extends beyond larger canvases. At the festival, she’ll also have smaller pieces, including her fabric Bulldog “paw prints.” She makes pillows and jewelry, too.
Swanigan doesn’t hoard her abilities. She shares them, teaching arts, crafts and sewing skills to a group of young women from her church and neighborhood. About once a month, she hosts them in her home, mentoring where she can.
“The reason I’m (being a vendor) is because I work with the girls, and I’m really just trying to sell my pieces to make funds to buy supplies for the group,” she said.
New at Market Street
The variety and unique nature of what vendors like Swanigan bring to Market Street is a big draw for the festival named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society for 20 years, said event chair Amber Brislin.
“Each year, we strive to continue to enhance and add to what Market Street has to offer,” she said.
As well as 225 arts and craft vendors, four entertainment stages with 20 musical acts and 34 food vendors, the 2018 festival boasts eight new children’s activities and a new “Voice of MSF” contest.
“In addition to the Children’s Area at College and Sixth Street South, we have added a second location for children where the Gilmer Inn used to be,” Brislin said. Laser Tag, a Hoops Basketball Game and a Western Showdown Game are only a few of the added attractions.
Aspiring singers are invited to enter the “Voice of MSF” by Wednesday, May 2. Submit a performance video at wcbi.com or via social media with the #voiceofmarketstreet hashtag, said Brislin. The selected top three will be featured on the WCBI Stage at Leadership Plaza from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, with the winner to be announced following their performances.
Meanwhile, like many vendors anticipating thousands of festival visitors Saturday, Swanigan continues to add to her inventory. She puts a bit of herself into each piece she hopes will become a source of pleasure for someone else. Making her artistic debut isn’t without some nervousness.
When asked how she feels when she completes especially a large fabric-wrap image, she paused, searching for the right words.
“When people say ‘wow’ sometimes when they see the art?” she began with modesty, “Well, that’s how I feel when I’m finished and look at the whole piece.”
Editor’s note: Visit marketstreetfestival.com for details on Friday and Saturday activities, music line-up, maps and more. Follow MSF on social media, or contact Main Street Columbus, 662-328-6305.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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