Returning Art on the Green event moves to Joann Fabrics lawn

by Charles Cassady

Remember the highlights of the incredible year of 1982? James Michener’s “Space” was a bestseller. “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John charted as a Billboard Top Single. “First Blood” and “The Thing” screened in cinemas. And, in Hudson, the inaugural Art on the Green art show/sale took place, under the auspices of the Hudson Society of Artists.

Things change radically in 40 years. In the last few, in fact, COVID lockdown/quarantine meant total cancellation of Art on the Green, which had found a regular location on the public common at the corner of state Routes 91 and 303.

Now, in time for the milestone 40th annual Art on the Green, the event returns. Art on the Green will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Sunday, Aug. 28, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cathy Welner, of the Hudson Society of Artists, organized the first Art on the Green back in 1982. “And I still do,” she said.

Initial ones took place at the gazebo in the center of town, but visiting artists found a fatal lack of close-by parking spots, while Hudson merchants balked at interference with their own businesses. For a time, it seemed no more Art on the Greens would take place.

Then, said Welner, she had the notion to move the event south to the longstanding summer home. That held until COVID and the post-quarantine discovery that the city had re-landscaped the former site with fresh tree plantings, making art setups impractical.

“Art on the Green will be very easy to find at the Joann Fabrics location, as it is on the corner of Route 91 [or] Darrow Road, and Terex Road,” said Vicki Prussak, of the Hudson Society of Artists. “There will be ample room for parking and for social distancing. The location has been host to multiple other events.”

Prussak called the new venue “awesome,” though she could not say definitively if future Art on the Greens will be held at the same Terex Road/Darrow Road intersection.

What she did affirm is, “We will have many new and returning artists.”

Some 140 artists and crafters are expected, presenting work that covers a wide gallery of genres and styles, including painting, jewelry, ceramics, woodcarving, glass, fabrics, enamel, sculpture, leather, photography, garden decor and more.

Artists who have participated come not only from all over Ohio but also out of state. As always, the event will be rain-or-shine, with free admission for the public, said Welner.

For more information, go hudsonsocietyofartists.com/art-on-the-green. ∞