Mary Kitchen looks at scarves and scrunchies available for sale at the Friends of Chautauqua Visual Arts’ first Art in the Park of the season on July 7 in Miller Park.
Friends of Chautauqua Visual Arts will host the second and final Art in the Park event of the 2024 season from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in Miller Park.
July’s Art in the Park welcomed about 80 vendors to the Institution and Ellie Nickeson, FCVA board member, said Sunday’’s event will bring approximately the same number back to the grounds. There will be many returning vendors, she said, as well as some fresh faces.
Art of all mediums, including ceramics, painting, woodworking, fiber art and more, will be available to purchase — with vendors to fit every budget. Everything sold at Art in the Park has a handcrafted element of some type or another, and while it isn’t a formal juried exhibition, Nickeson said it’s a great way to see the breadth of work being created by artists in the greater Chautauqua area.
In lieu of an open mic, a feature of previous Art in the Park events, Sunday’s fair will host an approximately hour-long Thursday Morning Brass performance.
Nickeson said she was very pleased with how the most recent Art in the Park went, and her hope is that the weather will cooperate so as many people as possible can enjoy the event.
The best part of July’s Art in the Park, Nickeson said, was “how perfectly it all came together” with the support from the Institution and community volunteers.
“The Institution gave us the absolute best start of the day,” she explained. She said the Institution helped FCVA to organize and streamline the process of vendors accessing the grounds and setting up their booths, and the volunteers were a great asset in making sure everything went smoothly.
For Nickeson, the goal of Sunday’s Art in the Park is to ensure that art vendors have a good experience and that Chautauquans have an opportunity to experience and support the vibrant art community, both on the grounds and in the greater Chautauqua region.
