Local artists showcase, sell work to help Catholic school

SALT LAKE CITY — Art was in every way, shape, and form in every nook and cranny of the Saint Ambrose parish social hall on Oct. 11 and 12 as part of a fundraiser for the J. E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School.

Scores of people enjoyed the 18th annual "Art is everywhere" festival strolling by the different stands, walls, and tables with art pieces, many of them while they listened to upbeat music and tasted some good wine in hand-painted glasses.

The art festival had not yet started when Elizabeth MacWilliams and other "Cosgriff moms" had already sold some of the "bottomless" glasses they had painted. "It took a lot longer (to paint them) than we thought," said MacWilliams. "On the first night, it took us about five hours." But she was happy with the response: they had sold about half of the over 50 glasses only 20 minutes into the festival.

Local artists, however, made the rest of the pieces in the festival. "I’m impressed," said Jo Lynn Cole, a graphic designer from Houston who was visiting her daughter, a teacher at Cosgriff. Cole said she is a fine arts lover and has "seen art all over." Still, she was surprised by the artwork she found at the local level in Salt Lake City, especially in the watercolor, acrylic, and pottery mediums.

But it was certainly Ben Behunin’s "fun and whimsical work" – as described by his wife, Lynette Behunin – that stole the spotlight at the festival.

Behunin is a potter who is not limited by clay and also uses steel, glass, and other materials to make his colorful creations.

He said he has participated in the festival for the last eight years and that he was "humbled and flattered" to be this year’s featured artist. "I’ve never known a potter to be (one)."

His work is showcased in galleries across the United States and he has an online gallery that reaches an even greater audience. Unfortunately, in his early thirties, he has had to slow his artwork production due to the painful swelling of his finger joints caused by arthritis. Nonetheless, Behunin remains positive and has taken the path toward another art form. He is now writing a book about a potter.

And even though he does not have an apprentice, there is hope his work will be influential in the future of pottery since his seven year-old son Isaac and four year-old daughter Eve have shown an interest in art. But it is Eve who has said she wants to be a potter and has the patience necessary to do it, according to Behunin.

Proof that it is never too young to be talented was found in the student art showcase. "Students from Cosgriff or from other schools but who belong to St. Ambrose parish could submit their artwork," said Kayla Smith, director of development and admissions. Students have been given the opportunity to expose their work in the festival for the past 11 years, but this is the second year non-Cosgriff students have been part of it.

Smith said the art festival this year raised about the same as last year, an estimated gross of $40, 000. The proceeds will "go toward general operational costs of the school that tuition fees don’t cover," she said.