Barbara Gasparski founded the Shelby Township Fine Art Society in 2001 and launched the Shelby Township Art Fair some 39 years ago, so the art group decided that Gasparski should be celebrated in a big way with a dedication of her art at Heritage Garden.
By: Kara Szymanski | Shelby-Utica News | Published July 13, 2022
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — In 2001, Barbara Gasparski, of Shelby Township, founded the Shelby Township Fine Art Society, and today it is a club that is still very much active in the community with Gasparski as a member.
Gasparski also launched the Shelby Township Art Fair some 39 years ago, where she also had a tent for several years and sold many original pieces of her art. To this day, the art fair continues to be a favorite summer event in Shelby Township.
For these and other reasons, it was decided by the art club that Gasparski should be celebrated in a big way.
Last month, a piece of Gasparski’s art was reproduced by the Shelby Township Parks, Recreation and Maintenance Department and installed at Heritage Garden, 52700 Van Dyke Ave.
The piece is titled “Spring Path.” It is a watercolor that depicts a beautiful garden and pathway in vibrant spring colors.
Sara Katsavrias, a member of the Shelby Township Fine Art Society, was happy to see Gasparski’s dedication and hard work recognized in such a special way.
“It is truly a perfect choice to hang in a garden. Through her art, Barbara will not easily be forgotten. To have her art reproduced for all park-goers to see is a proud moment and great honor indeed. We, as an art club, applaud her and are very excited for her,” Katsavrias said via email.
Gasparski’s piece was dedicated on June 18 with her family present.
“They, as well as Barbara, were very touched and grateful to the Shelby Township Parks and Rec. for recognizing Barbara’s talents with this lifetime gift,” Katsavrias said.
Joe Youngblood, the Parks, Recreation, Maintenance, Nature Center and Senior Center director, said Gasparski was the leader of the art fair from the beginning, and the amount of time and dedication that she committed to make it the best art fair around was “amazing.”
He said Gasparski held art fair preparation meetings year-round “going through artist work and applications and then, every late July, measuring every inch of the art fair grounds to get the perfect layout for the artist tents. As soon as the art fair ended, she started prepping for next year,” he said.
He said the township is thrilled to have a piece of Gasparski’s work to display on the township grounds, where she will always be a part of the art fair.