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| Messenger photo by Rick Palsgrove |
| Artist Pam Montgomery adjusts one of her paintings on display at last year’s Groveport Arts Festival. Montgomery, a self-taught artist originally from Groveport, uses watercolors to depict historical structures, rural settings, and old fashioned barns. |
The third annual Groveport Arts Festival will fill the village’s historic downtown with the beauty of art and the sounds of music on May 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Main Street from College Street to Front Street.
"It’s a great opportunity for Groveport to show off what a friendly and beautiful town it is, as well as a chance for people to see the cultural activities the town offers," said Connie Hansen, marketing coordinator for the festival.
The festival – presented by The Arts Alliance of Southeastern Ohio, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of the arts – features artwork from Ohio artists selected from a juried competition.
Kim Pensyl and The Smooth Jazz Trio will perform smooth jazz favorites, as will Meredith Evans & Luxury Brown and other entertainers. A wine garden will offer Slate Run Vineyard wines as well as snacks and shade. Plus there will be a variety of food vendors.
Hansen said art pieces from 58 artists will be on exhibit including works in glass, ceramics, wood, metal, painting, jewelry, photography, paper, and fiber.
"Dayton artist Dee Hilt will be there with her large garden sculptures made of copper and wood," said Hansen. "There will also be exceptional handcrafted fine jewelry. It’s a good mix of art work this year."
Hansen said new to the festival this year is a youth activitiy area, to be located in the Myers Funeral Home parking lot, that will feature crafts, a nature exhibit, and entertainment by Imaginating Dramatics, a youth drama group, from 2-4 p.m.
Kids can also lend their artistic talents to Groveport’s future children’s center, Crooked Alley KidSpace, by glazing a ceramic tile of a leaf that will be part of an exterior mosaic mural planned for KidSpace, located at Wirt Road and Oak Street. The 20 by 8 foot outdoor mural will depict a tree and be made up of 150 six inch square ceramic tiles featuring colorful leaves. Cost is $10 per tile.
The artists at LangWeil Studios in Groveport will then fire each tile and adhere each leaf to an image of a giant oak tree. Sandra Lang and Walter Weil, of LangWeil Studio, designed the mural and will paint the background, fire the tiles, and install the completed artwork on Crooked Alley KidSpace’s south exterior wall.
Volunteers are being sought to help set up and tear down the festival as well as to assist the artists during the event. To volunteer call The Arts Alliance 361-2349.
Admission to the Groveport Arts Festival is free. For information visit groveportartsfestival.org
Entertainment schedule
10 a.m.: Festival opens
Noon: Mark Thunderwalker
1 p.m.: Blue Lagoon
3 p.m.: Kim Pensyl & The Smooth Jazz Trio
5 p.m.: Meredith Evans with Luxury Brown
7 p.m.: Festival closes
(The main stage will be located in The Glassman parking lot on Main Street next to the festival’s wine garden.)
