AFABW at the Montrose Arts & Crafts Festival
Tim Corbo, Lynda Hubbard & Lauren Perreau 
Kathy Tollman 
Wayne Weberbauer 
Wayne and Attendee 
DeeDee and Pat Crowder
June 2, 2019 — Montrose, CA: Yesterday and today, Artists for a Better World had a booth at the 36th Annual Montrose, California, Arts and Crafts Festival.
It is one of the oldest events of its type in California with over 35,000 attendees. There were 250 fine artists, crafters, food vendors, farmers, musicians and entertainers.
Throughout the weekend over 150 people visited the booth, many of which were artists, who were happy to see that such a group as AFABW was there for them to help nurture their artistic goals.
Per surveys taken at the festival, many visitors expressed interest in joining the AFABW Facebook group, attending career seminars and taking part in upcoming events. This includes celebrity musician, Greg Bartheld, who stated “My wife, Masami Asahina and I just joined this wonderful group. The concept is how we have always thought and lived our lives. Hopefully we can inspire others to reach for a higher consciousness and give their greatness to the world.”
Some of the artists who visited the booth shared photos of their works. There were several art appreciators who just came to admire the art, and commented on the quality of the aesthetics.
Guests were drawn to the booth as they were greeted by a realistic painting of a white tiger done by renowned fine artist Wayne Weberbauer. Inside were stained glass pieces and digital art by Kathy Tollman, paintings by Becky Mate and Mina Prieto, as well as Mission of the Artist books and CDs by Barbara Cordova.
On display were also The Way to Happiness books, with custom covers done by AFABW artists. This common sense guide to better living has greatly helped the community by reducing crime and creating a safer environment. 92 books were given as gifts to those who visited the booth.
A big hit was the new AFABW Childrens book entitled The Quest We Share that inspires creativity in young people. It was produced by AFABW members Richard and Mary Rensberry.
Helping out at the booth were Barbara Cordova, Pat Crowder, Wayne Weberbauer, Tim Corbo, Kathy Tollman. Jeff Harman took photos to document the activities.
Lauren Perreau and Lynda Hubbard went around and surveyed artists who had their works at the fair to find out why they would join an artists group and what the advantage would be in taking part. These are some of the answers:
“Being part of the change – precipitate change. Better awareness and caring about art and artists and their value”. JT
“Mentoring the younger generation to sustain the arts.” – JY
“To bring the younger generation into the arts.” – KN
“To make the world a better place.” – MF