The Franklin Parks Department will host its annual Kids Art Festival of Tennessee at Pinkerton Park Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and many young creatives are eager to share their multimedia works with the world.
The event will feature a variety of hands-on workshops, crafts and vendors, such as T-shirt painting stations, professional face painters, balloon artists, a musical petting zoo and more.
“[We have] all sorts of art,” said Janey Mason, recreation supervisor for the Franklin Parks Department. “Performance art is featured on a stage. There’s also a juried art exhibit that the kids have submitted their artwork to, so it will be judged, and prizes will be awarded for the pieces that stand out there.”
Performance art featured Saturday will include singing, drama, instrumental performances and poetry. Young artists will be able to sell their work to event attendees as well.
The festival, an annual occurrence since 2015, did not take place the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m most excited that we’re just able to bring these events back this year,” Mason said. “It’s been a long two years of not being able to have the opportunity to offer all of these larger events to the community [like the art festival]. So, I’m just really excited to get out there and see all the community participation. … We did a few smaller events last year. We had to make sure we were doing things safely for the public but still making them feel normal, and so that we’ve gotten to this point, I’m just so glad to be able to put this festival on in its normal way.”
Sponsors of the festival include Big Blue Marble Academy, Dreams Do Come True Princess Parties, Williamson County Parks and Recreation, Williamson County Cultural Arts Commission, Twine, Shuff’s Music and Donna Brevard, who is an affiliate broker for Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty.
Mason is enthusiastic for kids to experience what the festival has to offer.
“As a child, you can walk into the festival, and you come out with several different projects and experiences,” she said. “There’s just so many opportunities just to get in there and get your hands messy and really enjoy the day.”
