Andy Warhol once said, "I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning."

Twenty years after his death, though, people are still staring wide-eyed at his body of work, still finding meaning.

Amy Passarelli, Eugenia King and Christine Soley, Warhol's cousins, were on hand Saturday for the first weekend of the fourth annual Age of Aquarius Festival at The Art Center in Butler.

The trio shared everything from early childhood stories and photographs to tales of Warhol's celebrity years in New York at his studio, The Factory.

Warhol's own artwork and afternoon tea completed the kickoff.

"We're all from Butler. There were eight of us girls," said King of her 10-child family.

"But (Warhol) is the one that is famous, not us."

The sisters passed a stack of photograph albums around the faux living room setting inside the Art Center. Inside were newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as a pictorial who's who of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s New York.

"Everything I saw about Andy, I cut out," Passarelli said. "We met a lot of interesting people through him, and I'm grateful for that."

One album contained the ladies and their families with a multitude of celebrities.

Actor Richard Gere and designer Calvin Klein smiled from one album page while Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell was on the next. Grace Jones, The Cars' Ric Ocasek and filmmaker Jon Waters were in the same album.

King said she was no fan of Waters' films, but liked a young Japanese artist she met whom Warhol was quite fond of, Yoko Ono.

"She was a very good friend of Andy's. And this was 1955, well before The Beatles," King said.

Ono spoke at Warhol's funeral. He is buried in Castle Shannon.

The Beatles played in the background as the trio spoke to fascinated Warhol fans. Lucky visitors even left with a Campbell's Soup Can complete with a Warhol-esque, pastel-colored label.

Although chairs around the ladies were filled all afternoon, King said she thinks Warhol is more popular in Europe than his home state.

"Around here it's all Pirates and Steelers," she said.

The sisters would know. Their father owned and operated J. Zaracky grocery in Lyndora.

"I think we ate all the store's profits," Passarelli said.

She said she still keeps in contact with Warhol's brothers, John, who lives in Cranberry Township, and Paul, who lives in Pittsburgh.

Surrounded by his art, Passarelli, King and Soley enthusiastically provided Warhol's fans with insights into his life.

"They're wonderful women, and they do this every year," said Brian Warren, a member of the Art Center board of directors.

And that kind of popularity does not come from someone, or something, that has lost its meaning.

Born Andrew Warhola on Aug. 6, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Warhol was the central figure in the Pop Art movement. He was a revered painter, filmmaker, record producer and author.

Warhol mingled with intellectuals and politicians, celebrities and scrubs at The Factory. He took everyday items and produced extraordinary images from them, with his "Campbell's Soup Can" (1968) being arguably the most famous.

Warhol, who barely survived a 1968 shooting, died Feb. 22, 1987, of an apparent heart attack. His mystique and the popularity of his art have only gained momentum in the 20 years since then.

The museum in Pittsburgh bearing his name features thousands of Warhol's works in its permanent collection, as well as those of other artists. The converted seven-floor warehouse honors Warhol's many mediums, displaying his portraits and Pop Art sculpture, avant-garde film clips and the ethereal Silver Clouds, which are balloons made of metalized plastic film and filled with helium and oxygen.

A museum founded by his brother in their parents' native Slovakia and an asteroid also carry Warhol's name.

<B>WHAT: </B>Fourth annual Age of Aquarius Festival<B>WHO: </B>Associated Artists of Butler County<B>WHEN: </B>To Feb. 15. Regular gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays.<B>WHERE: </B>The Art Center, 344 S. Main St.<B>INFO: </B>724-283-6922 or www.butlerartcenter.net