Art fair draws crafty crowd

Danny Christopher came to the 47th annual Art in the Park festival Saturday as both a spectator and an aspiring artist.

“I like looking at the different jewelry and designs,” he said.

The Columbia resident has been making jewelry for 15 years. He started working with steel and iron, transitioning to silver three years ago.

“It’s so much prettier,” Christopher said. He is auditing classes in the art department at Stephens College and using the college facilities to create his jewelry. He wants to have his own shop at home and has been “slowly and surely building a collection of tools.”

Though Christopher considers his artwork a hobby rather than a profession, he said he could see himself displaying work at the festival in the future. Christopher said seeing other people’s work gives him “neat ideas” and a “starting point to make something new.”

Art in the Park is a festive swirl of family-friendly artistry and entertainment. The weekend festival on the Stephens College campus boasts 100 art vendors, continuous live music by more than a dozen bands, a children’s entertainment stage and hands-on art tent, and a food court.

Art in the Park will continue today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Stephens College campus on Broadway between Willis and Dorsey streets.

The festival is designed to appeal to everyone, said Jill Stedem, executive director of the Columbia Art League, which has sponsored the event since its inception in 1959.

“We try to make it a fun, family event so we have something for the whole family,” she said.

Near the art tent, Mason Boussad, 4, and his father, Tony, engaged in a balloon sword fight on Saturday while Morgan Boussad, 3, and her mother, Michelle, made picture frames.

“Seeing local artists is what brought us here,” Tony Boussad said. “But there’s something for everyone.”

While many of the artists come from Columbia and mid-Missouri, others come from across the country. Anita Hejtmanek of Fayetteville, Ark., is here for the third year, selling stained-glass ornaments, mobiles and jewelry.

“I was told it was a good show and it’s been a good show, so I keep re-applying,” Hejtmanek said.

Artists must send in slides of their work along with jury and booth fees.

“Then you just wait and hope you get in,” Hejtmanek said.

There might be room for more artists next year. The Columbia Art League is looking for a new location for the festival. It has been held at the Stephens College site for several years.“We’ve kind of outgrown our space here,” Stedem said. “We’d like to move to the Stephens Lake area.”