Oskaloosa Art on the Square
Art on the Square 2011 (photo by Don Hubbard)
FACE of Mahaska County is gearing up for their favorite time of year! The 7th annual Skunk River Arts Festival is just around the corner. This year is particularly special because not only will the group be sponsoring the annual week long event but will also be opening its doors to the new Oskaloosa Art Center as a culmination to the week’s art celebrations. With a new mission focused on education and the arts, this new venue opens up many opportunities for the community to get involved with FACE and further share the joy of the arts.
The week’s events will kick off with the Up and Coming Artist Show. A reception for the show, which is open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, June 11th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm in the Iowa Building, located on the northwest corner of the square. This traveling display showcases artwork by young local artists, and will be displayed at various sponsoring businesses throughout Oskaloosa this summer.
Thursday, June 12, FACE will have “art time” before the city band concert beginning at 7:00 p.m. On Friday, enjoy the musical entertainment on the square at Friday after Five.
Saturday is the featured event, Art on the Square! “Everyone should be sure to get raffle tickets for Art on the Square. On sale now!! You have the chance to win art as well as help support more arts and events in our community! It’s a win-win!” said Briana Bartlett, FACE president. Stop by the FACE table on the west side of the bandstand on June 14 during Art on the Square. FACE will be selling raffle tickets to award five thousand dollars in vouchers to purchase artwork from the many talented artists. “We love to see artists succeed, and sponsoring a purchase prize helps make our local art show more exciting and rewarding for the artists and patrons who attend,” explained Sue VanWyk, FACE secretary.
“At Art on the Square FACE will also be selling t-shirts and registering students for our first Summer Art Camp, an extension of our previous Young Artist Workshop. We will be featuring multiple sessions with various media taught by local artists,” stated Bartlett. To purchase raffle tickets prior to Art on the Square or to sign students up for Summer Art Camp, contact the chamber or any FACE board member or check out www.faceofmahaska.com for more information.
Immediately following Art on the Square FACE will host the GRAND OPENING of the Oskaloosa Art Center and Studios at 1701 3rd Avenue East Suite 3, in the South end of Heartland Plaza. We invite everyone out to see the new digs. We are sure that the Oskaloosa Art Center will become Oskaloosa’s favorite home for all things creative.
In March, FACE kicked off its third annual membership drive. It’s not too late to join FACE and help continue on their mission to provide exceptional arts education and make art accessible and exciting to the community. The group of artists, art lovers, students and businesses continues to grow. “We’re bursting at the seams with excitement about the new Art Center! We have people involved with great ideas and I can’t wait to show it off to the community,” said Bartlett. FACE has plans in place for classes, future social painting get-togethers, performances, open studio time, etc.
“It’s vital that we, as a community work to instill creativity in our children. One of our goals is to provide more learning opportunities for children and adults,” said Van Wyk.
In past years FACE has sponsored the Young Artist Workshop, the Up & Coming Artist Show and the Children’s Holiday Art Show. They have also supported a band contest, sponsored students for various art projects, sponsored the raffle for Art on the Square, and enlisted the community in creating art projects and hosted field trips to regional art events.
In 2011, FACE became curators of the Foyer Gallery in the Wilcox Library on the William Penn University campus and also the George Daily Foyer Gallery.
Van Wyk added, “Our future goals are to develop more opportunities for art exploration to our community; and to provide options for trips to various concerts, art museums, and studio tours. We also wish to comprise a detailed list of local artists. This would offer artists an opportunity to collaborate, learn from each other and improve our community through art projects.”
The FACE board is comprised of volunteers from the Mahaska area and includes Briana Bartlett – President, Kelsey Derby – Vice President, Sue Van Wyk – Secretary, Dave Meinert – Treasurer, Phil Hebert, Sarah Kargol, Sue Lynn and Jane Ryder.
For more information or if you would like to discover your creative side, please contact the OACDG at 124 N. Market Street, 672-2591 or Briana Bartlett at faceofmahaska@gmail.com or 676-3614. Check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/FaceofMahaskaCounty or our website at www.faceofmahaska.com.
