Waterfall Arts in Belfast welcomes visiting artists for summer of PLAY

Waterfall Arts in Belfast invites the community to explore creativity, craftsmanship and collective imagination through PLAY, a season of workshops, exhibitions and special events featuring nationally recognized artists Valeska Populoh and Mark Matthews.

From illuminated lantern parades to crafted glass spheres, the visiting artists bring decades of experience and a shared belief that art has the power to connect people, spark curiosity and transform the everyday.

Baltimore-based artist, educator and cultural organizer Valeska Populoh led “Beginning Paper and Reed Lanterns” July 11, a full-day workshop introducing participants to the tradition of handcrafted lantern making.

With more than 20 years of experience in puppetry, procession arts and community-based artmaking, Populoh has collaborated with organizations including Bread and Puppet Theater, Great Small Works and Baltimore’s Great Halloween Lantern Parade. Growing up in Germany, where lantern processions are a beloved cultural tradition, she found an early connection to the art form and has spent her career creating opportunities for communities to gather through art, celebration and storytelling.

Participants in the workshop learned foundational techniques for building illuminated reed-and-paper lanterns, beginning with simple teardrop and spherical forms that can evolve into birds, fish, pumpkins or other imaginative creations. The workshop also served as preparation for Waterfall Arts’ upcoming PLAY Parade, where participants are invited to carry their handmade lanterns through downtown Belfast in celebration of the PLAY exhibition later this summer.

“My hope is that people leave feeling empowered to continue making,” Populoh said. “Parades and processions have always been ways for communities to celebrate, grieve, imagine, and move together. Art becomes something we create with one another.”

Families will also have opportunities later in the season to create lanterns using upcycled water bottles and recycled materials in a special family workshop.

Later this summer, internationally respected glass artist Mark Matthews will present “The Music of the Spheres,” a special illustrated lecture, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 8.

Although Matthews’ accompanying glass workshop sold out quickly, Waterfall Arts will offer the public an opportunity to experience his artistic journey through the evening presentation.

For more than 40 years, Matthews has dedicated his career to exploring one deceptively simple form: the glass sphere. Drawing inspiration from the 5,000-year history of glassmaking, his work investigates how creative freedom can emerge through disciplined focus and self-imposed limitations.

During the lecture, Matthews will share images, stories and examples from his body of work while discussing the ideas, motivations and technical innovations behind his glass sculptures. His intricate use of color, cane work, graal techniques and air entrapments has earned him international recognition.

Born and raised in Ohio, Matthews began working with glass in 1974 while studying at Kent State University under Henry Halem. Since 1985, he has served as the resident glass artist at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio, where he built and continues to operate the village’s hot glass studio. Since 1995, he has also taught at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, attracting students from around the world.

Waterfall Arts’ summer exhibition “PRESS PLAY” celebrates creativity in all its forms, inviting artists and community members to experiment, collaborate and discover new ways of seeing the world. Through workshops, exhibitions, lectures and public celebrations, PLAY encourages participants of every age and experience level to engage with art as a joyful, shared experience.

Tickets for “The Music of the Spheres” are $25.

Waterfall Arts is at 256 High St., Belfast. For more information, go to waterfallarts.org.