BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For many in Western New York, the Allentown Art Festival could mean the beginning of summer, a chance to shop, or a chance to show off their art.
But for ninth grader and artist Raycora Abernathy, the annual festival means something else.
"If I can do something to make people happy, and make people smile, then I'll do it!" she said.
Aberthany is part of Buffalo Public Schools' Research Laboratory Program for Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.
For the art festival, she made screen prints and jello prints, and is selling them to raise money for the program.
"If it inspires kids to be artists one day, then again it puts a smile on my face," she said.
The 62nd annual art festival kicked off on a glorious sunny day, with tens of thousands of visitors.
Four-hundred artists get to display their work over the weekend.
Among them is art by tenth grade students from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.
Their teacher, Heather Guinther, couldn't be more proud.
"Their work is out here, and it's seen by tens of thousands of people. And it just gives them so much joy and as their teacher - and any teacher would know - when your student is happy it's better than you being happy," she said
Their art consists of 8 by 10 inch photograms show each student's life journey, through past, present and future.
And they used some pretty rare technology to showcase that.
"This is the last Buffalo Public School Program that uses dark room technology. And so I already tell my students that they're magical unicorns because they get to learn this discipline," said Guinther.
The art festival continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
