This past weekend, thousands gathered in Big Spring Park to celebrate art, music, and overall creativity from the North Alabama area. For the first time in forever, Panoply was filled with sunshine skies instead of rain and the people couldn’t have been more ecstatic. With over 1000 adults and children flooding the park on Saturday alone. At this years 37th Panoply celebration over 100 artists displayed their art through a multitude of mediums. Some of these artists included kids from a number of elementary, middle, and high schools. Junior Maddy Moe said, “As an Art I student, I really appreciated having the opportunity to have my art placed next to the art of some other really talented students.”

Professional artists also showcase their work and pass out business cards to interest customers. Mrs. Panagos, the creative writing and multimedia design teacher, enjoyed supporting local artists. “I bought a piece from Michael Banks. He’s a folk artist with a distinct style, and after talking with him, he gave me a great deal on a really interesting piece.”

Other types of artists showcased their talent on the three stages of Panoply including Grammy Award Winning John Paul White. Local talent included Huntsville Youth Orchestra, Lyrique Music Productions, and the Rocket City Chorus. A variety of creativity from dance to live music bellowed from the overheated artists gladly showing their work. Their were 40 regional music acts some critically acclaimed.

Panoply STEAM Street displayed a number of rockets decorated by companies and organizations in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lunar Landing. Multiple activities aimed to teach kids about space and science through the creation of art. Hundreds of kids launched their very own rocket creations, designed space patches, and explored music through radio waves. Children laughed and smiled while creating under the hot afternoon sun as parents enjoyed snapping photos of their children’s artistic creations. Through STEAM, children begin to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics by interconnecting the four so that children can better understand the topics.

Arts Huntsville continues to celebrate and support our community’s creativity by advancing the arts. Panoply has grown to be one the largest art festivals in Alabama thanks to the Arts Council and Arts Huntsville. New talent and creativity in all forms comes to Panoply each year to display their extraordinary works. If you missed this years art festival luckily, next April you can catch all new wonderful displays of art.