Be the First to Hear Artists’ Stories at the Happy Hour Arts Reception

Art in the Park will host a Happy Hour Arts Reception on October 13 prior to the two-day outdoor art show.  The event is for VIP supporters and sponsors to see and buy before the show opens for the general public. You can be a VIP supporter by pre-pledging dollars you plan to spend at Art in the Park. This pre-pledge allows you to attend the Happy Hour Arts Reception on October 13 from 5 pm – 8 pm AND get ‘Art Bucks’ equaling the money you pledged to buy art! You and your guest will view artwork before opening to the general public! Be served complimentary delicious hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening. Drink complimentary wine. Listen to live music from the SIUE Jazz Band. Talk with the artists and spend your ‘Art Bucks’ equaling your pre-pledge dollars with any of the artists throughout the show! What you need to do is to send a check for $100 or more to Highland Arts Council, PO Box 33, Highland, IL 62249 with Happy Hour in the memo. After we receive your pre-pledge dollars, your invitation will be mailed to you. ‘Art Bucks’ in the amount of your pre-pledge dollars may be picked up at the Happy Hour Arts Reception or any time during the show. The Happy Hour Arts Reception is sponsored by Edward Jones financial advisers: Matt Armentrout, Kevin Dewaele, and DeAnna Domalgalski.

To see representations of the artwork you will see, go to www.highlandartscouncil.org. That night, you will hear stories like these…

“I am drawn to many genre and styles of art,” says Susan Kunz, painter from Trenton, Illinois. “My challenge is to bring all these contradictions together into an altered reality. Inspiration can be anything, colors, objects, feelings, or a word. This provides endless inspiration and subject matter for the surreal world I paint. In the beginning things are fuzzy and fluid. I don’t have concrete expectations for the final painting. I explore relationships between opposites. I enjoy the physical process of painting, color blending and building texture. As I add color and texture the painting takes on a life of its own and guides me to the finish. The choices made while creating art reveal so much about an artist without their knowing. The end result describes my relationship to the world.”

Tony and Christy Bodnar live in Maryville, Illinois. Tony, principal by day and glass artist by night, teams up with his wife Christy to create beautiful glass pieces. Tony says, “My glass work is about movement, creating color, layering, and representing my industrial past.” Christy added, “My husband and I create handcrafted blown, fused, and cast glass. Collaboratively, we create glass that is functional, decorative, and sculptural, often combining parts made in the hot and warm studio.” 

For more information about the event, visit: https://www.highlandartscouncil.org/art-in-the-park-attending/

About the Highland Arts Council

The Highland Arts Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit, actively promotes the arts in the community of Highland through a variety of activities and projects.  The Highland Arts Council provides a showcase for local artists and an educational opportunity for many members of the community to enrich their appreciation of the arts.  The Highland Arts Council is always looking for new and exciting ways to promote all areas of the arts as well as providing budding artists, both young and old, with new and creative ways to showcase their art. Donations to Highland Arts Council are tax deductible as a charitable donation. For more information about the Highland Arts Council, visit www.highlandartscouncil.org. Follow the Highland Arts Council on Facebook and Twitter.