By Emily L. Domayer– 
A cougar with impressive fangs. Funnel cakes. A 30-foot inflatable slide in the shape of an ocean wave. All of these things were at Artsplash, an art festival held at Grandview Park this past weekend. There were more than 90 artists exhibiting at the festival, and this was the 19th year Artsplash was held.
Animals were a common theme among many of the artists. The cougar was sculpted by Roger Wermers of Estelline, South Dakota. The polished, life-sized head was coral and white marble. Wermers’ sculpture was displayed towards the front of his booth, getting people’s attention quickly. The cougar’s expression was very fierce.
Another artist was a potter from Florida. He incorporated many ocean animals into his work. A baking dish in the shape of a turtle was most noticeable. The details and texture of the shell and flippers were impressively realistic. The flippers were deep blue and the shell was creamy yellow. There were dolphin spoon rests and fish-shaped cooking dishes.
Emily Dyer, a ceramics artist from Minneapolis (www.emilybyer.com), spoke about how she finds her inspiration for her pottery. “A lot of the inspiration for my pieces comes from quilts my family members have made.” Emily said she wants her pottery to be functional as well as pretty. “I hope people find my art to be fresh and contemporary, something that is beautiful and useful everyday.”
There were a wide variety of different artistic mediums at Artsplash. There was a bright, colorful glass cat wind chime, a series of dog-themed paintings, and gears taken from old machines the artist found at junkyards.
The food was typical to what one might find at a state fair. Funnel cakes, corn dogs, ribeye sandwiches and ice cream were among the selections. Navarette’s, a local Mexican restaurant, also had taco in a bag.
The Magnificent Board of Directors and Tonic Sol-fa were among the musical lineup. It was announced from the stage that the musicians agreed to play free so the organizers of Artsplash could offer free admission.
Several non-profit organizations sponsored booths for children to make their own art. At one booth, the child received a pair of giant, orange plastic eyeglass frames. Children could decorate the frames however they wanted. Other events for children were face painting, mini golf, and balloon animals. There were also bounce houses-a Sesame Street bounce house for young children, and a T-Rex play area for older children.
The usual location for Artsplash is Chris Larson Park on the Riverfront. Since the park flooded in early June, and the organizers of the event knew it would be under water for at least two months, they moved the venue to Grandview Park. People in Sioux City are used to going to Grandview for public events, such as Saturday in the Park. For the most part, the artists didn’t seem to be bothered by the change. However, one artist voiced his concern because his booth was in front of the speakers.
There were more than 90 artists exhibiting at the festival, and this was the 19th year Artsplash was held.
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