Ian Maltas (left) laughs as he paints a birdhouse with his mother, Ranelle, at the Audubon Society tent during the Lincoln Arts Festival on Canopy Street in downtown Lincoln on Saturday. Artists from near and far showed off their skills Saturday in the Haymarket at the Lincoln Arts Festival. Emerging and advanced artists displayed an array of artwork crafted by pencil, paint, clay and wood at various booths on Canopy Street.
Some booths offered photos, pottery or handmade jewelry. Hannah Ashburn’s booth was decorated with rugs shaped and tufted into cicadas, among other images. It was Ashburn’s first time selling her work at the festival and she did so inside the Emerging Artists section, provided by the Lincoln Arts Council.
In her work, she pulls functional pieces together with a touch of fine arts. She received her bachelor's degree in studio arts with an emphasis on drawing and painting from Union College in 2017, but got started working with fiber during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I needed something art related to do and so I picked it up,” she said.
“It was a great way to get out of my head and to get into something creative.” Visitors take in the sights and various booth on display during the Lincoln Arts Festival on Canopy Street in downtown Lincoln on Saturday. The annual arts festival features 80 vendors and brings together artists, arts organizations and arts enthusiasts.
Now, she takes some graduate-level courses at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and work.
