Arts council holds first glass pumpkin patch festival

The Bloomington Area Arts Council will kick off the fall season by putting a new twist on the age-old tradition of picking pumpkins.\nThe arts council will hold its first ever Glass Pumpkin Patch Festival from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the county courthouse in downtown Bloomington.\nPeople of all ages are welcome to explore the thousands of unique glass pumpkins contributed by artist David Camner and his Blind Dog Glass artistic foundation based in California.\nThe pumpkins, which are all hand-crafted and feature an array of vibrant swirls, stripes, spots and stems, will be on sale, ranging from $40 to $200 depending on size and complexity. \nThe arts council, which, according to the John Waldron Arts Center's Web site, "supports the public arts by promoting educational funds for art students," is interested to see how this first annual event will turn out.\n"We're not exactly sure what to expect at this point, but the pieces that are being put on display are unbelievably extravagant. We are honored to have such a wonderful exhibit in our town," Ed Vande Sande, the development director for the arts council, said.\nThe council raised more than $5,000 in scholarships last year, helping more than 3,000 art students in Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe and Owen counties, Executive Director Miah Michaelsen said.\n"We are hoping to triple this figure in 2006," Michaelsen said. "Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible."\nCamner and Blind Dog Glass will donate all proceeds of the event to support local art scholarships, programs and the Waldron Arts Center. The Blind Dog Glass foundation's sole mission is raising money for art education programs throughout the country.\nThe festival will travel to the Salt Creek Golf Retreat Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 14 in Nashville, Ind.\nFor more information, visit www.bloomingtonarts.info or www.artlives.org.