MARIPOSA–This was the 25th year of one of Mariposa’s longest-standing community programs, with free live concerts every Friday and Saturday of the summer at the Mariposa County Art Park. The Mariposa Arts Council and Andy Roberts produce the series. It features local and traveling musicians of all genres and draws visitors and residents alike to Mariposa’s vibrant, historic downtown. This year’s lineup was more diverse than ever. It included musicians from Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Madera, Merced, Fresno, and Stanislaus counties and visiting bands from the Bay area.
Photography
Many of this year’s shows were documented by photographer Emma Constable. You can see Emma’s work on the Mariposa Arts Council’s Facebook and Instagram pages (@MariposaArts). Emma’s images beautifully capture vibrant performances, delighted audiences and multi-generational engagement in this beloved Mariposa tradition.
Student Artwork
The program also provides a young visual artist with a creative project opportunity with mentorship from Arts Council staff. Each year, student artwork is used on all Music on the Green marketing material and shared across the Arts Council’s wide-reaching platforms. This is intended to advance young artists’ professional experience and position them for entrepreneurial engagement within their community. This year’s artwork was produced by Gray Rule, a sophomore at Mariposa County High School. “This piece is inspired by the drive back home through Catheys Valley,” Gray says. “I wanted to feature a turkey vulture – beautiful, often overlooked, birds who are important to our ecosystems and life.”
Support
This cornerstone concert series is made possible with generous support from Music on the Green Sponsors: Yosemite/Mariposa Tourism Bureau, Mariposa County Chamber Of Commerce, Ranch Fence Inc, Mariposa Yosemite Rotary Club, Sierra Telephone, James Wittkopf, Kevin Cann & Beth Waldow, Mountain Yoga Studio, High Country Health Food Store, Mariposa Certified Farmers Market, Raw Roots Farm, Yosemite Pilates, Sierra Gold Cleaning, Happy Goat, Sticks Coffee, Meadow Creek Ranch BB, Restful Nest B&B, Mariposa Shipping, Yosemite Songwriters Retreat, Ladybug Embroidery, The Starchman Family, The Collins Family, Patricia Elka, Pamela Flick, Saralynn Nusbaum & Don Melcher, Dave and Terry Rozelle, Tim and Anita Bryant, and Sue Overstreet.
The Producer
Special thanks to Music on the Green’s producer, Andy Roberts, for his many hours on and off the stage. His dedication to Mariposa’s music community is a key part of this program’s legacy; the Arts Council deeply appreciates Andy and his contributions.
The Arts Council is an incorporated not-for-profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County and is supported in part by the County of Mariposa, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the California Arts Council, a state agency. More information can be found at mariposaartscouncil.org
