All ages, artists gather for fun-filled Saturday
By ELIZABETH LITTLE/Sentinel staff
SOMERS POINT — On Saturday, John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in Somers Point was bustling with creatives.
The annual Art in the Park event provided a place for artists of all ages and skill levels to showcase their work. The event featured a painting and photography contest, a chance to purchase art, live entertainment and interactive activities for children.
Artists of all backgrounds had tents and tables set up to sell their work. Joe Wennberg, of South Dennis, was selling his historical-inspired oil paintings. His work features points in world history, from the Silk Road in Asia to St. Petersburg and Nefertiti. Wennberg is self-taught.
“I’ve been painting. No way around it, I am a nonacademic artist. I have no training in art. Never. It’s a mark of honor. I’ve been painting since 1988. I would have a certain amount of success, and it was always oil painting,” Wennberg said.
Part of Wennberg’s inspiration comes from research he does on history and art.
“I read, I read, I read, and I paint and paint and paint. This is all about the far east, central Asia, Silk Road, India and Russia. These are historical motifs,” Wennberg said.
One piece, called “What Genghis Khan Saw,” pictures a full moon. Wennberg explained that he was inspired by the thoughts and sights of the Khan of the Mongol empire.
“I’m not about art, per se, but I am about trying to portray something,” Wennberg said.
Artist Shannon Askins, 51, of Egg Harbor City, had a tent set up featuring her realistic pencil sketches. Askins said she has been drawing off and on and recently picked it back up. Her artwork features pop culture figures such as The Beatles, Wolverine from the X-Men franchise and Freddy Krueger from “Nightmare on Elm Street” fame. Askins said she is inspired by “dark” and complicated characters in film. Her two daughters accompanied her to assist Askins in selling her art and connecting with potential customers.
Betsy Price came all the way from Shinnston, W.Va., to showcase her creations in Somers Point. Price said she has always been a creative person and likes to paint from photos she or others have taken. Price’s specialty media is acrylic paint. A majority of her work is inspired by nature. Price said she has a love for birch trees, a recurring theme in her artwork. She also has stills of animals.
As attendees were shopping around for art, they enjoyed music from the Budesa Brothers band, a local soul jazz number. The band played popular oldies covers such as Sam Cooke’s “What a Wonderful World,” and hits from Steely Dan. Later, students from Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts would perform on the stage as well.
For children, there were numerous interactive art stations. Kids were all smiles coloring in animal masks with markers or creating their own sculptures out of cardboard and duct tape.
Another station, called “Collaborate — Create a painting together” provided all kids in attendance an opportunity to work together. The concept was that the kids would each choose to paint in a space on a pre-drawn canvas. At the end of the event, those who contributed put their names in a bucket and the winner got to keep the art.
Ginny Swift, an art teacher at Dawes Avenue Elementary School, was volunteering at the tent.
Some art from the school’s third-graders was displayed on a clothesline. A lot of the artwork was inspired by flowers and the sun.
“They’re actually from third-graders going to fifth grade. They’re here because we were going to have our annual art show, but then the pandemic happened right before it. So I’ve been trying to locate them [the students], but they went to a different school at Jordan Road,” Swift said.
She noted that she successfully located three of the artists, her former students, at Art in the Park.
The event isn’t limited to visual art. Somers Point poet laureate Erin Castaldi, of Mays Landing, was selling her books of haiku.
“I’m a poet, and it’s a moment in time that you think is special, and you want to write about. I try to find the poetry in everyday activities and simple moments,” Castaldi said.
One of her poems reads:
“crinoline wings
take hostage my lamplight
lazy August night”
Castaldi said that for that poem, she was inspired by an August night.
“There was a moth that was flickering around the light I had at the time. It was just a nice moment, it was very calming,” Castaldi said.
The event was sponsored by the Somers Point Arts Commission. Kathy Arleth, who chairs the event, said it was two years in the making. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the committee was unable to host an event. This year, though, Arleth said, there are twice as many artists than in 2019. Turnout was more than expected, and Arleth was overjoyed.
