Art in the Park returns July 17-18 after 2020 cancellation

BEMIDJI -- Another of Bemidji’s major summertime events is returning next weekend when Art in the Park takes place in Library Park and at the Watermark Art Center. The festival will be held Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18.

“People are very excited about this, the artists and the public,” said Lori Forshee-Donnay, executive director of the sponsoring Watermark Art Center. “We were worried at the beginning of this year with regards to providing an event that was safe. We started to question whether we’d be able to pull it off. Art in the Park is a huge volunteer project. We usually have a full year, so it’s easy peasy. But unfortunately, I’m trying to get a year’s work done in three months, So it’s been really intense.”

Like most local events, Art in the Park was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was a difficult year for artists, who had to get creative in marketing their work with no shows to attend.

“It’s been a strange year for people,” Forshee-Donnay said. “There’s been some really big highs and big lows. We’ve had vendors who have lost their spouses. It’s been emotional for a lot of people. People are excited, but some people are a little hesitant, too.”

Upwards of 100 vendors will be on hand for the event, which is marking its 53rd year. Tents will be set up in Library Park and on the green space south of the Watermark. A tent will be set up north of the Watermark’s parking lot to provide shade for attendees who want to take a break or have lunch. Music and a kids' art space also will be featured.

While many of the vendors are longtime regulars at Art in the Park, there are some first-timers, including Eric and Jana Bujarski of Bemidji and Hillary Kempenich of Grand Forks.

The Bujarskis own Blue Grain, a company that creates a variety of items, many of which feature concrete. Their work includes furniture, custom cribbage boards, end tables, engraved wood slices, butcher's blocks and wall decor.

Kempenich, a multi-disciplinary artist, is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Her work has been featured at the Watermark , and she displays her art at shows throughout the country. She is expected to have her artwork and jewelry at the Bemidji show.

“It’s exciting to see these younger artists come in,” Forshee-Donnay said. “Both (the Bujarskis and Kempenich) applied last year and were accepted, so this will be their first year with us.”

Art in the Park hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 17 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 18.

1/3: A first-time vendor at this year's Art in the Park is Blue Grain Art & Home Creations of Bemidji, which features art like this wooden silhouette of the state of Minnesota. Submitted photo.

2/3: Watermark Art Center featured the exhibit "Indanishinaabekwew – I am an Anishinaabe Woman," in 2018 with paintings by Hillary Kempenich. (Pioneer file photo)

3/3: Nature photography by the late Joyce Kleven will be for sale at this year's Art in the Park event. Kleven's family donated many of her photos to the Watermark Art Center after she passed away in October 2019. (Dennis Doeden / Bemidji Pioneer)