Erin Ninehouser, who has been helping us meet the “People of Beaver County” since last June, was recently selected as an Emerging Artist by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. She wrote this post to share the good news and invite you to see her work on display at the Three Rivers Arts Festival this week: Wednesday, June 8th through Sunday, June 12th.
Hello dear readers! If not for you, I might never have taken the leap of faith to put my pictures out there, so let me start off with a huge thank you!
When I found out about Your Beaver County on Facebook, I liked the page, enjoyed the articles and was happy to see the positive stories of growth, community spirit and perseverance. One day I happened to catch a notice that YBC was looking for photographers to create a closer-to-home version of “Humans of New York.”
I thought “hey, what’s the worst that can happen?” Well, they could hate my pictures, or tell me that I have no talent, or not to quit my day job. I half-expected (all, or at least part of) that to happen, but to my enormous surprise, Andy gave me a shot. And that was just the kick I needed to stop letting my fear keep me from seriously pursuing something I’ve loved for a long time — photography.
It’s been wonderful getting to know the people of Beaver County over the last year, hearing hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking stories, learning about local history and seeing neighbors work together to preserve and improve our towns. It’s been a lot of fun, and has given me the confidence to put my art out in the world.
This past January, I decided to apply to the Three Rivers Arts Festival. I nervously (okay, obsessively) refreshed my inbox as the notification deadline drew closer this spring. When the deadline passed, I thought, “well, that’s fine. It was a long shot, but at least I tried.” A few days later, the email came, with the subject line: EMERGING ARTIST. My heart pounded as I opened to see whether it an all-caps rejection or a dream-come-true.
I had to read it a couple times to make sure I wasn’t missing something. But no, it was true! I had been chosen as one of 9 local artists to receive the Emerging Artist Scholarship, which has been funded by Dollar Bank since 2002 as a way to help people with “little-to-no experience exhibiting in festivals the opportunity to take an important first step towards a future in fine art and craft shows.”
This is a huge first step for me, and I would not have taken it without YBC! So thank you!
How to Find Me and What You’ll See
I’ll be in Gateway Plaza (Booth 34) from Wednesday, June 8th through the festival’s close on Sunday, June 12th — 12pm to 10pm daily. Use this handy map to make your way there:
I hope you’ll stop by to say hi, see my work and maybe even take home a print. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll find:
After the Festival
I’ll be back with new “People of Beaver County” stories and will be planning my next photography projects. Whether it’s a wedding, a family reunion, a community event or some candid portraits — my goal is to capture the moments you cherish. You can get and keep in touch via my new site, RustbeltMayberry.com.
