Artists and attendees welcomed the spooky season as Arts In The Plaza transformed into Halloween In The Plaza for the annual end of season celebration. The weekly event — providing a meeting place for local artists, jewelry makers and craftspeople to display and sell their work — began its annual season in May and concluded with its traditional Halloween-themed afternoon.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. last Saturday, as it always has, Arts In The Plaza hosted dozens of local artists — taking place simultaneously with the semiweekly farmers market while student musicians from Studio Noir performed live music throughout the day. To usher in the Halloween spirit and celebrate the final meeting of the plaza season, artists and attendees were encouraged to dress in costume, vendors distributed candy and enjoyed a coordinated parade around the plaza to showcase the masked ghouls and goblins. Arts In The Plaza also provided a free art station, allowing children to decorate their own Halloween bags.
“What I think people love about Arts In The Plaza is the love and the vibe that you can always feel when you’re here,” AIP Director Sammi Metzger said. “It’s always a good day to be here.” Artists throughout the plaza sold their handmade work all season. Abbey Carpenter, a Long Beach resident who creates postcards, bookmarks and small art of recognizable landmarks and original creations, reflected on her first season attending the Arts In The Plaza event. “It was really good, actually. Very surprisingly well,” Carpenter said. “I was wondering if my stuff is going to really be what Long Beach is looking for, but it went well.”
With the weekly collective finished for the year, some artists pivot to similar gatherings around Long Island to continue earning a living from their passion. Metzger explained that prospective patrons can visit the artist directory at artsintheplaza.com to directly contact Arts In The Plaza vendors, track individual upcoming appearances and find their social media.
