10th Annual Art in the Park

Tenth Annual Art in the Park 

The tenth annual Art in the Park will be held at the International Storytelling Center, Saturday October 20th, 10am-5pm and Sunday, October 21st, noon-5pm.

This is a rain or shine event and is free and open to the public and is the premier indoor/outdoor art festival in the Tri-Cities.

As in previous years, visitors to the 2018 event can look forward to a rich tapestry of mediums, ranging from painting to photography, glass work, mosaics, wood working, jewelry, knife making, pottery and more. A stringent selection policy focusing on quality assures the event to have the highest caliber of regional artwork on display and for sale. 

This event also awards prizes to the best artist vendors, and visitors are welcome to attend the awards ceremony. Awards are determined by a panel of judges and awarded to artists by Jonesborough Major Chuck Vest on Saturday at 10am. Best in Show honor will receive $1,000, while second place will be awarded $500, and third place $300. A new prize of $150 will be given to the best new artists. Honorable mentions and Best in Tasting ribbons will also be given out. Ribbons will be displayed on the artist’s tents or tables which will be viewable through the weekend.

Visitors to Art in the Park will also enjoy free music on both days starting with the acoustic selections of the Sweetwater Troubadours on Saturday from 10:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. and then from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. guitarist Jonathan Edens will entertain with his smooth melodies. On Sunday from Noon – 4:00 p.m. the Green Rumors, will perform to viewers delight.

Also on Sunday, visitors can participate in a creative writing “Type-In” led by Langley “Casual Word” Shazor. from Noon to 5p.m.  Participants will use typewriters located on the grounds to create short poems with the help of Shazor who is a writer, poet, teacher, and typewriter collector.  This event is free and open to the public.  Shazor encourages people of all ages to participate.

A favorite destination at Art in the Park is the Best in Tasting Area. Chocolate Elegance and Olive Oil Divine will be present both days providing free samples and selling their delicious products. On Saturday Depot Street Brewing and Tennessee Hills Distillery will also be providing samples.

Artist vendors this year include, Peter Koenig: glass, Barbara Powell: collage, Beverly Thomas Jenkins: Mosaics, Carolyn Tomko: clay, Karen Hitchcock: glass, Teresa Tilley: photography, Donna Bird: painting, Wendy Ritchey: painting, Linda McCulley: jewelry, Richie Hayward: photography, Robert Scaffe: wood working, Suzanne McKinney: jewelry, Calvin Bennett: photography, Fredda Roberts: jewelry, Kerry Porche: clay, Allison Parker: painting, William Minya: soup carvings, Mark Phillips: painting, David Hale: photography, Lance Ellis: blacksmithing, Brenden Bohannon: woodworking, Sandra Breeding: photography, and Roy Nichols: painting.

Art vendor applications are still being accepted for lawn space, however, all indoor booths are full. To apply, visit mckinneycenter.com or call 423.753.0562 for more information.