Fine Arts Fiesta set for May 15 through May 18 in Public Square

WILKES-BARRE — Have you ever pictured yourself as “Mona Lisa,” that mysterious lady that Leonardo da Vinci painted so long ago?

Or do you have more in common with the stalwart farmers of “American Gothic” that Grant Wood immortalized?

Perhaps you’d get a kick out of seeing yourself as Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” or Edouard Manet’s “The Fifer” or even one of Raphael’s “Two Cherubs,” who look so thoughtful.

When the 69th Fine Arts Fiesta comes to downtown Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18, you won’t have to imagine yourself as the subject of any of those artists.

Thanks to a concept the Fiesta’s executive director, Brian J. Benedetti came up with, as you wander around Public Square you’ll find representations of 20 masterpieces, from Frida Kahlo’s “Self Portrait with Monkeys” to Roy Lichtenstein’s “Girl With a Ball.”

And there will be holes cut out in each one so you can pose for a picture.

“This is getting back to the roots of the Fiesta,” Benedetti said, noting that when the event started it focused on artistic and educational exhibits. This year, you can pick up a brochure “The Portrait & The Human Figure: A Walk in Art History” at the Fiesta information booth and, as you search for the images, you’ll be able to brush up on some facts about the artists and their art.

The Fiesta also will include the many features people have come to love in recent years: four days of live entertainment, with this year’s headliner The Badlees performing at 7 p.m. Saturday; tents filled with more than 300 pieces of juried artwork from local adult and student artists; face-painting, story time and crafts geared especially toward children, vendors offering an assortment of artistic and crafted items, and plenty of food.

THE SCHEDULE OF LIVE ENTERTAINMENT INCLUDES:

Thursday, May 15

• 10:50 a.m. Welcome from Gina Malsky, Pledge of Allegiance with children from Building Blocks Learning Center, Mayor George Brown opens Fiesta
• 11 a.m. Susquehanna Prep Glee Club
• 11:30 a.m. Wyoming Valley West Small Chamber Orchetra
• 12:30 p.m. Anne Chairge’s Flute Studio
• 1:30 p.m. Wyoming Valley West Middle School Band & Jazz Band
• 3 p.m. Rhythmic Republic Dance Studio
• 4 p.m. Mr. Toad “Spoken Word”
• 4:30 p.m. Wyoming Valley West High School Jazz Band
• 5:30 p.m. Wyoming Valley West High School Concert Choir
• 6:30 p.m. Annual Awards Ceremony & The Howard B. and Mary Anne Fedrick Friend of the Arts Award
• 7:45 p.m. Little Theater of Wilkes-Barre

Friday, May 16

• 10 a.m. Wyoming Valley West Middle School Spartan Singers
• 10:30 a.m. Wyoming Valley West Middle School Orchestra
• 11:45 a.m. Dallas Middle School Mountaineer Band/Chorus
• 12:45 p.m. Wilkes-Barre Academy Creative Performing Arts (CAPAA) Music
• 2 p.m. Rockology
• 3 p.m. Wilkes-Barre Academy Glee Club
• 4 p.m. Rising Stars Performing Arts Academy
• 5 p.m. Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre
• 6 p.m. Southside Five
• 7:30 p.m. Flaxy Morgan 30th Anniversary Band

Saturday, May 17

• 10:55 a.m. Carl Achhammer Jr. on Trumpet, National Anthem
• 11 a.m. Joan Harris Dance Center
• Noon Rising Stars Theater Company
• 1 p.m. Katrina Lykes Music Studio
• 2 p.m. Wyoming Valley Barbershop Harmony Chorus
• 2:30 p.m. Mt Zion Abundant Praise Dance Ministry
• 3 p.m. Mt Zion Mass Choir
• 3:30 p.m. PATAsphere
• 5 p.m. Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen
• 6 p.m. Set up for Headliner
• 7 p.m. The Badlees

Sunday, May 18

• 10:30 a.m. The Wyoming Valley Poetry Society
• Noon Lazy River Jazz Band
• 1:30 p.m. Jr. Mozart Club of Wilkes Barre
• 2:30 p.m. Contra Dance/The Contra Rebels
• 4 p.m. Brendan Brisk Band