“To have an opportunity to vend, and to show my work with the community, yeah it's exciting,” La Grotesquerie owner Karen Nemes said.

Karen Nemes knows her art is an acquired taste.

“It’s kind of hard to get rogue taxidermy, for example, taken seriously,” Nemes said.

But thanks to Rebel Art Fest, she has found herself another niche.

“I don't fit in to a lot of the traditional festivals or settings or museums so this is a great fit for me,” Nemes said.

Nemes was just one of dozens of local artists filling Potawatomi Park Sunday afternoon for the Rebel Art Fest.

“I like having a celebration of our city and having the community come out and enjoy what's sort of here,” Make South Bend owner Michelle FitzGerald said. “I love a good party and I love having people enjoy the day. So to me, it's really amazing to see the city come out, enjoy something great, and I'm really proud to know this is all local.”

It's the signature event to kick off South Bend's Best. Week. Ever. 2019.

Adults enjoyed one-of-a-kind art and a ton of food vendors with plenty of fun-filled activities for kids.

It's a space for artists to get their unique messages across.

“I guess for me what it really comes down to is finding beauty in the broken things,” Nemes said.

Nemes believes her art helps with mortality awareness.

“I think what I do sort of falls into the realm of death acceptance and becoming more comfortable with death itself and the concept,” Nemes said.

And that it serves as an important reminder to live life to the fullest.

“You have these reminders of death around you and it's a reminder that time is fleeting and that you need to make the most of every day,” Nemes said.

Best. Week. Ever. 2019 runs the remainder of this week across the city.

For more information on this week’s events, click