'Art is Our Passion': Art in the Park Returns to Marietta

MARIETTA — Celebrating the long weekend, thousands of art lovers came out to Marietta Square to enjoy the 38th annual Marietta Art in the Park festival Saturday.

The three-day juried fine art festival, from Saturday to Monday, features works from about 220 artists from 14 different states.

Art varies in mediums, from paintings to pottery, glassblowing to woodworking and jewelry to textiles.

Kaitlyn Hearn, assistant festival director, said the festival features something for everyone.

“If you’re shopping for something, it’s probably going to be here,” she said.

Hearn, whose mother, Carolyn Morris, founded the festival, has been involved with the event all her life.

“The only year I’ve had time off for Labor Day was in 2020, otherwise 35 years I’ve been participating in this,” Hearn said.

She said the festival has grown tremendously over the years, from a dozen artists on one street to hundreds spanning the perimeter of Marietta Square. Over the course of the weekend, she expected a turnout of 50,000 to 70,000 attendees.

To ensure high quality, Hearn said art exhibitors were anonymously judged based on design, quality and presentation by an independent jury of art professionals. Of about 500 submissions, only half were selected to participate in the show.

This year, the fine art festival, the only one of its kind in Cobb County, ranked 11th in Sunshine Artist Magazine’s 200 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in America, according to Hearn.

She said shows were voted on by the artists themselves and based on their sales and general experience.

“It’s really a testament to Marietta and the productivity that these artists have with selling and the community around them,” Hearn said.

From avid art collectors to recent college graduates looking for their first art piece, Hearn believes the show allows people to develop lasting relationships and discover their favorite artists.

She said that community feel is what keeps many artists coming back year after year.

About 60% of all vendors were returning artists, one of which was clay sculptor and painter Betsy Oh.

Oh, a full-time artist based in Woodstock, has been selling her quirky clay sculptures at the festival for a decade.

Her first sale of the day was a woman who visits her booth every year. Oh shared her appreciation for the always-welcoming community of artists and patrons.

“It gives me goosebumps talking about it, because it’s my joy and this is what I love to do. Every morning, I get up and I can’t wait to hit the studio,” Oh said. “I’m grateful that I get to share that with people and that they’re willing to support my business.”

Throughout the day, attendees were able to shop for all kinds of artworks, from sea glass jewelry and repurposed mosaic mirrors to wooden vases and robot lamps.

Emily Hogarth and her husband have been coming to festival for a dozen years.

This year, Hogarth said she was looking for a specific pottery vendor that she had met the year before.

“I love to collect pieces of pottery every year to use around the house,” Hogarth said. “Everything is so unique here, everything’s handmade, which to me, showcases the love and attention that the vendors have for their skill.”

She said she particularly enjoyed the family friendly nature of the festival that added to the “Mayberry feel” of Marietta.

Hogarth and her husband took their three-year-old twin daughters, who were finally old enough to enjoy the various kid activities, from booth to booth in the Children’s Art Alley.

In the art alley, kids were able to unleash their own inner artist, enjoying various crafts like paper butterflies and visor hats made from paper plates. Notes of Impact, a local nonprofit that brings music workshops to metro Atlanta schools, had a tent in the alley for kids to play various instruments.

Throughout the festival, there were plenty of other kid-friendly activities such as face painting, bottled sand art and the Chalk Spot.

Heather Burns-Fiegelman watched as her son Arlo Fiegelman, 7, drew a bouquet of flowers at the Chalk Spot on Roswell Street, in front of Boru Ramen Noodle and Poke Bar.

“Having these activities makes it a little more interactive for them and (let’s them) be a part of the community,” Burns-Fiegelman said. “And for the rest of the weekend, everybody gets to see (his art).”

For $10, both kids and adults were able to get creative by drawing their own personal work of chalk art in a designated square on the road, supporting the Marietta High School Visual Arts Program.

“Art is our passion,” Hearn said. “(We’ll) do anything we can to give back to the community because the community has been so giving to us.”

Those in need of an escape from Saturday’s 90 degree heat were able to retreat into the shade of Glover Park and listen to music sponsored by the North Georgia State Fair.

Attendees were also encouraged to support local restaurants.

For many, the festival was a great way to kick off Labor Day weekend.

“This is the first stop of many adventures for the weekend,” Burns-Fiegelman said.

Hearn hopes the festival will continue to grow.

“Let’s make it 85, 100 years. Let’s keep it going,” Hearn said.

For more information about Marietta Art in the Park, visit http://artparkmarietta.com.