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Meet 6 fascinating artists at the 2024 Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival
Updated: Jul. 29, 2024, 1:28 p.m.
|Published: Jul. 27, 2024, 8:40 a.m.
Downtown Syracuse has transformed into a walkable art gallery for the first day of the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival on Friday, July 26, 2024.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
By Nada Merghani | nmerghani@syracuse.com
The Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival is back this weekend for the 53rd time since its inception.
The free festival takes place in Columbus Circle, and typically attracts more than 50,000 attendees looking to buy and sell art and jewelry, see live performances and enjoy festival food.
The three-day event sponsored by M&T Bank and the Downtown Committee of Syracuse began on Friday, July 26 and ends on Sunday, July 28. The festival begins every day at 10 a.m., and will be open until 6 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
With nearly 150 art vendors at the festival, visitors may not have the time or energy to stop at every booth. Here are six we found worth stopping for.
Eric Beauchamp poses with one of his pieces at the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival, on Friday, July 26, 2024.Nada Merghani
Eric Beauchamp poses with one of his pieces at the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival, on Friday, July 26, 2024.Nada Merghani
BeauBois Studios
Eric Beauchamp has spent the last 10 years learning to control and manipulate fire and electricity to create art. This will be his first time sharing his work at the festival.
Beauchamp practices high voltage pyrography, or fractal burning, the art of using electricity to burn patterns into wood. The electricity creates branch-like structures reminiscent of lightning strikes or tree branches. The patterns created by the electrical discharge are different for each piece, so each creation Beauchamp makes is one of a kind.
“We as humans relate to these patterns that are being produced in a very unique way,” said Beauchamp. “It has these calming effects on us, we connect with them. It is one of these patterns that replicates everywhere in nature.”
A piece made by Eric Beauchamp being sold at the 2024 Syracuse Arts & Crafts FestivalNada Merghani
The practice is somewhat controversial, with the American Association of Woodturners banning it in 2017, citing fatalities and incidents as the reason.
A piece made by Eric Beauchamp being sold at the 2024 Syracuse Arts & Crafts FestivalNada Merghani
While Beauchamp may have given himself a few mild shocks over the years, he’s taken several safety measures to prevent any major electrocution.
One of those barriers for Beauchamp is to create his art with one hand.
“The electricity I’m working with wants to go to the ground, so if I’m being shocked it’s going to come up my arm and it’ll travel out the fastest way which would be through my leg,” Beauchamp said. “But if I have two hands out, it would go up my arm, across my heart, and out my other arm. Understanding how electricity wants to travel is a great way of understanding how you can protect yourself.”
Beauchamp describes his art as a methodical combination of woodworking, art, electronics, and science. His time spent working at companies like IBM and Microsoft helped fuel his passion for combining technology, science and art.
Location: Booth A24
Price point: $40 to $4,000
Website: beaubois.us