The city of Bowling Green wrapped up the 11th annual Black Swamp Arts Festival yesterday evening.

The three-day festival allowed community members to view the talents of artists from Ohio as well as Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

Visitors were able to see displays of ceramics, photography, drawing, painting, jewelry as well as mixed mediums.

The purposes of the Black Swamp Arts Festival include celebrating the arts, providing an opportunity for artists, fostering pride and involvement in our community and developing an audience for the arts, according to the festival’s Web site.

Patrons had three days of sunshine and warm weather to enjoy the festival’s food, musical entertainment and artwork displays. Raye Salveson, an exhibitor specializing in stoneware pottery, was enthusiastic about the weather as well as the festival itself.

“It’s not a black swamp — it’s yellow sunshine,” Salveson said.

Salveson, who has shown her work at the festival for seven years, was complimentary about the efforts of the 2003 festival committee.

“The people that run it do a wonderful job, it’s really well organized,” Salveson said.

Richard Goujas, a first time exhibitor featuring his work of pressed flowers, said the town was very friendly with “an educated customer.”

Many students also attended the three-day festival.

Nicole Grimm, senior, described the festival as “an outdoor museum.” Grimm said it is important for communities to have art-awareness festivals. “People that aren’t art-centered can explore and see local talent,” she said.

Along with artwork, the festival also featured musical acts on a main stage, a youth arts stage and electronica stage. The festival’s main stage showcased 18 musical acts of all genres including blues, zydeco and rock ‘n’ roll.

Howard’s Club H also worked in conjunction with the festival to promote local and national musical acts.