Art in the Park kicks off summer the first weekend in June at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia. Our two-day Art festival is a colorful, vibrant, and fun event that highlights artists from across the country. We celebrate and support artists and art lovers while gathering with our friends and family of all ages.
Set in beautiful Stephens Lake Park, attendees can visit the artists’ village filled with approximately 100 artists who set up booths with handmade jewelry, woodwork, ceramics, paintings, drawings, pastel, fibers, photography, and more. Pop into a booth and have a chat with one of our artists and learn more about what they make. If you decide to bring home a memory in physical form or buy gifts for loved ones, either way you are supporting an artist in their craft and business.
Visit our Makers’ Market under the big tent, to find 20+ artists who are getting the feel of exhibiting their handmade wares at a large festival. And then move towards our Veterans + Rising Artist Pavilion which showcases artworks made by those who have served in the US Military as well as our up-and-coming artists currently enrolled in high school or undergraduate studies.
Our Kids’ Activity Area is an experiential fun fest with kiddos contributing to large art projects as well as making a little something to bring home with them. We encourage our youngest guests to take a walk through our Young Collector’s Tent to get a one-on-one tour of the artwork that our artists make. Each artist donates a couple of pieces of art to sell for $5. Kids can then buy a piece of art and go meet the artist in their tent. The artists love to meet their little patrons and kids get to choose something on their own that they love.
Art in the Park has been an institution in Columbia for 65 years, but we keep it innovative by infusing it with different components every year. For example, we are growing our interactive art installations at Art in the Park to show a different aspect of art making and participation in the arts. This brings color and vibrancy to the trees and pavilions as well as colorful backgrounds for photos while you walk around the festival.
Art in the Park started in the first year of the Columbia Art League (CAL), in 1959. It began as a place where artists could display work while patrons would be able to interact with the artists. To this day this festival remains an integral piece of CAL's mission, promoting the appreciation of art as well as the creation of art; this is also the largest venue for CAL to engage the community with the arts.
We believe that the Arts are essential to human development, that lives are transformed through the Arts, and that we find connection to others through the Arts, which helps give meaning to our lives. Click here for more information on volunteering: https://columbiaartleague.org/artinthepark/volunteers.
