Festival Lights and Art: A Weekend of Makers in Northampton

# **Art, Craft & Culture Descend on Northampton**
### *The Summer’s Premier Arts Festival Unfolds Over Memorial Day Weekend*

**📅 When:** Saturday, May 25 – Monday, May 27
**📍 Where:** Three County Fairgrounds, Northampton
**⏰ Hours:** 10 AM – 6 PM Daily

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## **A Celebration of Artisans & Creativity**

This Memorial Day weekend, Northampton transforms into an artistic hub as **over 200 makers** converge for the season’s first major arts festival. From handcrafted furniture to avant-garde jewelry, visitors are invited to explore a dazzling array of **ceramics, glasswork, fashion, paintings, and more**. Three full days of live demonstrations, live music, and local cuisine ensure there’s something for everyone.

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## **Meet the Masters Behind the Craft**

### **💎 Marie Murphy – The Alchemist of Silver & Stone**
For **jeweler Marie Murphy**, every piece begins with a story—and a stone. Her fascination with jewelry ignited in childhood when her mother gifted her a **turquoise cuff bracelet**, setting her on a lifelong path. After studying business communications and retail, she returned to Boston to master **metalsmithing by night**. Twelve years of dedication led to the launch of **Sliver Raven Studio** in Madison, Connecticut.

Murphy’s designs are built to endure. Crafted from **heavy-gauge silver**, her pieces feature **jasper, agate, quartz, and turquoise**, each stone guiding its own unique form. *"These are heirlooms,"* she says. *"Pieces meant to last generations."*

### **⚡ Kibaek Sung – Illuminating Functional Art**
Lamps are more than light sources in **Kibaek Sung’s** world—they’re interactive sculptures. A graduate of **Seoul National University** and the **Rochester Institute of Technology**, Sung has collaborated with **Tiffany & Co.** on trophy designs for major sports leagues while running his own studio in Massachusetts.

His process begins with a question: *How will this lamp breathe life into a space?* From sketch to mechanism, each piece is designed to **engage the user**, often activated by pulling a metal ring to control the light. *"Everyday objects should captivate,"* Sung insists.