Art in the Park is back after a two-year pandemic hiatus. Here's what to know

As an artist and Columbia resident, Kelsey Hammond marked the official start of summer at Art in the Park. 

A Columbia Art League tradition since 1959, the festival gathers artists from across Missouri — and the nation — under the wide blue sky over Stephens Lake Park.

The festival arrives along with the regular yet unique rhythms of a college town, Hammond said: university students scatter, schoolchildren are off for the summer, and the community convenes to greet favorite — and potential new favorite — artists, enjoying the lush, laid-back environment. 

Two pandemic years interrupted this rite of passage, bending summer out of its normal shape. As CAL director since July 2019, Hammond made the "heartbreaking" decision to call off the event. 

Finally, the summer tradition resumes — and Hammond will guide her first Art in the Park — as the festival returns Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5. An array of artists will exhibit and sell their works, which range from everyday items imbued with beauty and function to pieces intended for walls and mantels. 

Describing the spectrum of artists, Hammond drew a long line, starting with the "traditional" and traveling past whimsy to the downright "wacky" or "tongue-in-cheek" — artists who have a definite place at a summer festival, especially one resuming after two tough years.

"I think that’s where we need to be in our art consumption right now," Hammond said.

More:M.O. Walsh's novel 'The Big Door Prize' will be this year's Daniel Boone Regional Library One Read

Deepening the Art in the Park experience

The spirit of Art in the Park, well-nurtured by past directors and countless volunteers, remains the same, Hammond said — an inviting outdoor art party. Looking to this year, and ahead to future festivals, she doesn't necessarily want to widen or expand the experience, but to deepen it for artists and visitors.  

"The most important thing to me — this is what I proselytize — I want people to love handmade objects," Hammond said.

Owning her "indie craft show" background, Hammond considered ways to diversify the artist roster, folding in talent that might not be quite ready to have individual booths. That led to this year's Maker's Market, a space grouping the work of around a dozen artists.

Some artists in this year's Maker's Market will no doubt have their own booths at future festivals, and this sort of hybrid approach — joining the established and emerging — will make Art in the Park more sustainable, Hammond believes.

The festival offers numerous entry points to experience Art in the Park from the inside, and not simply as a passive observer, Hammond said. 

The long-running Young Collector's Tent allows children to purchase an artwork without parents imposing their own taste. Hammond hopes that moment of autonomy cultivates young art appreciators — and further conversation.

Young collectors can then visit the artist's booth, viewing their greater body of work, and granting the maker a chance to see their creation through someone else's eyes.

Art-making experiences geared toward kids might not necessarily yield a take-home artifact for every young creator, Hammond said, but will prize "experiential," collaborative aspects, underlining ways in which many hands can make something greater than one person could do alone. 

And visual treats such as larger-scale installations and yarn-bombed trees will make visitors feel part of a living art project, Hammond added.

Art in the Park furthers CAL's year-round mission, which encourages the community to truly value art and artists — and, in doing so, locate themselves within a lovely continuum.

"We want people to appreciate a handmade item. This artist — they’re adding to the tradition of this craft," Hammond said. "... By you buying it, you are purchasing not only their love and their time ... but also the tradition that goes before them."

Let us entertain you

Art in the Park stokes other senses through food trucks, community booths and a varied lineup of musical entertainment.

This year's performers were curated by the Roots N Blues festival and span the gap from indie-folk to soul music and barbershop singing. Among the standouts are duo The January Lanterns and R&B innovator Sifa — both Roots N Blues veterans.

Prioritizing unique experiences, the weekend will also include percussion workshops led by LA Smith and a Saturday performance by the drum core and high-steppers of Lincoln University. 

More:How Columbia artist Dave Walker creates realistic 'fabricscapes' from around Missouri

Each decision to call off Art in the Park the past two summers came with its own set of concerns, circumstances and distinct sadness. Forging ahead this year is both joyous and still a little complicated, Hammond admits — many artists are eager to return; some weren't comfortable to travel yet; and some were hustling to make enough work for the festival, with their typical creative rhythms altered since 2020.

But gathering outside again, and allowing our senses to come alive, is a summer tradition worth returning to. 

"I want people to come to this event and experience delight," Hammond said. "... I think we're ready to have that kind of feeling." 

To learn more about this year's festival, visit https://columbiaartleague.org/artinthepark/home. 

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.