Julia Weber
Staff Writer
Friends of Chautauqua Visual Arts brings a perennial favorite back to the grounds of the Institution this week with their annual Art in the Park. This year’s event — the first of two throughout the summer — will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in Miller Park.
Each year, dozens of artists make their way to the Institution to showcase an array of goods showcasing their art skills and craftsmanship. Attendees might find anything from handmade pottery to naturalistic landscape paintings to artful accessories for their furry friends amid the rows of tents that line the park.
Not only will Art in the Park bring an array of artists to the grounds, but it will also host an opportunity for Chautauquans to enjoy live music during the event via an open mic. Participants can perform music, dance or spoken word poetry for 10-minute slots during the event and can register in advance by visiting signupgenius.com, searching friendsofcva@gmail.com and then clicking the open mic sign-up form.
Ellie Nickeson, chairperson for Art in the Park, is excited for a weekend of clear weather and community. She said that procedural guidelines have been implemented to make the vendor check-in process as smooth and easy as possible.
“We’ve done a lot of thinking and planning to make that work as well as possible. It went pretty great last year,” she said.
Nickeson also highlighted the work of volunteers as being helpful in ensuring the event goes as smoothly as possible.
She said she is thrilled to welcome approximately 20 new vendors who have never participated in the event before, as well as many who have. Also in attendance will be a selection of resident artists and faculty at the School of Art.
“I’m looking forward to seeing these new vendors and seeing what we’ve attracted in the way of maybe something really different,” she said.
For Nickeson, the most rewarding part of Art in the Park is seeing attendees enjoying themselves and experiencing the wide selection of art brought to the grounds by the vendors.
“It’s such a beautiful setting down there and it’s great getting people in the grounds as vendors — especially if any of these new vendors have never been to Chautauqua before, which is very likely — and then it’s always fun to see everybody enjoying themselves, making purchases,” she said.
