11th Annual Grafton Art in the Park showcases creativity

GRAFTON - Grove Memorial Park was packed with local artist, musicians and families Saturday for the 11th Annual Grafton Art in the Park.

Mary Lillesve, Coordinator of Art in the Park, said not only is it an excellent opportunity for local artists to showcase their work but it’s a great chance for kids to get a spark of creativity as well.

“There is a lot of research that supports the connection between the visual arts and music to mathematics and science,” Lillesve said. “If you want to see kids not only be broadly educated but also successful in those other areas you have to have visual and music arts.”

Lillesve said the chance for children to create their own art is not only beneficial to their education but to their happiness as she observed a child working hands on with clay.

“Look at that young woman’s face,” she said. “She’s creating something. For me that’s really important.”

Art in the Park gives back to the children in a big away with their annual art contest with Grafton Elementary School.

“Every student in school gets one of the poster boards,” she said. “We give them a theme, which this year is Grafton Rocks. Then art teachers from other districts come and choose one from each class and we give prizes to those five kids. We’ve also done a peoples choice, and anything we that we collect we give to the school with one string, it has to be used for art programing. Last year we able to donate $700.”

Lillesve said there is about 40 artists participating in this year’s Art in the Park.

“They represent anything from painting, to photography, clay and jewelry of every kind,” she said. “Through out both days there will be live music. Knotty by Nature will be doing chainsaw art. All kinds of work.”

Grafton Art in the Park continues over the weekend from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, September 10, at Grove Memorial Park.

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