Friends of Caponi Art Park,

With over 1,100 visitors and a beautiful autumn day, the 2009 Medieval Fair was a huge success. Thanks to members of the Society for Creative Anachronism and our dedicated volunteers, visitors were able to model combat armor, spark a fire with flint and steel, learn about period cooking spices, and experience other activities that defined the Middle Ages.
Photo by Brian Mak.

Need an excuse to visit?
Get out, enjoy the fall season (& bring a camera)
2009 Photo Contest ends October 11 // $200 in cash prizes!
 
Enjoy walking the wooded trails and snap some photos along the way. Show us what Caponi Art Park looks like through your eyes. Sponsored by Legacy Creative Images of Eagan, cash prizes will be awarded in adult and youth (14 and under) categories including $75 for 1st place and $25 for 2nd place. Submitted public photos can be viewed at the Caponi Art Park Flickr group. Please note: youth photos may be submitted through an adult Flickr account with the tag "caponiartparkcontest09youth".

Winning photographs will be announced in the park's November e-newsletter and website, and to local newspapers. Deadline to submit is October 11. Visit the contest webpage for information on how to enter.

Volunteer Highlight
In celebration of all volunteers at Caponi Art Park, we are starting to periodically highlight volunteers who make significant contributions to the park and this community.

Volunteer: Sara Heesen
 
Volunteer Role: Docent, Art Teacher and Archiver
 
Volunteer Activities: Guiding tours for groups of children and adults, conducting hands-on art activities inspired by nature, and helping document the history of the park.
 
Art Background: A lifelong passion for art, Sara graduated from St. Olaf College in 2008 with a major in Studio Art. She is currently working with a composer to combine visual and audio art in a performance setting. Sara is excited to finally have her very own studio to continue creating her work.
 
What inspired you to become a volunteer?
"It seemed like such a unique venue to expose art to children that I instantly became intrigued, then I saw the park, and loved it."
 
What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
"I like getting ready for work and getting excited about where I am going and what I will be doing. Every time I leave I feel energized and excited about the day and that is a pretty cool thing to be able to say."
 
Favorite Moment: "There is a tree stump in the middle of the park, unmolded by human hands but beautiful in its own right and I would point to it and ask the kids, 'Is this art?' I loved seeing the kids stop and really think about this question, to really think about what makes art, art."