Glenn Triest

Jo Rosen will display her art in the park.

rt in the Park
will give me
the chance to
see and feel
people ex-
perience my work," says Jo
Rosen, watercolor and
abstract painter from West
Bloomfield.
Rosen's work, shown in art
galleries in Farmington Hills
and Walled Lake for the past
four years, evolved from a
sweatshirt design business
she started nine years ago.
Rosen is among 152 artists
chosen from a field of 600 in
the United States and
Canada to participate in this
weekend's fair in Birm-
ingham, Art in the Park. Fif-
ty Michigan artists are
represented this year.
Art in the Park, in its 15th
year, is sponsored by Common
Ground, a multi-service agen-
cy founded in 1969. It was
originally conceived by Com-
mon Ground volunteers as an
event that would also benefit

80

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1989

IN THE PARK

Empty now, Birmingham's Shain Park
will be filled with art
and 50,000 people this weekend.

RONNA F. HALL

Special to The Jewish News

the community. It has con-
tinued to be an annual fund-
raiser because its members
believe artistic expression
contributes to improved men-
tal health.
Serving some 18,000 people
annually, Common Ground
was originally located in Bir-
mingham and is now in its
new location in Royal Oak. Its
professional staff and more
than 300 highly-trained
volunteers provide 24-hour

crisis intervention, walk-in
counseling, medical and legal
clinics, a speakers bureau and .
substance-abuse programs.
"Art in the Park is a com-
munity activity, enhancing
mental health, and that's con-
sistent with the philosophy of
Common Ground," says Elda
Schwartz, committee member
and volunteer at Common
Ground. Schwartz, a guidance
counselor, began volunteering
her time on the 24-hour

phone line 5 years ago.
"As a volunteer at Common
Ground, most people feel
there is an immediate
reward," says Schwart. "I,
later got involved with the
fair, first with the children's
art area and this year the ar-
tists' committee!'
The fair, which usually at-
tracts 50,000 people, "is con-
sidered one of the best shows
around," says Susan Fox Bez-
nos, a local jewelry designer

from Huntington Woods. "I
decided to enter strictly
because of its national
reputation!'
Beznos has been designing
jewelery for almost 20 years
and just started entering .
shows this year. She sells her
gold and precious-stone
jewelery to area galleries as
well as shops and galleries
throughout the country, from
California and Colorado to
New Jersey. Beznos recently
had a one-woman show in
New York City.
. Beznos' jewelery represents
one of a great variety of
media in the fair, which in-
cludes glass artists, painters,
fiber artists and more. Bruce
Migdal, another new ex-
hibitor from West Bloomfield,
will be showing his pastel
drawings of Guatemala and
the Mayan Indians which he
first started creating while
living in Guatemala. Many of
his works can be seen in
galleries in Charlevoix,
Petosky, Ann Arbor and this