Behind the Scenes of Castle Crashers: A Standout Exhibit at the 2025 Port Chester Arts Festival
By David Abrevaya, Director of Castle Crashers
Published: August 9, 2025
The 2025 Port Chester Arts Festival, held on May 31 in Port Chester, New York, was a vibrant celebration of local creativity, featuring exhibitions, workshops, performances, and more. Amid this bustling event, organized by the Clay Art Center and Neptune In June, stood "Castle Crashers", an art exhibit I had the honor of directing. With Suzanne DiMicco as the dedicated organizer and building manager, we transformed the lobby at 201 Willett Avenue (The Castle) into a playful, convention style gallery that blended art with adventure. This article recaps the journey from initial planning to the event's successful execution, highlighting our collaboration and the creative energy that made it unforgettable.
The Spark: Planning and Preparation
The idea for Castle Crashers emerged as part of the larger Port Chester Arts Festival, aiming to highlight our venue at the historic Castle Gallery. As director, I coordinated closely with Suzanne early on where the gallery was to feature myself and Eliza Hernandez. After a bit of brainstorming, we decided we wanted the feeling of being at a Comic Convention to be our North Star. So we reached out to friends and colleagues gauging their interests, and to our surprise, all of them said YES! The next step was to share the idea with Suzanne, who believed in our vision but needed to meet our newly created team. After sharing the artist bios and portraits, she was on board and we were off to the races! Our team meetings finalized key aspects of the exhibit, setting a strong foundation through focused collaboration and man-on-the-ground outreach to Port Chester’s art institutions for additional support and resources.
The Team and Artists: A Creative Collective
At the heart of Castle Crashers were five talented artists: myself, David Abrevaya, Jose Habana, Jhoanna Dimapanat, Cheyenne Gaither, and Eli Hernandez. Each brought unique flair, represented through adorable chibi characters that captured the event's whimsical spirit. For instance, our mascot chibi characters were archetypes of Medieval roles such as the Bard (Jose), Sage (Eli), Huntress (Cheyenne), Princess Jhoanna, and the Barbarian (Me). All sketched by Jose Habana, inked by me, and digitally colored by Eli Hernandez, embodying our adventurous themes.
Suzanne was thrilled with the organized bios and portraits, which helped showcase our group's diversity. We framed the event not just as a Comic-Con exhibition, emphasizing our illustrative nature and teamwork to elevate our collective presence.
Branding and Promotion: Building the Buzz
The name "Castle Crashers" was a fun brainstorm, a playful nod to the location, art enthusiasts, and game lovers alike. It evolved into a full branding strategy, complete with a vibrant flyer featuring our chibi avatars and a call to "Collect all 5 stickers!" This gamified element encouraged visitors to engage deeply with the exhibit, excited and encouraged to meet us on a human level and collect our sticker! Promotion was key, especially in the lead-up to May 31. We encouraged the team to post on social media, videos, sharing chibis, flyers, and artwork teasers.
The Event Day: Adventure Unleashed
On May 31, Castle Crashers came alive, welcoming visitors rain or shine. The sticker collection added an interactive twist that had attendees hunting for all five. Part of the festival's broader offerings, including live performances at Columbus Park and art-making activities, the exhibit stood out as an epic art adventure.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the festival's thank-you post noting the turnout despite the weather. As director, seeing our planning pay off, from Suzanne's organizational expertise to the team's creative input, was incredibly rewarding.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
In retrospect, Castle Crashers was more than an exhibit, it was a story of artistic camaraderie, where strategy, bold branding, and dedication came together in the Port Chester Arts Festival. Heartfelt thanks go to Suzanne, my fellow artists, and all who lent their support, we crafted an experience that resonated long after the doors closed.
For more on my work, follow me on Instagram @david_abrevaya or visit davidabrevaya.com. Stay tuned for future events, who knows what adventure we'll crash next?
*Images: Event flyer and chibi artwork courtesy of the Castle Crashers team.*
