Elmwood Village ArtFest draws praise, constructive criticism on a bustling debut

The pulsating rhythm of a West African drum trio outside Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. A group admiring a vibrant landscape painting near the Lexington Cooperative Market. The scent of a Lloyd Taco Truck pork burrito ready to be devoured.

But Saturday at the Elmwood Village ArtFest, discussion centered on how the Elmwood Village Association’s inaugural event differed from the longtime Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, whose organizers announced the end of its run this spring.

With only about four months to plan, Elmwood Village’s James Cichocki and Therese Deutschlander concocted an event with pockets of artisans set up on sidewalks and in parking lots off Elmwood from about West Ferry Street to Bird Avenue. Food trucks, musicians, dancers and spoken word performers created a lively atmosphere in Bidwell Park. 

Elmwood Village ArtFest continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday for artists, with entertainment running 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Festivals across the area bustled Saturday, featuring the South Buffalo Irish Festival, Buffalo Funk Fest, Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Celebration, the St. Mary’s Egyptian Festival and the Lewiston Jazz Festival, some of which continue Sunday as well.

Streams of Buffalonians worked their way down Elmwood sidewalks, maneuvering carefully across crosswalks and popping in and out of local businesses on a mostly sunny afternoon.

“People have really liked that the streets have not been closed” to traffic, Cichocki said. “They’re noticing the shops – they’re not looking down the street at a row of tents, but they’re looking at restaurants and other businesses in the village.”

Kelli Simpson and Samantha White, who said they attended the Festival of the Arts since its debut in 2001, offered constructive criticism for the new event, emphasizing that it takes time to reach the scale and preparation of…