The Art & Apples Festival, held each September in Rochester, is thought of as one of the state’s top art shows.
With 285 vendors on hand, the 41st edition of the festival, which benefits Rochester’s Paint Creek Center for the Arts, is sure to rank right up there with the best of them.
In recent years, Art & Apples has even garnered some attention at the national level.
The festival will be held at the 30-acre Rochester Park this weekend, and will include the work of Charlotte Lodico, a jewelry artisan from Oakland Township, one of only a few Rochester area residents accepted as a vendor.
Lodico has been making jewelry for 18 years, and started doing art shows five years ago.
This will mark the first time she has participated in the Art & Apples Festival.
‘You have to apply and then there’s a jury,? Lodico explained. ‘They decide if your work is what they want for the show.?
Lodico noted that the big shows like Rochester’s want a variety of work, meaning there are only so many open slots for vendors in each craft.
Her slides were just one of the 1,000 different applications sent into the Art & Apples Festival committee.
Lodico, who usually does about 12 shows a year, has gone as far away as Fort Wayne, Indiana to do a show.
‘We’ve pretty much stayed in Michigan,? she said, noting she’s started to branch out a bit given recent economic struggles.
Lodico is in the process of revamping a studio in her own home with the help of her retired husband, Zvonko Severinac, who also accompanies her to the various festivals.
Her original, custom-designed ‘art-to-wear? jewelry uses metals, gems and natural materials to create elegant works of art.
‘Usually I start with a pendant or an idea, and gather beads and things that go with it,? she said.
Colorful designs are the hallmark of her work and the larger jewelry she creates are rapidly becoming fashionable items again.
Her collage format of mixed materials and kaleidoscope of beads and pearls create a three dimensional effect.
Often times, the pendants she begins with are unique items from far-off places.
?’I travel extensively for the unusual art objects to incorporate in my jewelry,? she said.
Lodico has been to Europe numerous times, and has a trip planned to Peru in the upcoming year.
She had her own store in Rochester for 20 years, and the Art & Apples Festival is close to her heart.
‘I was selling other people’s jewelry as well as my own,? she said.
But when her jewelry started to do much better than the other things she carried, Lodico decided to start doing shows.
She does custom bridal jewelry as well now, and works with a store in Plymouth in that regard. Her work is also carried in stores throughout the state, from Saline to Saugatuck.
With the help of Zvonko, she will have a display set up this weekend for all to see her work for themselves.
Lodico will be in booth 194 in the lower part of the park.
The Art & Apples Festival runs from 4-7:30 p.m. on Fri., 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Sat., and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sun.
Adult attendees are asked to contribute $5 at the gate, with all proceeds going to the PCCA.
A shuttle service to Rochester Park will be available from Rochester High School.
For more information, including a complete list of vendors and a map of the park, visit the festival’s website at www.artsandapplesfestival.com.
To contact Charlotte Lodico, e-mail artfuladornment@comcast.net.