The 15th annual Art in the Wilds show took place Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27.

Beautiful weather greeted artists, volunteers, and visitors at the fifteenth annual Art in the Wilds show on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27. Attendance was especially strong on Saturday as show-goers were anxious to get out and enjoy the show.

Artist evaluations again rated the show remarkably high and nearly all the participating artists reapply every year. Artists love the Evergreen Park setting, the people of Kane (especially the volunteers), and the little extras provided by the show such as a catered artist reception held on Friday night, free breakfasts at the Elks, and water delivered by volunteers. Volunteers also stay for brief periods in the artists’ booths so they can take a break. Since Art in the Wilds is a smaller show run with the help of an army of volunteers it can provide more personal attention than the larger commercial shows.

All artists apply online and must be juried into the show each year.

Artist awards were presented Saturday morning. Jurors visited each booth and reviewed each artist’s work and booth presentation. Congratulations to Best of Show winners, painter Kim Keller and jeweler Peggy Houser. Kalpana Lehman and Larry Downey received Awards of Excellence. Houser is a happy resident of Kane and a member of Kane’s artist cooperative “ArtWorks on the Summit.”

Some of the artists demonstrated their techniques at their booths. Visitors especially enjoy watching Stacie Johnson-Leske throwing pottery on her wheel and Gregg Kristophel carving wood into his original treenware designs.

The COVID pandemic derailed the 2020 Art in the Wilds show and it had to be done online with a virtual show. All the artists who were juried into the 2020 show were invited to return to the 2021 in-person show. The pandemic has taken a toll on some of the artists, so a few were unable to participate in the show for health or economic reasons.

The Art in the Wilds is especially grateful for the businesses and individuals in the Kane area that sponsor the event with their dollars and for the many, many volunteers who ready the park, put up signs and banners, spread hay, help artists with their set-up and take-down of tents, deliver water and show programs and leave the park in the beautiful condition in which it was found. The Art in the Wilds committee works throughout the year to plan and prepare.

Post-show evaluations begin immediately after the show to help plan for the next year’s event.

Art in the Wilds is funded by grants from the Kane Community Development Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. We are proud to offer free admission and parking so that all people can attend the show.

Major contributions also come from Highlander Energy Products, Zook Motors, Inc., the Cleland Endowment, Northwest Charitable Foundation, and Ed and Julie Malmstrom.

Art in the Wilds partners with the Kane Chamber of Commerce, PA Route 6 Artisan Trail, the Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau, and the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania.

For more information visit www.artinthewilds.org and follow on Facebook and the blog.