11th Art from our Park brings local artists and community together
Brooke Swarts (left) and children Claire, three, and Jacob, three, play with pumpkins at Art From Our Park in Deerfield Park on Sept. 29.
Art from our Park gave participants a chance to take a break from every-day routines to create art Sept. 29 at Deerfield Nature Park.
The event was hosted by Isabella County Parks and Recreation and co-sponsored by Art Reach of Mid Michigan, the Discovery Museum and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Parks and Recreation Event and Office Coordinator Nicole Miller described the planning process as "fun." It was her first time attending and organizing the Art from our Park event.
Ashilah Miller, ten, creates spin art at Art From Our Park in Deerfield Park on Sept 29.
"I didn't know what to expect, but once I met everyone, I found that this event is always well-organized," she said.
Miller said there were a lot of vendors and crafts to choose from.
"We needed to have things that incorporated nature, since (the event) is in the park."
Whoever wandered their way down the gravel roads of the park could participate in different crafts at Art in our Park's "Creation Station." Finger knitting, scrape art, leaf art and Linda Craig's textile station were among the options available to attendants.
The exhibits were too much to keep a kid focused, said Ben Swarts. The Central Michigan University organic chemistry professor was tasked with finishing his kids' leaf art because they had moved on to something else.
Vendor Carole Howard said it was her third year participating in the event. Her rock painting table gave kids an opportunity to be as creative as they wanted.
"Mom may not want them to (paint rocks) on the kitchen table at home," the retired CMU dance professor said. "We are prepared for a mess."
Caricaturist Corby Blem gave anyone who wandered into his posing chair a free cartoon imitation of themselves.
Blem would count down from 3 before turning his clipboard board around to show children their caricature and they would laugh in unison.
"When I am making art, I like to be seen," Blem said.
Before Blem started creating caricatures, he would ask himself, "Where can I have a captive audience?" He then started doing caricatures at a downtown Mount Pleasant art festival and answered his question.
While participants created art, they were treated to a variety of sights and sounds from the Fussman Pavilion.
Off-Broadway Performing Arts Studio, Deana's Triskelion Bellydance Troupe and CMU Music Theatre all made appearances.
Josh Stutsman and Jack Safretsas—members of Mount Pleasant band Pining—performed covers of folk rock songs.
Stutsman said the band's last set together would be later that evening at the Pleasant Town Music Festival, because the band was starting to disperse and go their separate ways.
Although temperatures did not exceed 60 degrees, ice cream and cold snacks were available from Sweet Treats Ice Cream Truck.
As the event settled down and people retreated to their cars, almost everyone had at least one spin painting, caricature or memory to take home with them.
