Attendees stroll through the Sunken Garden dome to peek at art inside on Saturday, Sept. 11.

The theme was ‘Ruby Slippers’. Shoppers carried hand fans featuring a printed witch portrait and ruby slipper that were handed out at the entrance of the event.

The gardens hosted about 25 different booths, each containing one or more artists’ creations. Each artist in attendance is a part of the Noyes Art Gallery, which also features all of their art.

The event lasted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. There was a consistent swarm of people wandering around the booths, despite the high temperatures.

“Last year, despite the pandemic, was our biggest year yet and this year seems to be going very similar to last year,” said Karissa Bettendorf, an artist of the Noyes gallery.

Bettendorf’s booth features hand illustrated children’s books, cards, calendars and hand-turned wine stoppers. Her art included various original prints and framed pieces of more adult focused art.
Bettendorf has been a part of Art in the Garden for eight of the nine years the event has taken place.

Cody Grape and Jessica Misner of Lincoln use a process called copper electroforming to create their mystic landscapes and jewelry. Copper Electroforming is a process that utilizes electricity to fuse copper to another medium. The process takes three days to a week and once the item is finished electroforming, wire and other materials are added to the copper item to create a sort of sculpture.

Grape and Misner’s booth featured various electroformed items including insect wings, cicadas and other organic items. Along with the electroformed pieces, Misner’s paintings were also displayed. This was their first year attending the Art in the Garden event.
“Everyone is an artist, you just have to find your thing and use your imagination,” Misner said.