A Masterpiece of a Weekend!
Mark your calendar: Marietta Art in the Park takes over the historic Marietta Square September 5-7, bringing 220 juried artists, live demos, and a whole lot of Labor Day energy to Glover Park. It's metro Atlanta's default holiday weekend plan, and this year it's turning 40.
Forty Years, Still Drawing a Crowd
The festival got its start on the Square back in 1986, and four decades later, it's still going strong as Cobb County’s only juried fine art show. This year's lineup brings together 220 artists from around the country, with paintings, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, and more filling the Square. The festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and admission is free, so there's no barrier to wandering through for an hour or settling in for the whole afternoon.
That longevity isn't an accident. The festival has been ranked among the top fine art and design shows in the country and has picked up recognition from the Southeast Tourism Society for over a decade running. Consistency, not spectacle, is what's kept collectors, browsers, and families coming back year after year. Many artists return annually too, which means regulars often get to watch a favorite's work evolve from one Labor Day to the next.
A Festival for Every Kind of Art Lover
Art in the Park isn't just for people who already know their way around a gallery. Kids can dig into the free Children's Art Alley, and on Saturday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Chalk Spot turns a closed-off street into a giant canvas. For $10, anyone can claim a 3-foot square and fill it with chalk art that stays on display for the rest of the weekend, with proceeds benefiting the Marietta High School Visual Arts Program.
The festival's location doesn't hurt either. The City of Marietta Square is already home to a cluster of restaurants, museums, and standing art galleries, so a morning spent browsing artist booths can easily turn into an afternoon of lunch on a patio and a stop inside the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. Between the market, the museums, and the Square's everyday charm, there's enough to fill a full day without ever getting back in the car.
Forty years in, Marietta Art in the Park has proven it doesn't need fireworks or a headline act to pull a crowd. Original art, a walkable Square, and a free-to-attend, all-ages setup are apparently all it takes. Pencil in Saturday morning, September 5, and go see for yourself why this one's still standing after four decades.
Looking for more places to take in local art? Visit https://gbj.com/art-galleries.
