News Release

Celebrate Creativity at the Art in the Park Festival 

Ranger leads family art activity

NPS/M. Zingler

News Release Date: September 19, 2025

Contact: Rainey McKenna, 802-478-4160

CORNISH, NH — Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park will host the inaugural Art in the Park Festival on Saturday, September 27, from 11:00 am to 3:00 p.m. This free, family-friendly event celebrates the Cornish Colony’s enduring legacy of artistic expression with sculpture demonstrations, drop-in art activities, musical performances, and more. 
 
Set amidst the historic studio and gardens of famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the festival is built on the belief that everyone is an artist. People of all ages and skill-levels can participate in activities including Nature Art with a Ranger from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., What’s the CyanoHype? at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and Introduction to Watercolors from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Musicians of all types are invited to bring their instruments to participate in a guided improvisation session beneath the pergola of the historic Little Studio at 12:30 p.m. 
 
Professional and student artists will also share their craft while drawing inspiration from the park. Demonstrations will include stonecutting by former sculptor-in-residence Sean Hunter Williams and clay portrait sculpting by Lyme Academy of Fine Art student Marina Melluzzo. Utilizing the park’s landscape and museum collection, graduates from the Center for Cartoon Studies will offer a pair of drawing workshops. Current Sculpture-in-Residence, Davis Fandiño, will give a talk on his experience at 1:00 p.m. 
 
The Art in the Park Festival will culminate with a concert at 2:00 p.m., featuring award-winning artists Balla Kouyaté (balafon), Taylor Ho Bynum (trumpet), Luis Villalobos (violin), Kinan Azmeh (clarinet), Kyle Sanna (guitar), Paulina Luna (piano), and others. This collaborative musical performance is produced by the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts (http://www.claremontmusic.art) and will feature prearranged and improvised works. The music is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies. 
 
Prepared food will not be available at the festival, but picnicking is welcomed. 
 
The Art in the Park Festival coincides with National Public Lands Day which is one of several Fee-Free Days across the National Park System. Coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. The event is only possible through the work of volunteers who generously donate their time on National Public Lands Day and throughout the year. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at your national park, email e-mail us 
 
For a complete schedule of events and more information, visit www.nps.gov/saga/planyourvisit/festival.htm