On September 24th and 25th the Lawrence Art Guild will host Art in the Park, a juried art fair in South Park just south of downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Art in the Parkstarted in 1964 and has grown to a two-day affair with over 130 artists participating, as well as live music, food trucks, and activities for children.
The large variety of art and artists found at Lawrence’s Art in the Park speaks to the appreciation that the Lawrence Art Guild has for the breadth of possibilities across the arts. Walking along the white tents of the art fair, one will see not only beautiful or thought-provoking paintings, but works done in mediums of all types.
In the sculpture category, visitors will find robots made from upcycled coffee cans, lamps made from old telephones, or wire twisted into whimsical forms. Ursula Minor’s booth is not to be missed with her foam sculptures covered in thousands of glass beads.
Among the ceramic artists you’ll find Alan Brummell. His stoneware clay pitcher decorated with a stalk of wheat would make a lovely addition to a breakfast table. Other visitors might be drawn to the whimsy of Dorrie Sullivan’s animal stories painted on her pieces; desire a mishima mug crafted by Polly Ireland; hold a smooth ramen bowl made at Muddy Waters Studio; or explore a tactile stoneware vase, carved and set with pebbles made by Cynthia Schmidt.
All Art in the Park artists work in the fine arts, and yet some work in mediums which are often not thought of as fine art mediums. Woodworkers play with lines, forms, and colors just as painters do. Bryan and Angela Young create intricate geometrically patterned earrings using different naturally colored woods. Angela Flinn’s carved wall pieces are a wonderful combination of rhythm and abstraction. Matthew Roman brings the same level of artistry and design to his wooden furniture as he does to his wooden vessels shaped into flowing organic forms.
In addition to the artistry of woodworkers, visitors to Art in the Park will be treated to the creativity of ten very different fiber artists, each one creating unique works of art. Among these ten are Gena Kellogg and her sister who piece together fabric to form fanciful faces; Diane Lawrence whose painted silk works contain a breathtaking luster; and Irene Tsuneta who uses a variety of fiber-dyeing techniques including traditional Japanese shibori.
The Art in the Park jewelry makers use a wide array of materials, from traditional silversmithing and incorporation of unique gemstones to creating works from glass, enamel, leather, shells, beads, porcelain and polymer clay. Polymer Clay artist Jennifer Benner-Willis fashions miniature visual stories within her earrings. Kerri Zollers upcycles aluminum soda cans to create her light and delicate earrings. And Bousarin Kittichareonsup uses silver and gold to create a necklace of ginkgo leaves so exquisite that they look as though they belong in a fairy tale.
The immense variety in style and material found in the 3-D artists is also found among the 2-D artists. New Mexico artist Darien Bogart eschews brushes and instead sculpts with his paint, creating landscapes of glorious texture and color whereas Amy Gray’s resin work is smooth, focusing on the balance of shapes and colors.
Nine printmakers will be at Art in the Park. With approaches ranging from the semi-psychedelic style of pop realism of Nick Perry of Redlegger Press to the bold broad strokes of Brandon Van Leeuwan, to the sophisticated layered prints of Lori Stanziola, each printmaker is completely different. The range of 2-D artists extends beyond painters and printmakers. There will be collage artists, cut paper artists, digital artists, and those that are considered mixed media. Colored pencil artist Wanda Taylor will be showing her drawings that evoke the quiet drama of 17th century Dutch still life paintings and digital artist Kale Van Leeuwen will be exhibiting his eye-catching images of astronauts or elephants in top hats.
As they stroll through South Park on September 24th and 25th, visitors will find something to delight in, to ponder over or to resonate with at the Lawrence Art Guild’s Art in the Park.
