Art Leap 2012 invites touring Sept. 22-23

The Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council (PRLAAC) will sponsor Art Leap 2012 Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22 and 23. Art Leap is an “open studio event” featuring artists’ studios and culturally rich destinations in the Park Rapids area. For the 7th year, art lovers can use our map to find their way to area artists’ and artisans’ studios, workshops and other featured locations.

There will be familiar studio names to visit, as well as several new sites where visitors will have opportunities to meet mature artists/artisans who have been practicing their individual skills and talents in their chosen fields for decades. New studios will be Jeff Renner’s Wolf Paw Gallery, Elisa Borton’s Glass by Elisa and the home of Earl and Jeanette Wohlman. For the first time, Art Leap 2012 will extend to Walker to visit The ClayHouse and see Alan Fritz’s pottery and other works in the Artists’ Mall.

In addition to artists’ studios, stop by the Nemeth Art Center and watch Alice Blessing demonstrate her unique finger painting technique for creating realistic portraits. Also, see new work by Kayleen Horsma and meet the artist. This year, the White Birch Artists are displaying their work in the spacious lobby of Coldwell Banker Clack & Dennis Real Estate at the corner of South Main Avenue and state Highway 34.

Live musical performances will add to the experience on Saturday. Alex Ziemann will play from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moose Creek Village in Downtown Park Rapids and Lori Goulet Reich will perform from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Paul Albright’s Sculpture Studio in rural Akeley. Both days Terrapin Station in Nevis will host the Art Leap Music Experience with a range of musicians, including Seth Doud, Make the Most, Kathyrn Anne Lavelle & Aaron Tank and Vibes for the Tribes.

All Art Leap studios and events are free and open to the public. Most studios and locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Park Rapids Community Education is offering a handicapped accessible bus tour to Art Leap destinations Saturday afternoon. (A fee will be charged to cover bus expense.) Call 218-237-6600.

Maps are available at Blank Canvas Gallery in Park Rapids and the Park Rapids Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce or may be downloaded at http://www.prlaac.org or http://www.parkrapids.com.

Art Leap is sponsored by the Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council. Funding for Art Leap is provided, in part, by Minnesota Power Foundation, Itasca-Mantrap’s Operation Round Up and a Region 2 Arts Council grant through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund passed by Minnesota voters on November 4, 2008.