Rain did not dampen the spirits of visitors and residents to the opening of the 14th annual Art on the Prairie festival Saturday in downtown Perry’s Cultural and Historic District.
As Mary Rose Nichols, one of the event’s founders, once put it, “This nonprofit, juried arts festival is a collaboration of creativity that layers art, music and words from a foundation of small-town community spirit and ingenuity.”
The festival will continue Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in seven venues: the Hotel Pattee, Carnegie Library, Town/Craft Center, Ben Franklin’s, Peterson Designs, Studio on Second and La Poste.
All the artists are from Iowa, and they work in a wide variety of media, including pottery, painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, fiber arts, letterpress, glass, wood, folk art and others. Many of the venues feature ongoing demonstrations of artists in action throwing pots, painting, spinning and weaving and creating letterpress prints.
Some 30 musicians fill the exhibitions spaces with acoustic music, and the Poets’ Corner, located of the lobby of the Hotel Pattee in the Nicolette Room, offers poetry readings by Iowa poets.
The full schedule and detailed information regarding artists, musicians, the Poets’ Corner and numerous youth activities are available at the Art on the Prairie website.
