Art returns to the Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve from 1 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 16 when the Connemara Conservancy and the Allen Arts Alliance team up to present “Art In The Meadow,” an afternoon of art and fun for the entire family. The event is free and open to the public.

Local artists are scheduled to have their nature-inspired work available for purchase in the Connemara Meadow Pecan Grove. In addition, there will be music as well as a variety family activities including a pumpkin patch for photos, face painters, nature walks, hayrides, mazes, and other Fall related activities.

For over a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, the Connemara Meadow hosted large-scale sculpture shows as a way to attract people to the 72-acre nature preserve on the southeast corner of West Bethany and Alma Drives. Now, the Allen Arts Alliance will use the natural beauty of the Meadow Pecan Grove as the setting in which local artists can showcase their work.

“When many people think of Connemara, they often think of the sculpture shows,” said Connemara Board President Marcus Yarbrough. “This is a great opportunity to bring art back to the Meadow as a way to enjoy the great outdoors,”

“It’s a perfect partnership of art and nature,” added Allen Arts Alliance Board Chair Kathy Litinas. “Our logo reflects nature’s most dramatic and intricate piece of art, the tree, which makes the Connemara Pecan Grove a perfect backdrop for our artists to display their work.”

For more than three decades, the Connemara Conservancy Foundation has been at the forefront of land conservation and environmental education in Texas. Connemara works closely with farmers, ranchers and other landowners as well as local governments and forward-thinking developers on land preservation. Today, Connemara protects more than 6,000 acres throughout North Texas. In addition, thousands of students, families and organizations participate in Connemara’s restoration and environmental education programs each year. Connemara is an active member of the National Land Trust Alliance, the Texas Land Trust Alliance and the Center for Nonprofit Management.  More information on the Connemara Conservancy Foundation is available at connemaraconservancy.org.

The Allen Arts Alliance began as a city advisory board in 1998 to support arts and culture in Allen. In 2006, the Arts Alliance became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the umbrella organization for the arts and cultural organizations in the Allen community. The mission of the Allen Arts Alliance is to promote and nurture arts, culture, heritage and enrichment programs throughout Allen and neighboring communities through:

• Facilitating collaboration between local arts organizations
• Broadening the understanding of the various arts forms available to the citizens
• Increasing opportunities for community involvement in the arts
• Ensuring access to arts and cultural opportunities to all
• Actively seeking financial support for the arts and practicing good stewardship

More information on the event, including directions to the Connemara Meadow, is available at at connemaraconservancy.org or allenartsalliance.org.