Crossroads Folk Art Festival
by Frank Etheridge
Columbus Collective Museums casts a fresh ray of light on folk art & culture.
“G
uess I’ll have to make some more snakes,” is how Charles Fowler responds, hitting a tone of gleeful determination, upon being told the first-ever Crossroads Folk Art Festival held on May 10 will now be an annual affair. Fowler’s snakes—beautiful, hand-crafted wooden creations rich in detail and vibrant in color—sold out quickly at his Crossroads booth in a reinvigorated Rose Hill Park off Hamilton Road, where the local artist (and Columbus State University’s caretaker of Pasaquan’s sacred, surreal grounds in Marion County) showcased his work along with 20 fellow artists in the outsider/self-taught styles who came to Columbus from all across Georgia and Alabama. Nearly all artists reported solid sales, providing for a profitable Saturday that, paired with live music, good food and great vibes, is a yummy recipe for success that has Crossroads coming back in 2026, on the Saturday before Mother’s Day once again.
“I thought it went really well—very unique and put together very well,” says renowned ceramics artist/folk potter Ned Berry, who at 85 years old is a veteran of area art festivals dating back to Salisbury Fair, which started in the median of Broadway in the Historic District in 1976. Berry points out positives such as young local folk artist Jarrod Turner developing an eager following and the simple fact that a firstyear festival attracted on a dark, stormy day “a steady stream of people who came through and seemed to enjoy it.” “Even though we had some rain, the support was really good, from both the local community and curiosity-seekers from out-of-state,” explains Berry. “Columbus needed that.” Berry, Turner and Fowler all have original works on display at Folk Art Junction. The remarkable gallery/mini-museum is one of the eclectic and eccentric, yet world-class collections—from classic cars to RC Cola to golder-era Georgia FM radio memorabilia to J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 2 5
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