Providing the inimitable identity of the Smoky Hill River Festival are our inspiring, colorful, and provocative Artist-in-Action projects. Born of artistic collaboration, the still point of landscape and artistic imagination, or the need to communicate an idea, our Artists in Action speak volumes without saying a word.

About Face – It’s a family affair for Salina artist Ann Arkebauer and son, Adam Wilson, interpreted through this returning series of vibrant stimulating portraits representative of the energy and spirit of the Festival.

ARTHROPARADE – Count on ants to invite themselves to Salina’s ultimate picnic! Rich Bergen and Larry Goodwin’s ants are the ultimate social Festival guests as they parade into the park with their other arthropod friends! Follow their trail into the celebration!

Attack of the Creative Crawlers – The Fab Five IN-Spiders – You might feel like you just stepped into a surreal B-movie as the colorful Creative Crawlers are on the march! They are coming to add a tidal wave of color to the Festival! These five large "daddy long legs" artists, created by Kansas City artist Matt Dehaemers, are not meant to scare, but to In-spider young and old alike to be creative and colorful. You will see them marching with their paintbrush-like legs. Be careful, they may turn you into a brilliant color!

Blooming Bridge – John & Johnna Perry, World Record holding balloon artists create this effusive installation of garden arches, exotic flowers, and super-sized insects that will grow and evolve throughout the Festival. Twice a day, John and Johnna will share the inside scoop on how giant and not-so-giant sculptures are created entirely of balloons.

Dimentionality..1 thru 5 – Yet another fascinating collaboration for Ann Arkebauer and son Adam Wilson, this geometric, kinetic installation was created to impact and interact with the Festival audience through the consideration of scale, color, texture, and movement.

Beaks and Wings – Having six birds of his own, Kansas City, MO, graffiti artist, GEAR, has chosen birds as the subjects of colorful and engaging multi-panel murals. Look for some of Kansas’ favorite feathered friends in his bold and creative expressions throughout the park.

Hidden Meaning – Ann Arkebauer presents panels woven with various shades of hot pastels and primary colors then painted into blended abstract designs, accenting, texturizing, and highlighting the patterns created by the weaving process.

Knuckle Down – Join this exploration of the popular marble games of days gone by. Facilitated by the Smoky Hill Museum, and presented by Bruce Breslow and instructors from the Moon Marble Company, youngsters from 5 to 105 can learn shooting techniques and play marble games.

Madonnara Chalk Art/Street Painting – In Italy, around the 16th century, Madonnari artisans graced the pavement near churches and in public squares with chalk drawings of the Madonna. Kansas City artist, Joan Finn, is a professional Madonnara who creates incredible masterpieces that captivate and inspire.

Matthew Burke: The Massasauga Project – Selected as the Salina Art Center’s Summer 2008 Artist in Residence, Burke’s work is found in major museums and collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Institute of Art Library. Lawrence artist Matthew Burke constructs large woven wood forms; which when finished will represent the Massasauga snake, a species found in Salina. Sections of the snake’s form will be completed on-site at the Festival, culminating in a 40 foot sculptural installation. Burke will use native hardwoods cut into thin strips to weave the body of the snake. Festival-goers (needing no previous art experience) can assist in weaving this installation.

Metamorphosis – The experience of humanity coming together at an arts festival fosters inspiration in us all! Vibrant colors and festive imagery surround the pond (next to Stage II). People holding hands, individually changing in one "collective movement." With art as the catalyst, installation artist Bill Godfrey, Tarentum, PA, celebrates how creative changes in individuals result in positive effects on community.

Oh No...Fish Traffic – Kansas City sculptor, Juniper/T.J. Tangpuz, returns to the Festival with this reflection on our daily commute. Looking at the river as an underpass, viewers pass over the bridge to see a mess of catfish traffic underneath – backed up due to construction. T.J. wants people to think “I know what that’s like, and I’m glad it’s not me!”

Poetry Wall – Rich Bergen’s “S River Scroll” magnetic Poetry Wall provides the canvas for this ever-changing literary masterpiece! Local high school English teachers and students, coordinated by Katrina Paradis will lead this popular returning activity.

Reinventing the Wheel – This mesmerizing and graceful kinetic sculpture, designed by David Exline, Aliso Viejo, CA, with the creative and technical minds of the Exline family, truly reflects an outstanding community collaboration and has become a Festival gem.

Riverbank Mural – Artist Colin Benson creates a new multicolored graphic representation for the celebration, always creative, always a surprise!

Spectators – By recognizing the everyday person and their relationship to the arts, this installation from Salina Artist, Brad Anderson, reinforces the fact that everyone has a role in connecting with them. Incorporating life-sized photographs of Festival enthusiasts, enjoy this photographic rendition of community and the human spirit as Salina celebrates. Spec·tat·ors – 1. people watching people; 2. people interacting with environment; 3. people engaging in the Smoky Hill River Festival!

Surreal Trees – a signature project of Salina’s regional artists who yearly reinterpret this hallmark element of the Festival.

Your Car as Canvas – Observe the transformation of ordinary cars into not-so-ordinary “Daily Driver” Art Cars. Minnesota artists, Kat Corrigan and Jan Elftmann, team up with artist, Erika Nelson from Lucas, KS. “Holey Circle” is Jan’s art-car-in-progress and reflects the Glue-Car approach of attaching multiple objects to create an all-over embellished car. All attached objects relate to the circle. A second car, provided by an enthusiastic community member, will be transformed into a painted and quite un-ordinary art car. You are invited to observe the careful development and transformation of these cars. Both cars will be in progress from Wednesday through Sunday of Festival week.