By Kathy Knudson:

Thank you to all those that contributed to our 2023 Good Neighbor Fund grant proposal submittals. We will be notified in May if/when our proposals are approved. More information will follow then.

Art in the Gardens Grant Progress

The five artists needed for this program have been secured. They will be meeting with the gardeners soon to set the schedule for the summer. Stay tuned for more information after the snow melts and we have a schedule.

Art Fair in the Park Grant

This is also a GNF grant that was awarded in Sept of 2022.  It will be held on Saturday, July 15 at Van Cleve Park. There will be four major areas of the Fair:

• Arts and Crafts outdoor sales (for vendors, along with small art and craft projects and classes)
• Music and Dance (with diverse artists that make you want to move)
• Prose and Poetry (with book sales and a live mic for readings)
• An Art Show for students and non-professionals (to be held in the gym, with small prizes)  

We’ll need subcommittees of 3 to 4 people for each area and eventually lots of both volunteers for the art fair and participants in the art fair. Will have more information as planning continues. Again, contact [email protected] if you want to help.

The Arts and Crafts section will be outdoors with booths for both artists and craft people who have artwork and crafts to sell. This section, hopefully, will also have an area for some of our SE Seniors and others to help attendees to learn to crochet, knit, and/or do other crafts along with donated yarn and other materials to give away. The Art in the Gardens sessions will also be in this area. This subcommittee will recruit vendors, volunteers, and others and organize the area.

Music and Dance will be centered primarily in the patio area, but will be free to roam. We will be looking for colorful groups that encourage people to listen, interact, and dance. Think Brazil Dance (hope they are still available this summer, had them booked last summer), a drumming group, and others.

Prose and Poetry will include an open mike with poetry and prose readings, book autographing and sales hopefully with local writers and other writers from The Loft and the U. and small writing sessions for the kids. I know a couple local writers/poets already. Who else do you know?

The Art Show will be in the gym. We will be inviting art students and others from the U and the neighborhood to participate. Artists who aren’t professionals yet but want to exhibit (and possibly sell) their art will be welcome, with a maximum of three pieces of art. This is planned as a monitored, and possibly juried event. There will be small prizes for each category. There will be hors d’oeuvres. And children must be accompanied by their parent(s). Our biggest challenge will be figuring out how to display the artwork.
If you are interested in helping with any of these areas or have any advice or good contact information, please contact me at [email protected].