Columbia art shows please the palette

Columbia was teeming with art this weekend.

Along with the 15th Annual Columbia Festival of the Arts and the 47th Annual Boone County Art Show, there was a new art event Saturday in The Village, an artist-friendly neighborhood in north central Columbia.

The Art Walk Block Party covered the area between the Boone County Courthouse and Columbia College.

Seventeen sculptures, most created out of metal, were the main attractions. All were for sale and will be on display in various yards in The Village for one year.

Susan Taylor-Glasgow, who organized the Art Walk and lives and works on North Tenth Street, sees these works as part of a larger plan for the neighborhood.

“We want people to consider this an artists’ village,” she said.

The 17 sculptures were not the only works of art at the block party.

Becky Willowood displayed her pottery in front of a house she’s renting on North Eighth Street, and Dennis Ternamian displayed a painting in progress on his front porch on North Ninth.

Nearby, a group of weavers and spinners spun the afternoon away outside Village Glass Works. Cole Pruitt, an accordion player, serenaded on the street corner and a troupe of six belly dancers from Deva Dancers clicked castanets to the rhythm of their dance.

Shon Parker of Harrisburg has three works along the Art Walk: “Fan Man,” “Barbrica the Beautiful” and “Working Man.” He sees the sculptures as members of a family and is currently working on a pet for the trio.

“They needed a family dog,” he said.