Art in the Park returns to Medina Square

MEDINA — Creative energy was palpable Sunday at Medina Square as hundreds of residents welcomed the return of Art in the Park. The Medina County Art League has put on the summer event for 47 years as a showcase for creators in the immediate area as well as from nearby counties. More than 80 artists were invited to take part in Sunday's festivities, which marked a decrease from numbers seen in recent years but a total that came through careful planning, organizers said. As with nearly all public events, last year's Art in the Park was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yearly artist turnout at the event typically ranges over 100 with roughly 130 attending in 2019. "Up until around April we really didn't know what today was going to look like," said Medina County Art League President Kathy Stokes-Shafer. "We didn't know if it was going to be a matter of having a line and people taking turns going through, but then everyone started to get vaccinated and we were able to make some solid plans with the health department." "We considered spacing everyone out and I don't think we could've asked for a better result or better day," she added. "I think having a creative outlet was very important for people over the past year. It was very tough to not be able to go to shows like usual and people could only sell their work online. From what I've heard today, people are having a very good day in regards to sales, and that's great." Proceeds from a Sunday raffle will go toward four scholarships for high school art students in Medina County. Those will be awarded this coming spring, choosing from a pool of teacher recommendations and including a $1,000 first place scholarship, Stokes-Shafer said. She also encouraged residents of all ages to become members of the Medina County Art League. More information on how to join can be found at medinacountyartleague.com. "Anyone can be a member," Stokes-Shafer said. "We'll be meeting in-person again in September and that will be the first time that's happened since early last year before COVID." Thomas Yano of Vermilion took home two best in show awards for his metal works and said traveling to Art in the Park has been a long-time family tradition. "I'm second generation coming up here," he said, looking on as his collection caught the eye of passers by. "My dad, Al Yano, started bringing me down here in the early-70s right when it got started. It's something we always looked forward to doing together and for the last 30 years or so kept it up on my own. I'll occasionally win a prize in my category. It's unexpected but always appreciated and welcome." Yano said that a year-plus of COVID-19 bringing art shows to a halt spelled a lot of forced restructuring for many creators. "I've tried to walk away from this twice but I just love doing it," he said. "I've worked alone a lot so I guess last year wasn't a huge change for me, but I've actually been happy with some of the restructuring. It's let me work on things I put off for years, hang out with the grandkids. I have a lot of new work because of it." Fellow artist Don Reed, a 2019 Art in the Park award winner, brought a cache of new paintings with him from North Royalton. "I kind of tried to come up with my own style, I guess the best term for it would be contemporary impressionism," he said. "I think that sums it up. I've tried some other names to kind of talk about putting color together but that can make things a little complicated sometimes." Other showcases on Sunday included depictions of Ohio sports heroes, homemade desserts from local families, a wide array of hand-crafted jewelry, and paintings covering many more styles. "This is always such a well-attended and well-organized show," Reed added. "It's a beautiful park, what can you say? We've had some sales so we're pretty happy. We're from New England and moved here five years ago. We still go to shows up there, in places like Lakewood, Cleveland, Boston Mills, too. This one always stands out." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.