Art in the Park: The Very Best Things Don’t Change
One of the best things about Art in the Park at Ashuelot River Park in Keene each Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend is how much doesn’t change. The beautiful riverside setting, the green lawn, the white tents, the artists, the gathering of the community as the season starts to change from summer to September. The excitement in the air each morning as artists set up and hope for positive reactions to their year-long effort to prepare—positive reactions including sales! Watching people leave with their purchases as the day progresses is as gratifying as ever. So much is precisely the same each year.
The changes and improvements don’t hurt the vibe of the day but they do help the lean volunteer team keep mounting the event. A streamlined online registration system. An accurate map and artists’ listing. Much-appreciated sponsors to help underwrite costs. These are examples of improvements made in the past three years. The cost to artists has not changed however. The 10×10 tent space is unchanged.
But the art! Most artists bring new pieces to showcase their year’s work. The reveal is spectacular. There are new artists each year and there are returning artists who have exhibited for decades—many in the very same spot. Jeanne Maguire Thieme from Swanzey is an example of this. Her watercolors greet visitors entering the park from the Mascoma Bank parking lot side and have for many years. The sunny smile of colored pencil artist Tina Gagnon from Salem, NH, is one of the first things people notice if they enter the park from the footbridge over the Ashuelot River. The West Street entrance is flanked by two longtime exhibitors: another colored pencil artist, Liz Winchester Larson of Marlboro and photographer Jeffrey Newcomer formerly of Spofford, now living in Keene. Link to map of artists’ locations
Art ranges from traditional to unconventional—lots of examples could be mentioned. But an annual trip to Kyle Stuckey’s booth is like visiting a museum in Europe. His classic style is impeccable. Watercolorist Bill Whyte’s whimsical creations delight the eye, while several sculptors also tend toward the whimsical. Some of the photo-digital art presents the urgency of contemporary life and provokes thought. There really is something for everyone to appreciate.
Another broad range represented at Art in the Park 2026 is the age range of artists from the most seasoned nearly-90-year-olds to Montessori three-year-olds. Keene Montessori School is also hosting a food tent offering the cheeseburgers and other fare previously supplied by high school kids but missing for four years. Artists and visitors alike will benefit from fresh-cooked food at the event. Frisky Cow is returning with their refreshing Gelato.
Art, Community, Gelato and Cheeseburgers. A short but accurate summary of Art in the Park 2026. 10-4 SAT and SUN of Labor Day weekend at Ashuelot River Park, Keene.
Photo above: The volunteer team behind the scenes at one of their meetings always held at Panera. Below, Entering Art in the Park from the footbridge, photo by Herb Frink
