Mission
Vision Statement
How we started
Bios
Dino Kay (Host), Craig Foster, Liette Lecours & Chris Blaine
The partners of CLC Arts Events identified a regional lack of family festival opportunities in the Irondequoit area and are working to bring local art, music, and fun entertainment to the community.
CLC Arts Events would love to see the Irondequoit Arts & Music Festival continue to grow each year by engaging the community with the best local art, music and food that Rochester and Western NY has to offer.
What started as a garage jam in Peekskill, NY (Hudson Valley) owned by Craig Foster and Liette Lecours, became an event that quickly outgrew the garage and began to expand to houses, basements, and even a nearby farm. With help from local musician Paul Magliari, Craig and Liette organized and promoted the events as PLC productions for several years. Recently Craig and Liette relocated to Rochester and connected with Chris Blaine and Kaitlin Roney, co-owners of the Art Center of Rochester in Irondequoit. Chris heard about the events Craig and Liette were organizing in Peekskill and suggested bringing their energy to the Irondequoit community. Working together, the team approached I-square and the House of Guitars to utilize the stage and park area between the two buildings and put together a festival featuring local arts and crafts vendors and a lineup of seven unique bands.
Chris is co-owner of the Art Center of Rochester with his wife Kaitlin Roney. Chris, a Rochester native attended the School of the Arts and East High before following his path to be an art educator. Prior being an art educator/historian, Chris was a sound engineer with the top sound company in the world working with such music acts as The Bee Gees, James Taylor, Billy Idol and Bette Midler, to name a few. His experience with the live sound field and the art world made it obvious for him that a festival of this type was a natural thing to do. Chris, also an Irondequoit resident brings local connections to the festival which have been incredibly valuable to the event.
Liette works for ACM Laboratories by day and creates jewelry by night. Her experiences with many arts and crafts festivals helps us make sure our vendors and attendees have a great festival experience.
Craig teaches medical illustration in the School of Art and Design at RIT. He has been involved in music his whole life and enjoys networking with the talented music groups in Rochester to bring an eclectic and entertaining musical offering to the event stage.