Live entertainment provided the backdrop for 18 area artists to display their works, which attracted crowds to the CityCenter Englewood Piazza Aug. 1 for the annual Artabout Englewood celebration.

Creativity shined as artists each displayed his or her works. There were sculptures large and small, paintings of various styles as well as a number of other types of art work.

For example, former Englewood resident Zoe Williams put out her display that included wallets made of soy milk and juice cartons and magnets made of bottle caps.

“I guess I’ve had the urge to be creative since I was about 3 months old when I started visiting my Grandma Elda Williams’ house here in Englewood and she began to teach me to sew and knit,” Williams said. “I guess it’s all her fault. Now, I do this for fun because I don’t want to just throw things away.”

She said, when she gets ready to throw something in the trash, she takes it apart to see if there are ways to use it.

Williams said that was how she came up with the idea for the wallets. She said, since the cartons were water proof and could be folded, she tried several shapes until she came up with the present design.

Nearby, sculptor/painter Ken Stack was setting up his artwork created using mixed materials including bronze, steel and concrete.

His displays were free-standing garden sculptures but he also paints and builds garden fountains to order. Some sculptures included kinetic elements that move in the wind and another was designed so it could be used to hold potted plants.

“I do all my own work, including all my own casting, welding and fabrication,” Stack said. “I have always been interested in ancient architecture and art and, in my works, I try to blend ancient and modern elements so they flow smoothly in my art work.”

He said he usually is working on several sculptures at the same time but estimates it takes three to four weeks to complete each artwork.

You may not know his name but most people have seen the artwork of Sean Doherty who designed and created the artwork in the planters along South Broadway.

“I’ve always like to be creative. As a kid, I worked with paper and, since I was working in tin for a heating and air conditioning company, it was natural I began sculpting in metal,” he said.

He said creating the artworks for the Englewood Business Improvement District-funded Broadway project was fun and every sculpture has at least one recycled element. He currently is working on the final artwork for the 34-sculpture project and plans are to install it Aug. 24.

“I think it is great that the business improvement district decided to introduce art a part of the amenities along Broadway,” Doherty said. “The art is there to welcome and invite potential customers to stop, browse and hopefully shop at the stores along the area.”

He said he was really enjoying the opportunity to be part of Artabout Englewood because it allowed him the opportunity to be introduced personally and as an artist to people who stopped by.

People also had the chance to try out their artistic ability as Kate Delaney staffed a booth where adults and children could create artwork from recycled plastic shopping bags. Dulaney, who teaches art in Englewood elementary schools, melted the bags together and cut them into strips for painting.

The strips could be used to create bracelets but Shannon Thill decided they would make good name plates for the doors of her children’s rooms.

“I just got off the light rail on my way home, saw all the activity and decided to check it out,” the Englewood resident said. “This is a great event and I’m glad I came. I’m having fun doing my own creations and I wish my kids were here to enjoy it too.”