Art in the Park Festival

Wayne Carter, West Claremont Center for the Arts and Music

Learn, create, and explore during the park's free fall festival. This special event is built around the idea that everyone is an artist. Activities include sculpture demonstrations, family art activities, ranger-guided tours, art workshops, and musical performances. Free park entry in honor of National Public Lands Day. Food is not sold at the event, but the park is an excellent place to bring a picnic.

 

 

NPS/K. Sczomak

Artist Demonstrations

Experience these artists in action from 11am - 3pm:

Sean Hunter Williams
Former sculptor-in-residence demonstrating limestone carving

Marina Melluzzo
Lyme Academy of Fine Arts student demonstrating live portrait sculpting

Ernest Montenegro
Sculptor making wax models to demonstrate the lost-wax bronze casting process.

 

Drop-in Art Activities

Nature Art with a Ranger
11am - 3pm
Create art inspired by nature by using natural materials to make creations to bring home. Designed for children, but all are welcome.

Mobile Making
11am - 3pm
Use household tools, simple gigs, and trial and error to create mobiles with Roger Goldenberg.

Sculpt with a Sculptor
11am - 12pm
Make rough sketches in clay with the park's sculptor-in-residence.

 

NPS/ Eli Burakian

What's the CyanoHype?
11am - 12:30pm & 1pm - 2:30pm
Make sun prints using leaves, found objects, flowers, and other objects that make a shadow to create cyanotype art. This traditional printmaking method is easy to learn and fun for everyone.

Meet the Singing Bowls
11:30am - 12pm
Try your hand at the Tibetan Singing Bowl! You'll be able to try them out, listen, and relax.

Guided Community Music Improv Session
12:30pm - 1pm
Bring your instrument and join musician Taylor Ho Bynum in this directed improvisational session with visiting artists, community musicians, and you! No improv experience needed.

 

NPS/Rob Strong

Introduction to Watercolors
12:30pm - 2pm
Learn watercolor basics and simple techniques including how to make a watercolor comic while enjoying the beauty of the Cornish landscape.

Portraits & Caricatures
2pm - 3:30pm
Sit for a portrait with Center for Cartoons Study alumni Ana Liu! Just bring your brightest smile and a moment of stillness, and leave with a one-of-a-kind keepsake.

 

NPS/M. Zingler

Concert

Special Musical Performance
2pm - 3:30pm
Join us for music by Grammy and award-winning artists including Kinan Azmeh (clarinet), Taylor Ho Bynum (trumpet), Balla Kouyaté (balafon), Polina Luna (piano), Kyle Sanna (guitar), and Luis Villalobos (violin). The concert will include solo and duo performances of original works, a very special series of group improvisations inspired by the park, and a group performance you won’t want to miss!

 

NPS/Eli Burakian

Tours & Talks

Beyond the Bronze
10:30am - 11:15am
Ranger-guided tour of Civil War monuments exploring the significance of sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in the nation's history. Meet outside the visitor center.

Gardens and Grounds
12pm - 12:45pm
Experience the living legacy of the Saint-Gaudens family by exploring the park’s outdoor historic spaces during this ranger-guided tour. Meet outside the visitor center.

Sculptor-in-Residence in Conversation
1pm - 1:30pm
Davis Fandiño shares his artworks while reflecting on his time serving as the park's sculptor-in-residence.

 

NPS/Rob Strong

Art Workshops

Using Your Senses to Draw
11am - 12:30pm
Registration required ($10)
Cartoonist and former student-artist-in-residence leads this guided drawing session where participants will make art inspired by what they see, hear, and feel throughout the park.


Figure Drawing with Sculptures
1pm - 2pm
Registration required ($10)
Practice drawing human anatomy with cartoonist and illustrator Michael Albrecht by referencing the many sculptures throughout Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park. Grab your sketchbook and get ready to draw!

 

About the Event

The 2025 Art in the Park Festival is a collaboration between the National Park Service and West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts with support from the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, Upper Valley Arts Alliance, AVA Gallery and Art Center, and many independent artists. 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.

The Art in the Park Festival is part of the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. Coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), National Public Lands Day (NPLD) brings together thousands of people to care for and celebrate the outdoor spaces we all share. This year’s theme—“Our Home Outdoors”—highlights how public lands are woven into our daily lives, from neighborhood parks to national treasures. The event is only possible through the work of volunteers who generously donate their time on National Public Lands Day and throughout the year.