BLOOMINGTON — Art is all about imagination. Barb Wells said children can use their imagination when working on an art projects, and they don’t have to follow all the steps exactly to order. And kids were indeed letting their imagination run wild during Inside Out: Accessible Art’s annual art fair Sunday at the Miller Park Pavilion in Bloomington.
“We are simply amazed,” said Ujjal Bhowmik of Champaign of the fair as he watched his son Adipto Bhowmik, 6, make a red-colored paper doll. The boy's sister Anuprova Bhowmik looked on. Ujjal Bhowmik said they drove on Sunday from Champaign to visit Miller Park Zoo and were surprised to find the free art fair nearby.
By only an hour into the three-hour fair, at least 200 attendees had arrived for crafts and family-friendly fun, including face painting. Other partnering organizations included the venue’s host, the City of Bloomington’s department of parks and recreation; Illinois Art Station; Threshold to Hope; Brightpoint; the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal; the Bloomington-Normal Garden Club and Illinois State University’s Horticulture Center. Wells, a supporting member of Inside out: Accessible Art Cooperative, said people of all ages were welcome to complete some the art projects, which were each timed to take just a short visit to finish.
The event was free to attend, but donations to the IOAA, a nonprofit artist’s cooperative, were welcomed. The other organizations apart from IOAA were invited as long a.