Kid Art at the McLean Project of the Arts Fair

On our morning walk we usually drive over to the Library parking lot and then walk through McLean Central Park. Crossing Dolley Madison Parkway is not easy on foot. On Thursday it was obvious that the McLean Project of the Arts fair was getting set up for today. Then yesterday we walked through the area and all of the tents were up with the names of the artists. So we knew we would be walking over to the park rather than driving because the lots would be full. And we were right. There was a lot of last minute setting up going on so we decided to do the usual bit and then come back and return through the art fair. There were a lot of people milling about on our way over, aside from the usual faces we see on the walking paths. What interested me the most was the kid Art. It was the first thing we saw on our way in. The setting was totally suited for the affair. All of the art work was displayed against the foresty backdrop with the sun popping through. It was a simply beautiful day for this. I still have a booklet of crayon drawings that I made when I was in kindergarten and saw the familiar lines and colors in so many of these paintings. You can see the progression in the works with age. It was a very colorful and enjoyable experience to walk through all of the creativity. What a great way to display it all.  

McLean Project for the Arts Art Fest

We’ve been to the torpedo factory, and the art festival on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. When we lived on Capitol Hill eastern market was filled with art and other vendors selling their wares every weekend. But today was the first time we went to an art festival in our new neighborhood in northern Virginia. Obviously last year all of this was canceled due to the pandemic. It was a different story this year and a beautiful day for it. We first took our usual morning walk around the block, and then ventured over to the Central Park where the tents were set up for the show. It was already starting to get busy at ten in the morning. There was a section for children’s art, and a jazzy band ensemble at the bandstand primarily made up of high school students. We meandered our way through the area observing mostly the people who were selling, but also the passers by. We never buy anything at these affairs - it’s just not something we do. We never buy souvenirs when we travel either. Someone asked me why I wouldn’t want to sell my art at these types of events. I prefer the digital format, and hard copies are just not something I’m interested in. The internet is my platform and the merchandise is available to a world wide audience. Regardless, it was a nicely set up festival and extremely charming all the way around. Most importantly, there was a sense of normalcy - almost.