Julia Weber
Staff writer
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in Miller Park, dozens of artists will showcase their work for the second and final Art in the Park of the season.
Each summer, Friends of Chautauqua Visual Arts hosts two Art in the Park events to connect local artists and craftspeople with community members. From ceramics to textiles to woodworking and everything in between, Art in the Park brings a vast variety of practices and merchandise to the grounds this weekend.
Ellie Nickeson, organizer of the event, said she is looking forward to welcoming artists and patrons alike back to the event.
She said the first event of the season went smoothly, and both artists and attendees relayed positive responses to her.
For Nickeson, the event was a chance to reconnect with fellow Chautauquans.
“It was fun to sit there and talk to people as they came past,” she said. “It was early enough in the season that some of us hadn’t seen each other yet, so that was nice.”
This weekend brings a mix of returning favorites and newer artists, with many vendors from earlier this season coming back for the event.
The event will also host live music from Thursday Morning Brass, a Chautauqua favorite.
“They’ll certainly be entertaining,” Nickeson said.
The first event of the season hosted an open registration open mic, so Nickeson said this will be a different experience.
“You get a whole different vibe from a really big all-brass band,” she said.
Proceeds from the vendors’ entrance fee benefit Chautauqua Visual Arts, supporting future programming and scholarships for the School of Art residency program. For Nickeson, it’s a rewarding opportunity to support emerging artists.
“I enjoy the art, I enjoy the location,” she said. “It’s great to be able to do something that benefits the visual arts program, primarily the students who are here.”
