Art@YourFeet Event Colors Downtown Blissfield This Weekend

The dull gray pavement of South Lane Street will come alive with vibrant color once again this weekend as chalk artists work their magic for the second annual Art At Your Feet festival in downtown Blissfield Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11-12.

Like last year, organizers have mapped off squares that will be assigned for artists to draw the design or picture of their choice in chalk--freedom of expression, for free.

“We hope to attract even more artists this year,” said Carol Glauner, who is an artist herself and one of the driving forces behind this year’s celebration, along with fellow local artist Peg Whiting. “We hope that Art At Your Feet takes off the way that River Raisin Festival did. We know it takes a long time to get to that point, but it would be nice to have another famous event to get people to Blissfield.”

“Any artist can enter and there will be an adult area along South Lane and a children's gallery along Jefferson, along with some vendors,” said Whiting. “There is no charge to enter. There are no prizes, no judging, and no competition. It’s just a chance for artists to get together, express themselves, and socialize.”

The Art At Your Feet committee, funded in part by the Downtown Development Authority, provides the materials to the artists, including chalk and a selection of tempera paint for laying down a base coat on the pavement to begin.

Proposed images must be submitted and be approved by the art committee to avoid any questionable subject matter or advertising logos. Artists may register or refer questions via email to artatyourfeet@gmail.com, or by calling Glauner at 517-447-3007 or Whiting at 517-486-4308. Registration will be accepted right up to the day of the event by checking in at the Artist Oasis booth on South Lane Street.

Returning artists will be pleased to learn that the materials have been upgraded for this year’s event. Free art supplies include artist-grade chalk instead of the standard “sidewalk chalk” that is more suitable for hopscotch squares than for making works of art.

Vendors are still making reservations, but the merchandise that will be offered will tend toward craft items and artwork, in keeping with the theme of the festival. Some restaurants and and businesses have made plans to increase their hours in anticipation of the downtown activity to offer visitors dining and shopping options.

Whiting and Glauner said that the format for the assignment of “artist areas” (the area of the street where participants will create their work) will remain the same.

“The basic space is about five feet by five feet,” said Glauner, “but if somebody comes to us and explains why they need a larger space, we can make allowances. There’s plenty of room for everyone.”

Preceding the actual Art At Your Feet weekend, the festival’s art committee offered artists who signed up early the opportunity to bring in copies of their proposed artwork for free enlargement in a workshop that was held at the North Lane Street Depot. “It makes it a lot easier for the artist if you have a full-size projection of your work to start with,” Whiting said.

There will be art-related demonstrations over the course of the weekend and live music, too. On Saturday artistic woodworking will be demonstrated outside on South Lane Street and an artist who works in charcoal will be working in one of the businesses downtown to demonstrate the technique for passers-by.

A trolley service will be available Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. for visitors who would like a brief tour of the village. Trolley fare is a free will donation and the itinerary will include Blissfield Dinner Train Depot and Ellis Park Pearl Street entrance, where Rummage in the Park will be held in conjunction with the art celebration. There will also be a stop at J. Trees Wine Tasting Room and Main Street Stable/Hathaway House. Anyone making the circuit on foot, by bicycle, or by car will notice helium balloons at the trolley stops. Sunday excursions are offered on the Adrian and Blissfield Rail Road from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. by calling 1-888-Go Rail 1.

The public is also invited to register for one or both of Community Yoga sessions being offered by Bliss Yoga, above James Creps Physical Therapy at the corner of South Lane and Jefferson. There will be one session each day and, for a free-will donation that will be used to fund next year’s Art At Your Feet, the public is invited to explore the yoga experience.

Visitors may support future art festivals by purchasing Art at Your Feet T-shirts for adults or art-themed T-shirts for kids created on the spot. The festival staff members will be wearing identifying green T-shirts and directing visitors to points of interest and answering questions.

Glauner and Whiting are hoping to keep Blissfield’s entry into the art show circuit alive and expand on it. “We want people to learn how interesting it can be to come early and see the artists begin their projects and then return at several points during the day to see the progress,” said Glauner. “It’s really fascinating.”

One of the attractions to keep an eye on will be a chalk artist who specializes in the three-dimensional effect that some people may have seen exhibited on New York City streets. Scenes in this genre often depict hyper-realistic 3-D objects that act as optical illusions.

Musical entertainment will be provided downtown by Mike Demint on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 4 p.m. when “This is Everything” will perform.

The only element that has not been planned for the enjoyment of both artists and the viewing public is the weather, organizers admit.

“We have absolutely no control over that,” said Whiting, “but there is no way that we can schedule around rain. Under the circumstances, we can’t set a rain date.”