OTTUMWA —
While rain and wind dampened Walk on Art Street for the second year in a row, artists, patrons, musicians and dancers still came out in full force in downtown Ottumwa on Saturday.
Nearly 50 artists displayed their goods, ranging from paintings to jewelry to woodworking.
Ashley Dye, of Cedar Rapids, sold prints of original paintings she has done, as well as jewelry and paintings on glass.
“I got tired of spending money on these things, so I decided I could make them myself,” Dye said.
Her creativity came in handy for her wedding, as the necklaces she wanted her bridesmaids to wear were going to cost $500 each. Instead, she made them herself for a lot cheaper.
Art fairs are important for exposure, Dye said, both for the artists and the patrons.
“People have been gushing about those,” Dye said of Julie McCullough’s fairy dolls across the street from her exhibit. “It’s something you wouldn’t see otherwise.”
McCullough, of Urbandale, participated in Renaissance festivals for 30 years, and has continued her doll making and fiber art, now crafting dragons and fairies out of cloth.
This was McCullough’s first year at Walk on Art Street. She said people were drawn to her art because “it’s not what you typically see at art shows.”
The Ottumwa Community Children’s Playhouse, Chef Gordon Rader, belly dancers and more also gathered on the Central Park stage to perform for the crowd.
About one-third of the Willy Wonka Jr. cast filled the stage to showcase a few of the tunes they’ll be singing at this weekend’s performance.
Raymond Manning, of Ottumwa, taught himself how to make his plastic canvas creations during retirement, which he displayed alongside his woodworking and his son Chris’s wood refinishing.
“I can do any type of carpentry you can think of,” Chris said.
Chris is currently in the midst of creating a prototype for the Iowa Speedway. He has also refinished a piano from 1895, which had been covered in nine layers of paint.
“It’s cash in the pocket of small town people who need it,” Dye said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Ashley Dye, of Cedar Rapids, was one of the 50 artists who braved rain and wind at Saturday’s Walk on Art Street. Chelsea Davis/The Courier
Artists, patrons brave weather for Walk on Art Street
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