Jessie Carolina’s raspy, soulful voice weaved through the crowd as Italian sausage and Greek shish kebabs sizzled on the grills outside at the 21st Annual Hoboken Arts and Music Festival this past Sunday. Stevens students, Hoboken community members, and visitors had the chance to experience all that the Mile Square City had to offer, whether it was innovative metal art sculptures, vibrant painted scenes of city life, or homemade paper-bound journals.
Alyce Faye Jarrett, an art sculptor specializing in metals and gemstones, has been coming to the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival for four years now. Jarrett simply stated, “It’s a very nice place to be. There’s a lot of different people here and it’s great to see people come from all over.” Those who attend the festival are not just residents from Hoboken, but come from towns and cities all over New Jersey, New York, and even Pennsylvania. Regardless of one’s hometown, the festival had something for everyone to enjoy or experience.
Between Observer Highway and 7th Street, over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers, local crafters, businesses, non-profit organizations, and food vendors set up their booths with the hopes of attracting interested consumers. Even if a transaction wasn’t made, artists were more than happy to explain what their work was all about. For Katherine Sliclen, a 2013 graduate of Skidmore College, this year’s festival was her first. Sliclen explained that despite receiving her degree in sociology, she wanted to pursue her love of jewelry-making. She has since then opened her own handcrafted jewelry company and uses vintage parts, and semi-precious stones and objects found in nature. She said her most sold item at the festival was her casted chicken wishbones: “A pair of sisters told me that they used to fight over the wishbone at holiday dinners, so they found meaning in my jewelry.”
And if over 300 different artists weren’t enough, the Festival hosted a wonderful array of musicians including Jessie Carolina and the Hot Mess, Darlene Love, the Sensational Soul Cruisers, the Harmonica Lewinskies, Allison Strong, Frankie Morales and the Mambo of the Times Orchestra, Maddy Bowes, and many more. Residents living in the apartment buildings on Washington were seen sticking their heads out to listen to the rich, powerful music while children rocked their hips to invigorating Latin music.
Despite it being late September, the summer heat was relentless; however, various food vendors were available to alleviate even the slightest thirst or pains of hunger. Restaurants located in Hoboken such as Karma Kafé, Stacks, The Old German Bakery, Crepe Guru, and many more offered a whole range of cuisine, from spicy Chana Masala with basmati rice to mouthwatering banana-strawberry-nutella crepes. Guests visiting Hoboken for the first time were able to see the incredible diversity that exists between 1st and 14th Streets — each artisan, musician, nonprofit, or family business had its own rich history and, together, they form the culturally rich community.
Stevens students could be seen throughout the crowd, listening to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Darlene Love, munching on kettle corn, and exploring the workmanship of some very talented local artists. A woman by the name of Rose who represents Fund for a Better Waterfront, a nonprofit organization who advocates for a unified waterfront park along the Hudson River, stated, “We need the Stevens students. They’re such a big part of our community, not only for our organization, but for everyone here at the festival.”
This year’s Hoboken Arts and Music Festival was a huge success, and it is no wonder that planning will soon commence for an even more successful festival next Fall.
