Spirit of Place Begins in Ballard Park July 6

Painting in Ballard Park

The Annual Painting in the Park –Plein Air, will take place the morning after the Independence Day fireworks, Sunday, July 6, from 9 AM to noon, in Westport’s Ballard Park. As part one of the Spirit of Place Westport Heritage House Art Event, artists— marked by yellow balloons—will select and paint vistas or unique close-up objects found on site. Linda Smyth, Port Henry artist and international muralist,is conducting a Plein Air Workshop in the park. Artists will have a week to add finishing touches before entering the work along with two others in the Annual Spirit of Place Art Exhibition.

Spirit of Place Exhibition & Auction

The public is cordially invited to Westport Heritage House for the Spirit of Place Opening Reception, Thursday, July 17, 5 PM to 7 PM, and encouraged to place a bid on work in the Silent Art Auction, which continues until the Westport Festival Day on August 9, 2014. Nearly 70 works—paintings, pottery, prints, fabric art, collage and more—will provide a colorful and diverse show. Proceeds from the auction will benefit both the artists and Westport Heritage House, adding to its fund for winter heat!

Soundwaves Concert

For a broader arts experience, attendees are encouraged to cross the street to Ballard Park after the reception for the Soundwaves Concert at 7:30 PM on July 17. According to Performer Magazine, “Barika,” the evening’s featured band, “creates a soundscape of funk soaked in psychedelic, West African resonance.”

Self-Guided Artist Studio Tour

Part three of Spirit of Place is a self-guided tour to artist’s studios and an alternative art show on Saturday, July 19, and Sunday, July 20, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Maps indicating locations, in Port Henry, Westport, Wadhams, and Elizabethtown, will be available at Heritage House, both for the Opening Reception and the weekend of the Studio Tour. Once again, follow the yellow balloons and enjoy art created in and inspired by the Champlain Valley and Lake Champlain.

Prepare for Spirit of Place: A Three-Part Champlain Valley Art Event, Centered in Westport, NY, July 2014 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Spirit of Place Art Show (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Soundwaves: Taylor Haskins & Fuzzy Logic (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Announcing Soundwaves: 2014 Westport Community Concert Series at Ballard Park (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Dee Carroll

Residing near Essex, I'm a great grandma who is active in community affairs as well as with my family's seasonal business, the Westport Marina and The Galley Restaurant and Bar. As president of the Westport, NY, Chamber of Commerce, my mission is to promote hospitality and economic development in Westport and the neighboring communities of our Lake Champlain Region. Serving on organizational boards that enable networking from Plattsburgh to Albany, I enjoy making acrylic lake and landscapes and singing in chorale.