Children’s Create-In to be renamed in honor of longtime director

Courtesy photo Sherilyn Lindberg, longtime director of the Art FairŐs ChildrenŐs Create-In, is shown here preparing for the daylong event with her grandson, Nick Harrison.

CADILLAC — There’s a wonderful sense of fun, purpose and energy surrounding the Children’s Create-In at the Cadillac Art Festival.

Each year the daylong event is based on a theme and provides hands-on activities that not only teach art, but also provide lessons in science, history and music. Some years, more than 70 volunteers help out, including Footliters providing puppet shows and skits and musicians sitting in a ‘petting zoo’ to allow children the chance to hold a stringed instrument.

The driving force behind the Children’s Create-In was Sherilyn Lindberg, an artist and former teacher. She prepared for the event throughout the year, carefully choosing the themes, writing up plans, purchasing necessary materials and recruiting individuals and businesses to help.

Last August, when the Art Fair ended, Lindberg began preparing for this year’s festival.

But in September, those plans were cut short when she died unexpectedly in her sleep.

“This event embodied what she believed in,” explained Lindberg’s daughter Jennifer Harrison. “She believed in getting art into the hands of kids. She wanted kids to not just do arts and crafts but to become being immersed in the artistic experience.”

On Saturday, a ceremony will take place at the Rotary Pavilion to re-name the Children’s Create-In, The Sherilyn Lindberg Children’s Create-In, in honor of the woman whose generous spirit molded the event.

“Each year she would come up with a theme,” her daughter recalled. “She wanted to be sure that the kids were learning as they were creating and that it involved the community and volunteerism.”

Harrison said there many great themes, including Art Takes Flight, Art Around the World, and A Tapestry of Art. One of her favorites was the medieval theme.

“She had jesters and the mime,” Harrison recalled. “Everything focused on that theme and at the booth she had write-ups of medieval history and the jewelry making would be about medieval metals and tools, so they learned as they were creating.”

Harrison is pleased that the event will be named to honor of her mom’s memory, but added, “I think she (mom) would be very moved by that but she would say that it’s about the kids and that she didn’t do it for the recognition. Sherilyn was an advocate for people and was moved to create a world that provided opportunities for children.”

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