ARLINGTON — Although the day’s turnout might have been slightly dampened by the misting of rain on its first morning, the Arlington Arts Council’s two-day “Art in the Park” on Saturday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 15, still drew as many as 300 attendees to Legion Park midway through its first day, which included the Seattle-based band Batucada Yemanjá and close to three dozen vendor booths on the green.
“We got a great mix of new folks this year, half of whom aren’t even Arlington Arts Council members,” said event organizer and Arlington Arts Council Board member Roberta Baker on Sept. 14. “We recruited vendors from Marysville, Everett, Index, Camano and Vashon Island, and even some from Seattle. The traditional ways of advertising haven’t been working as well, so we’ve put the word out to our folks to text, Twitter and Facebook everyone they know.”
One Arlington artist who’s relatively new to both Art in the Park and the Arlington community as a whole is mixed-media artist Monica Guerrero, who moved to town from Southern California just shy of a year ago in October.
“This event really represents the feeling of Arlington, and the beauty of a small town environment,” said Guerrero, who offers her services as an art instructor through Silvana Vintage and Art. “It’s exciting to see the growth in this community, but I hope it doesn’t happen too fast. I love it here. I’ve totally found my home in Arlington.”
Both through her artwork and her online radio talk show at http://InspiringPeopleRadio.com, Guerrero wants to communicate the message that “creativity heals and is powerful.”
Next to the Legion Park gazebo, artists of all ages tried their hands at painting in divided segments of a canvas which Arlington Arts Council President Sarah Arney admitted that she doesn’t quite know where to put yet.
“We’ll remove the tape separating the parts of the canvas once the paint is dry,” Arney said. “From there, we’ll have to find someplace to display it, even if it’s only temporary.”
Michele Brown and her daughter Jewel were entirely unconcerned with anything other that making art on the canvas that afternoon, no matter who might ever see it again.
“I’m painting lots of flowers,” Jewel Brown said.
“I have absolutely nothing in mind,” Michele Brown laughed, as she laid down paint colors in random patterns. “I’m just making a mess, just because it’s here. How often do you get to do something like this? It’s just a great opportunity to get in on something that’s community-oriented.”
Arney reminded those who wish to support the Arlington Arts Council that its annual “Fall into Art” Auction is set for Saturday, Oct 19, at the Medallion Hotel in Smokey Point. Email Virginia Hatch at vhatch2384@comcast.net for more information.
