For one weekend a year, Depot Park in Kalispell is transformed into an art-lover’s paradise, with nearly every inch of available space in the park filled with paintings, pottery, sculptures, etchings, glasswork, and more from regional artisans.
Pop-up tents and tall, old trees provide shade for the participants, and live music rides the summer breezes. Nearby, vendors provide a wide range of food choices, and patrons in the beer and wine gardens enjoy an easy afternoon.
These scenes are what make the Hockaday Museum of Art’s annual festival, Arts in the Park, an important piece of the summer and the cultural fabric of the Flathead Valley. This year, the festival takes place on July 15 through 17.
For nearly 50 years, the Hockaday’s staff has organized this massive celebration, not only as a way to make art more accessible to the valley’s residents and visitors, but also to keep the museum up and running.
“It is our biggest fundraiser for the museum,” said Sharon Staso, the manager of museum operations at the Hockaday. “It helps support operations, education, exhibits, and events.”
In short, proceeds from the 48th annual Arts in the Park festival will help keep the Hockaday’s lights on while also allowing the museum to continue pursuing its mission of education and cultural enrichment.
But money is just one aspect of the festival. Another major draw is the fact that all of the artists, craftspeople, and artisans in the festival were selected through a juried process. Staff at the Hockaday judges each artist who applies to be part of the festival, and of all those entries, around 100 are selected to sell their wares.
Patrons of the arts have a wide, varied selection from not only local artists, but also those from around the region, Staso said. The thrill of so much art in one place is only rivaled by that felt in the artists who are selected for the show, she said.
“They get juried in every year, and we have lots of applicants from all over the country,” Staso said. “They go through the jury process and we try to pick really, really good ones. The people I talk to say it’s one of their favorite festivals.”
More than 8,000 people wandered through the stalls last summer over the three-day event, and the Hockaday hopes to improve on that number, aiming for 10,000 people.
Daily admittance to Arts in the Park is $3, and the recipient gets a button allowing them access. A weekend pass costs $5, and the recipient also has unlimited access to the Hockaday Museum throughout the weekend. Children ages 6 and under get in free.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 17.
Staso said the food selection this year will include 10 to 15 vendors, such as Amazing Crepes, Glacier Shave Ice, Indah Sushi, and Porteus BBQ, and participants over the age of 21 can treat themselves to a cold, local beer or glass of wine.
Children are absolutely welcome, Staso said, and there is a whole area set up especially for them, with face-painting, a climbing wall, and a bungee-jumper to help keep the little ones occupied.
And to top it off, there is live music every day played in the gazebo, providing a sonic art to complement the visual.
It’s idyllic summer fun, and Staso said she believes the museum will achieve its goal of attracting more than the average 8,000 people.
“That’s what we usually get,” Staso said. “It’s a big thing.”