Georgia Southern University’s Art Department held the 27 annual ArtsFest Saturday on Sweetheart Circle.

The festival was free of charge and open to the public, providing music, dance performances, art, and games for children, as well as displaying art by students at local schools.

Several musicians played throughout the day including Wes Rogers, Eric Stetson and Paradox. SamaTo, an African Dance and Drum Ensemble, performed on the festival’s main stage.

Other performers included members of Statesboro Karate, Southeast Bulloch High School’s Percussion Ensemble, the Averitt Stars and the Gail Hursey School of Dance.

Over 25 “Stop and Create” studio spots allowed festival goers to create arts and crafts such as paintings, clay or metal sculptures, or buttons made from recycled magazines.

An Artists' Market provided artists an opportunity to display and sell their work to the community. Among the art sold was Beads for Life jewelry, made from recycled paper. The sales from Beads for Life benefit the HIV positive Ugandan women who create the jewelry.

Over 3,000 people attended ArtsFest, an improvement over last year’s rainy day, said Patricia Carter, Chair of Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.

“Our goal is to provide such a quality and quantity of arts events that attendees end their day at the festival with pure exhaustion and unlimited inspiration from the exhilarating fun they had,” Carter said.

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