This weekend, more than 80 artists specializing in areas such as photography, jewelry, painting, metal and wood will display their work at the 13th annual Art in the Park festival at Fred Fuller Park in Kent.

The Kent Parks and Recreation Department runs the festival, which usually attracts about 1,800 visitors.

Amy Craft, Art in the Park coordinator, said all the artists had their shows judged and were selected to participate in the festival by jurors Anderson Turner, director of galleries for Kent State’s School of Art, and Deborah Pinter, director of the Orange Art Center in Pepper Pike.

Pinter, a first-time juror for the event, said she and Turner judged the artwork on craftsmanship, composition and quality.

Turner said expectations for the entries were high.

“Several entries were turned away. People need to get turned down to ensure quality. It raises the bar for what is expected of these artists,” Turner said.

The weekend’s activities aren’t limited to art booths. There will be a wide variety of music performers, food vendors and demonstrations, Craft said.

The sixth annual Sylvia Coogan Scholarship Auction will also be held during Art in the Park. It was established to honor the late Sylvia Coogan, who was Art in the Park Coordinator for several years.

Proceeds from this silent auction are donated to projects that promote continuing arts education. Items for the auctions are donated by Art in the Park artists and pieces from Sylvia Coogan’s personal collection.

Two featured artists at the festival will be Bob Schultz, a graduate student at Kent State’s School of Art, and Todd Abell, a Kent State alumnus.

Schultz will demonstrate wheel throwing, a process used to turn lumps of clay into functional pottery. Abell will demonstrate the complicated craft of glass blowing.

Schultz said depending on how much clay he had to work with, he’d probably make some small traditional pottery, like jugs, for his demonstrations.

“I’ll try to keep it quick. That way people watching will be able to see the process from start to finish,” Schultz said.

Free hands-on art for children of all ages is also available at the festival. This year’s children’s theme is “Arty Party.” In celebration of Kent’s 200th birthday, children will have an opportunity to create crafts like tie-dyed birthday hats and historical postcards.

“It is a wonderful show that spotlights artists from Northeast Ohio and elsewhere,” said Barbara Silverberg, a participating artist. “It has great entertainment and seems to just keep getting better.”

Contact College of the Arts reporter Emily Cope at [email protected].

13TH ANNUAL ART IN THE PARK FINE ARTS FESTIVAL Fred Fuller Park, Kent Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, 12-6 p.m. Performers: Saturday Northern Portage Band (bluegrass) Stingers (pop/Latin jazz) Brad Bolton & Peggy Coyle (jazz with guitar, vocals) Guy Pernetti (acoustic guitar) Ian Heisey (dulcimer, guitar) Kent Brass Quintet Sunday Thunderwalker Productions (Native American flute) Theodore Roosevelt High School Choir Kent Bicentennial Choir Flash in the Pan (Kent State steel drum band) Guinevere Rhoads (Folk, soft rock) Hillbilly Idol (bluegrass)