PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 20, 2021
of the Week
presented by
Local artist debuts Insta
art at Keizer Rapids Park
By BROOKLYN FLINT Of the Keizertimes
CLAIRE JURAN
Where and how
do you volunteer?
"I volunteer a lot with the
Keizer Chamber of Commerce
year round with events,
greeters, and anything Corri
needs help with and I also
am involved with the Keizer
Network of Women (K.N.O.W.)
that plans the Percey event
that’s in September, which
provides funding for the
Giving Basket Program in
December for Keizer kids and
families in need."
Why do you volunteer?
"I volunteer because it helps my
community and you get to meet
so many amazing people along
the way."
What does
volunteering
do for you?
"Volunteering brings me
happiness and a sense of
purpose in my community."
How would you get
others to volunteer
in their community?
"Ask your friends and your
neighbors to come to diff erent
volunteering opportunities
Keizer artist Bella Biondi poses next to her new art creation by the Big Toy at Keizer Rapids Park.
THE BIG TOY playground
in Keizer Rapids Park says hello to “Insta-
art” by local artist, Bella Biondi. Her piece
includes butterfl y, ladybug, and dragon
wings at diff erent heights for people to take
photos in front of. The entire process of
getting approved and fi nishing the mural
ended up taking weeks, but started with
just a sketch.
Biondi started doing art a young age but
didn’t take it seriously until she was in high
school.
“When I was a kid, I drew a lot because
I thought it was fun and I liked to be cre-
ative, but later down the line I started to
take art more seriously because I realized
that art was one of the few things I was
actually passionate about enough to want
to improve at it,” Biondi said.
Biondi then became the youth liaison
for the Keizer Public Arts Commission
where they discussed plans of adding
“Insta-art” all around Keizer.
“Insta-art is basically art that is
Photo by BROOKLYN FLINT of Keizertimes
designed to encourage people to take pho-
tos with it. I casually mentioned that I’ve
done a mural like that before and I was
off ered the opportunity to work on the
project,” Biondi said.
She did an angel wing art mural in 2019
which inspired her to do the new mural.
Biondi starteby making a proposal for
NEWS
TIPS?
If it's happening
in Keizer, or to someone
from Keizer —
WE WANT TO KNOW.
with you until they say yes. One
might speak to them eventually."
kt@keizertimes.com