Boulder City’s Art in the Park starts Saturday

The list of events that have, at one time or another, been created to raise money for Southern Nevada nonprofit organizations is long.

Know what’s an even longer list? The roster of events created to raise money for local nonprofits that, for one reason or another, didn’t quite go the distance.

So count the Boulder City Hospital Foundation’s Art in the Park as one of Southern Nevada’s most successful fundraising marathoners. This weekend, the combination art fair, craft event and general great excuse to spend a pleasant afternoon in the even more pleasant environs of Boulder City will kick off its 52nd annual edition.

Art in the Park will sprawl across Wilbur, Bicentennial and Escalante parks, along with Colorado and Arizona streets, in Boulder City. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and admission is free. For more information and directions, visit www.artinthepark.org or call 702-293-0214.

The juried show — it’s considered to be one of the largest juried shows in the Southwest — will feature more than 300 fine art, fine craft and traditional craft artists selling original work. Also available will be nearly two dozen food and beverage booths along with live demonstrations, music performances, activities for children and raffles.

Art in the Park is the Boulder City Hospital Foundation’s primary annual fundraiser, and organizers say the event draws more than 100,000 visitors each year.

What’s the secret of Art in the Park’s enviable longevity? For one thing, says Thomas E. Maher, the hospital’s CEO and administrator, it’s got a rich history behind it.

That history dates back to the hospital’s origins as a health care facility created during the Hoover Dam construction years, continues through several years of federal control of the hospital, to, finally, members of the community raising $15,000 in 1954 to make it a nonprofit community hospital.

Maher has headed the hospital for about eight years. Although it might not be an official line on his job description, he pitches in at Art in the Park, too — usually, he says, by selling beer or wine in one of the booths.

“Either that,” he adds, “or I’m the bloody mary maker.”

Proceeds from Art in the Park benefit the hospital directly, Maher says, which is particularly important, because the hospital is an independent nonprofit and, unlike many small and rural hospitals, is not part of a corporation.

“We’re constantly struggling to make ends meet because we are a small market, but we’re also on the boundary of a very competitive market,” he adds, and “every dollar we make goes to benefit patient care.”

Another reason for Art in the Park’s long-lived success is the range of artists the show is able to attract. Maher notes that the event has both fine arts and fine crafts, with price points palatable to just about everybody.

Las Vegas artist Amy Baxter will be showing at Art in the Park for the first time this weekend. She has been creating wearable art — dresses, tutus, hair bows and accessories — for girls for about four years, and has exhibited at several events around town. But Baxter says she long has looked forward to displaying her work at Art in the Park.

“It’s always such a big show,” she says.

And given the array of work it features, Baxter admits that she’s even a bit nervous.

“I was going to do it last year, but I chickened out,” she says. “This year, I was, like, ‘OK, I’ve got enough.’ ”

“This is actually going to be huge,” Baxter says. “I’m very excited, definitely.”

Michelle Barnhart, in contrast, will be showing at Art in the Park for the sixth time this weekend. She creates pressed flower art and says she does about 20 shows a year, both locally and in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Art in the Park is a very high-quality art show, Barnhart says, noting that most of the other shows in which she shows her art have “a lot of buy-and-sell,” in which sellers purchase pieces from others for resale.

Art in the Park, in contrast, features only original art.

“We (artists) like that,” Barnhart says, “because it’s a quality show and it attracts quality buyers.”

Meanwhile, Maher urges guests to take advantage of the parking service that will be offered at this weekend’s Art in the Park, by following signs to a designated parking area and then taking a free shuttle to and from the venue. Not only will it help to reduce congestion downtown, he notes, but the $10-per-car fee charged for parking benefits the hospital, too.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.