More than two dozen artists will be set up at Brighton’s Memorial Park this Saturday, Aug. 3 as the second edition of Art in the Park returns.
And you’re invited to join the festivities running 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hosted by the Brighton Arts and Culture Council (BACC) and sponsored by the Brighton Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), the event features free admission, a wide array of artists and artisans set up in a vendor-style-fashion at the park, live entertainment, a children’s art area, food vendors, and quick access to nearby businesses, explains BACC president and artist Des Rodrigues.
As part of the fun, kids will also have a chance to take part in some painting while contributing to a special project to be unveiled during Brighton’s Applefest.
The event will shine a light on all the arts, including musicians with six artists set to take the stage and perform throughout the day.
The idea is people can roam the park, get up close with the artists and their crafts, learn about their stories and the arts council, ways to get involved in the arts community, and more, explains Rodrigues.
“Last year, we did the same thing, we created an ambience in there where it wasn’t row after row of vendors – so (they’re) sporadically (and) strategically placed to create a nice atmosphere.”
During the first event, there were art pieces sold ranging from $20 to one piece at $3,200.
“So, we have the full gamut of art that you may be looking for, never was able to locate or track down, but we have the full spectrum of art there.”
The hope is this will build on the success of the first edition, and the organization can continue to grow with this event in the coming years, notes Rodrigues.
Ultimately, this – and the BACC – is all about increasing awareness and engaging people in the arts, and this includes helping artists to expand their skills and learnings, explains Rodrigues, who also has built on his time as a musician and painter in recent years by learning to fuse the two loves together.
Rodrigues repurposes old records too scratched to play anymore and turns them into art. He takes old classic rock albums or what have you found at yard sales and the like and paints band members/artists, et cetera, on them.
He’s had quite a bit of success with it now, painting more than 700 of them so far.
The BACC is also working towards opening a gallery.
The hope is it will serve as another draw to an already wonderful community, says Rodrigues.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
