BY COOPER HALL

The Statesville Recreation and Parks Department and the Iredell Art Council hosted Art in the Park at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Saturday. The annual event highlights local artists and provides a day of music, art, food, and fun for the community.

Children and adults posed for photos with various sculptures throughout the park, enjoyed live music, and talked with local artists. At this interactive event, attendees also had a chance to create their own artwork.

There were wooden birdhouses to paint, and children looked on as a balloon artist made an assortment of animals to give out.

Michelle Peters, Lydia Scafidi, and Wanda Clark were among the standout artists displaying their work.

Peters, a kindergarten teacher, makes pottery as a form of relaxation and enjoyment. Additionally, she loves the community created around pottery. Her love for pottery is evident in her creations of practical everyday items like plates, bowls, and herb strippers, as well as more creative, decorative items like ornaments and sand dollars.

Scafidi, originally from Italy, is a self-taught artist who focuses mainly on painting and sculpting. She paints, as her daughter explains, “traditional artwork,” and enjoys displaying the scenery around her in her artwork. Scafidi wants people to recognize what they are looking at when they see her art, which is why she tends to avoid abstract art.

Clark, a North Carolina native, said she draws inspiration from her family in her artwork. The most common theme in her art is “home,” which can be seen in her paintings depicting children riding bikes as well as farmhouses, front yards, churches, and families.

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