Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette he Art in the Park art show in Copper Harbor saw nearly 60 vendors gathered in Donny Kilpela Memorial Park over the weekend. Visitors could browse multiple mediums of artwork while enjoying live music and the close proximity of Lake Superior.

COPPER HARBOR — A few rain showers did not stop visitors from attending the first day of the 38th Annual Art in the Park Saturday at Donny Kilpela Memorial Park in Copper Harbor. Nearly 60 booths of artists and nonprofit organizations were selling their creations or promoting their groups at one of the largest fundraisers of the Copper Harbor Improvement Association (CHIA). While people browsed the selections, they were treated to live music over the weekend The 2XL Band and the Art in the Park Reunion Band.

Artists offered a wide variety of medium such as wood carvings, photography, paintings, ceramics, metalsmithing, jewelry and more. While local artists and attendees alike were present, many came from across the country as witnessed by multiple state license plates lining the streets near the park.

Event Coordinator Johanna Davis said the unique placement of the event draws many people to check out the art show. “It’s really neat because it’s nestled right here in the center of the Harbor, kind of in the heart of the Harbor, and the people and the artists that come here, they like to stay a few extra days so that they can explore the area and the things the area has to offer, like the hiking and the biking,” Davis said.

Davis said his year saw an increase in nonprofit organizations. Some of the groups present included the Keweenaw Historical Society and the Keweenaw Community Foundation. This is the 23rd year Davis has coordinated the show, and she explained she returns to running the show each year due to it combining two things she enjoys — art and promoting the area.

Davis said. her mother is an artist and she grew up immersed in that world. “I have a great appreciation for artists, and I enjoy working with them. The one thing I love is promoting Copper Harbor and I love sharing Copper Harbor with as many people as I can because it’s a jewel up here. It’s a very special place for people and there’s something that people experience when they come here, I think that stays in their soul and that brings them back.

Two artists, Joan and Dick Bonner, return each year all the way from Louisiana. They have participated in the art show for more than 30 years and spend their summers in the area. Joan oil paints flowers and birds on driftwood collected from the Great Lakes, and Dick creates wood carvings of such things as birds and fish from tupelo trees.

Joan said they come up each year because they love the Keweenaw and the nature accompanying it. “People up here like nature a lot too,” Joan said. “The whole place is just wonderful and the people are too,” she said.

Other artists were from the area such as Benjamin Emkin, from Centennial Heighs who runs Northern Slagg. He sold copper wire jewelry and lapidary art. Emkin has made vending at the Copper Harbor event an annual thing for Northern Slagg, and said the quality connections made with the customers make the show one of his favorites.

“They’re not just here to look at beautiful things, but to really absorb and experience the art in a way that I just don’t see them doing it at other art fairs,” Emkin said.

Emkin also said people are interested in art that connects to the area, and copper is an item that is often sought. He also believes the mineral represents something more, explaining the exposure it has to touch and the elements will change its appearance, particularly its colors. “And you can really embrace that and let it do that natural process, or you can always return it to its shine by using some type of polishing cloth or even a light acid bath that will bring it back to its beautiful, beautiful shine. And so I think of that kind of as an analogy, both to myself and to our community. We’re natural, and as time passes we can change, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ways, but with a little bit of work and focus, we can always bring ourselves back to our original shine.”

Stoneworker Sean MacManus of MacManus Stoneworks in Dulth, MN was at the show. He said he’s always had an affinity towards Copper Harbor and tried to get into the show for seven years. He finally got in last year and was eager to return. “This is a magical place as far as I’m concerned,” MacManus said. “If I sold nothing, this would still be the most valuable event I have on my whole schedule.”

MacManus brought a plethora of bas relief carvings of fish and birds as well as maps of the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale. He said he has an affinity towards small creatures since their health reflects the the overall health of the environment. “When they start disappearing, we got to start worrying. So I’m just chronicling the world as I have been coming across it,” MacManus said.

One artist, Christy Beulah Budnick, dedicated some of her proceeds toward environmental causes. Beulah’s business is part of 1% For the Planet, which has her dedicate one percent of her proceeds back to environmental organizations. She creates jewelry with cutouts of realistic silhouettes of natural imagery such as birds, plants and the moon. Beulah said she loves to come to Copper Harbor to get away from the busy nature of Marquette.

When attendees were not browsing the artwork, they enjoyed food made by the Copper Harbor Fire Department. The fire department attends the show every year as part of its own fundraiser for the volunteer department. The money raised by CHIA will go into advertising Copper Harbor, funds the Copper Harbor Welcome Center and helps the community’s website.