About Art in the Park

About the show:

South Portland's annual Art in the Park Show & Sale is a summer favorite of participating artists and the public. Held on the second Saturday in August in beautiful Mill Creek Park, the show features original art and photography by up to 185 artists, a food court, an activity area for kids, and music in the afternoon. Admission is free. The show opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m.

Prize winners are announced at noon at the gazebo. Prizes range from Best in Show ($800) to Merit Awards (five at $150 each) and include Best Photo in Show ($500). Six $30 student prizes are also awarded to South Portland High School students whose art is exhibited in the Student Art Tent. Sponsors’ Choice selections are also announced at noon.

The Judges' Tent, with one submission by each artist in the show, is open to the public between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The Student Art Tent, featuring art by students in South Portland schools, is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Kids can make their own artistic creations in the Kids in the Park area between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Facepainting is also offered. Julie & Brownie provide upbeat and fun musical shows for the kids. All Kids in the Park activities are free.

The Food Court, located in the Broadway/Ocean Street corner of the park next to Kids in the Park, features a variety of food from hot dogs and ice cream to international cuisine. The Food Court is open between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Art in the Park is proud to use art by students in South Portland schools for promotional materials for the show. Three pieces of art are chosen each year: one for the show poster, one for the show t-shirt and one for the program cover.

Costs of the show are paid for by artists’ fees and donations from sponsors. All committee members are volunteers, as are almost all show day workers. Revenues over and above costs are used for park improvements. Past improvements have included the gazebo, the fountain, a contribution toward holiday lighting, a $500 contribution to the city’s Greenbelt Walkway, and $1000 toward the plaque for Arvin “Ge” Erskine Park. In 2005, Art in the Park donated $250 toward assisting artists affected by Hurricane Katrina. In 2009, in honor of its 30th year, Art in the Park donated $3000 to the South Portland Land Trust, to be used by the Friends of Mill Creek Park for the development and implementation of a master plan for Mill Creek Park. In 2009, in honor of its 30th year, Art in the Park donated $3000 to the South Portland Land Trust, to be used by the Friends of Mill Creek Park for the development and implementation of a master plan for Mill Creek Park.

Art in the Park also awards a $1000 scholarship every year to a student graduating from South Portland High School who is going on to study art in college.

Stretch & Jenny Tuemmler opened Stretch Studio in 1984 to provide still life photography for advertising, catalogs, and direct to clients. Stretch did the photography and Jenny managed the business end until she switched hats and took on the digital imaging in 1992. Their studio is in the former Nissan Bakery on Washington Avenue in the old cookie room.

Stretch earned a BFA degree in Photo Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology. Jenny received her BA degree from Syracuse University in photojournalism with a minor in illustration. Stretch can be found sailing his 1956 Dutch sloop in Casco Bay and Jenny has a big love of animals (especially horses) and spends too much time volunteering. They live with their two teenagers in North Yarmouth.

Anastasia Weigle received her B.A. in natural science illustration with a minor in museum studies from SUNY Empire State College and an M.S.L.I.S. (Library & Information Science) in archives management. Her professional work as an archivist influenced her work as an artist. Through discarded objects and ephemera—these small, insignificant pieces of nostalgic history—she found her true voice. Weigle is creating a magical history all her own. The inner child—who still believes that dreams do come true—is the master and teacher. Her works of art are created by forgotten bits and pieces of bric-à-brac in this world of discarded dreams.

About the Committee and Volunteers:

Mary Kahl, Bill Cary, Linda Eastman, Alison Schneller, David L. Mishkin, Alexandrea Taylor, Jean Berg-Keyes, Lynne Joys and Judy Harrison serve on the 2010 Art in the Park Committee. Mary Perry does the administrative work. David L. Mishkin is the official event photographer. The South Portland art teachers mat and select the art for the Student Art Tent. Show day volunteers include city employees and their families, employees of neighborhood businesses and local residents. The South Portland Parks Department sets up the park and tears down after the show. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer.