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Fun and games for summer art fest in La Grange
Updated: April 22, 2013 2:46AM
LA GRANGE — Game boards for tossing bags are featured in the eighth annual outdoor art display sponsored by the La Grange Business Association.
The association seeks businesses and community groups to sponsor sets of the game boards, which will be decorated by artists and auctioned to benefit charities in the fall.
Unlike some years, the theme of the summer-long art fair was selected before the object to channel artists’ creative energies, said Charlene Vickery, program chairwoman.
“We wanted to tie in to the Pet Parade and have the whole art project geared around family fun in La Grange,” Vickery said.
“The bag toss boards present a nice expanse for artists to paint, and we’re hoping these are something everybody wants to have in their back yard,” she said.
Executive Director Nancy Cummings said the summer art project is a great vehicle to attract new businesses and community groups as sponsors. The fee to members is $275 to sponsor a set of game boards and $375 to nonmembers, but $100 is applied toward membership dues.
“We’re shooting for 50 sponsors, but we can add more,” Cummings said. “The registration deadline is March 14.”
In addition to enlisting corporate and individual sponsors, Cummings is compiling a list of area artists who’d like to be hired for projects. Information is available at www.lgba.com, nancy@lgba.com or (708) 522-6467.
Cummings said the association again is sponsoring a hunt for clues incorporated in the designs of the artworks, which will be bolted to sidewalks in the central and west business districts.
A scavenger hunt for clues woven into the designs of grandfather clocks last year proved popular, drawing kids and adults to walk around the expansive exhibit, she said.
“We’ll have a walking map indicating the name of the artist, and artists will be asked to hide an item or icon in the art itself, so people will have to go around and look for it,” Cummings said.
Vickery said each pair of boards will come with a set of bags when the pieces are auctioned for charity in September. Although the boards won’t be set up for play during the exhibit, several bags tournaments likely will be held throughout the summer, she said.
After orders are taken from sponsors in March, the boards will be made of marine wood to ensure durability for outdoor use and available to artists in April. The artworks are expected to debut just days before the Pet Parade on June 1.
