Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.

Katelyn Orion and Conley Brown, 4, paint in the children’s area at Arts on the Millrace on Saturday.

Mark Daniels draws up a caricature of Suzanne Mahaja and Alatigon, 5, and Cordiela, 2, Saturday.

Wesley Mast exhibits his woodworking at Arts on the Millrace on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.

Elyse Allen, a Best in Show contender, shows her collection of homemade books.

Hundreds came out to Arts on the Millrace Saturday to check out the variety of custom pieces by dozens of local artists.

Katelyn Orion and Conley Brown, 4, paint in the children’s area at Arts on the Millrace on Saturday.

Mark Daniels draws up a caricature of Suzanne Mahaja and Alatigon, 5, and Cordiela, 2, Saturday.

Wesley Mast exhibits his woodworking at Arts on the Millrace on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.

Elyse Allen, a Best in Show contender, shows her collection of homemade books.

Hundreds came out to Arts on the Millrace Saturday to check out the variety of custom pieces by dozens of local artists.

GOSHEN — At Saturday’s Arts on the Millrace, artists varied from hobbyists to business owners. Many of them began their artistic journey in creating mediums thanks to Goshen College’s arts program. Arts on the Millrace, in addition to allowing them the chance to sell their wares and compete in the exhibition, lets them return home to meet with old friends.

Jesse Amstutz, an artist specializing in watercolor drawing and painting, said he got his degree from Goshen College in Spanish Education and Communications, but senior year, he took a watercolor class that made him wish he’d tried his hand at art all along.

“I didn’t start putting a lot of my time and energy into art until about three years ago,” Amstutz said. Next week, he begins teaching an after-school art program, and he also works a part-time stone-carving job at Andrew Wilson Smith Sculpture Studio in South Bend, installing pieces at churches and other institutions.

It was his second year at Arts on the Millrace.

“It’s fun. It’s exciting to see people,” he said. “I grew up in Goshen, but I’m now living in South Bend so I get to see familiar faces.”

For Amstutz, it’s the only show he’s gone to, but others go to many.

Lauren Morales, a jeweler, has made her passion into a full-time job.

“It’s been a really fun experience to interact with people and see how they wear my jewelry and like my jewelry and what pulls them, inspires them to choose a piece.”

Through, metalwork and resin casting, she makes one-of-a-kind rings, necklaces, and more for her business, Moonflower.

A Best-in-Show contender this year, Morales’ newest venture is lost-wax casting.

“You create your design out of wax, you carve it out of wax and then you create a mold, and then you melt your metal and you pour it into this crucible with the mold, and then it forms. It’s a whole process,” she explained. “I have like three different techniques here.”

Also a Goshen College alumni, in metalsmithing, Morales joined the Goshen Jewelers Guild to hone the craft, where her professor is also a member.

“It’s cool to revisit and relearn with her,” she said.

She attends shows throughout the Midwest. She’s even developed a special line of BTS and other K-Pop bands’ concert confetti in resin castings that’s become a big seller at Chicago art shows.

“I thank God that I can stay home and have a studio there and work and also at the guild,” she said. “I feel really blessed that I have this opportunity. Shows help a lot. It’s really cool to actually have people see and touch and look.”

Other artists, like Bruce Bishop, a clay potter, may not make a lot of money at Arts on the Millrace, but they come for the exposure.

“My pieces, I price them what I believe they’re worth, but they don’t sell really well in this venue because they’re a little bit high for the normal person walking through.”

Still, he keeps options for all price ranges, making mugs at reasonable rates.

Sadie Musiuk, a ceramics sculptor, has attended the exhibition and sale for several years. She noticed the show has grown since last year.

“I feel like each year it just gets bigger and bigger,” she said. “I’ve noticed an increase in people out in the region. I see a lot of new faces, which is awesome.”

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.

Education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News

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