There promises to be a buzz in the air Saturday when the whimsical ArtWalk and Art Fair returns to Izaak Walton Park in Prospect Heights. That’s because the theme of the show is, What’s the Buzz? Or to put it simply, each creation will be about bugs.
“It is truly is a community, grassroots art project, and gives a lovely feeling to this once forgotten park,” says mural artist Kate Tully of Prospect Heights.
The pop-up ArtWalk and Art Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
Back in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Tully partnered with fellow Prospect Heights artist Mara Lovisetto, a retired Northbrook elementary school art teacher, to create The Sunflower Project.
“We started installing sunflower art around the slough in Prospect Heights, from items we had around the house,” Tully says. “It took on a life of its own when people started joining in and walking to see what was new each day.”
The wood block puzzle of insects intrigues art fans of all ages.
Pretty soon they drew more artists to join them and display their art. Together, they held the first ArtWalk in 2021, with entries all featuring different interpretations of scarecrows.
The backdrop of Izaak Walton Park, located at 201 Elmhurst Road, and its natural setting.is part of the attraction to the show. It has a short boardwalk that overlooks the slough, a small pavilion and is home to many types of birds and small wildlife.
“The art is created by mostly local artists and others who are supportive of our project,” Tully says. “The Prospect Heights Park District generously lets us display art, which has been created by mostly recycled, natural and found objects.
“Installations begin showing up in the spring and stay outdoors until about October,” she adds. “Artists keep adding pieces all summer and even into the fall at the park setting, which compliments our work.”
A preying mantis created out of welded bicycle parts awaits.
Expect to see creations in all types of media, including mosaic glass, painting, drawing, photography, wood, metal, or another medium of the artist’s choice.
The ArtWalk is interactive, as demonstrated by Rocky the Caterpillar, which keeps growing as people add their own painted rocks to make him longer. Another artist, Jamie Fee, has created a wood block puzzle game of insects.
Prospect Heights artist and fabricator Louis Chatroop returns to the ArtWalk with his interpretation of a preying mantis, made from bicycle parts he welded together.
The Queen Bee mural delights, by artist Kate Tully.
Tully has worked as a muralists for the last 25 years, painting a number of creations at municipal buildings and pools throughout the Northwest suburbs, and most famously on her own garage door. Look for her to feature a mural she calls, The Queen Bee.
Lovisetto returns with a large piece that reflects on of her favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh. She cleverly calls it Van Gogh’s Moonlit Moths.
“We just love the idea of public art,” Tully says simply, “and especially in this natural setting.”
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