Luna Parc promotes art and independence

By Liam Donovan
Sandyston — You may have slid down a rabbit hole, or wandered onto a set of Tim Burton movie. Or you may have simply made a turn off Route 206 onto Meyers Road in Sandyston and attended a recent open house at Luna Parc, a colorful conglomeration of art and practicality, created, owned and maintained by Ricky Boscarino.
Boscarino purchased the abandoned farmhouse 26 years ago and began turning it into a living work of art by painting, sculpting and tiling the entire interior and exterior. Boscarino makes and sells jewelry, mosaics and ceramic pieces. And he and fellow artists hold workshops for aspiring artists at Luna Parc.
The recent open house, from June 7 to June 9, was an event to raise money for the Luna Parc Atelier Foundation, which in turn funds the workshops offered on the grounds. People crowded in to see the eccentric house and adjacent sculpture gardens.
“We’re trying to teach art skills and provide art skills to low and moderate income families and children,” Susan Boscarino, Ricky’s sister, said.
Ricky Boscarino said the event was about both raising money for the nonprofit organization and “raising awareness for art education.”
The lessons Boscarino and the foundation want to pass along are not only about artistic creativity, but also how to survive and even thrive as a working artist. Thie idea is set forth in the foundation’s mission statement: The Luna Parc Atelier Foundation is an arts colony that teaches apprentices vocational, business and life skills necessary to succeed as self-supporting artists.
“You can have a career in the arts and make your art,” Boscarino said. “Our best advice is to follow your passion. Being able to make your work and market your work is a viable way to make a living. We have a whole art economy. It doesn’t have to be connected to something else.”
Boscarino is a prolific artist who’s worked more than 28 years on his craft. As an artist, he doesn’t necessarily work 9 to 5.
“It could be a noon to midnight, or it could be a nine to nine… Unless I’m gearing up towards an event, like this. This takes a huge amount of prep… I’d say in general I work 12 hours a day, 360 days a year.”
It’s no secret among artists that art involves hard work and plenty of it.
“People come to the park, and they think it’s all fun and games,” Boscarino said. “Which, you know, it is, I’m having fun with it. But they don’t see everything it takes to maintain it. You have to make work, and sell it, to keep it going. It’s not like this just happens. It’s a huge amount of work, and it’s all behind the scenes.”
Boscarino said one of his main influences is Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a Viennese artist who created a similar project called the Hundertwasser House.
“He was a painter, he was an architect, kind of an art-philosopher. I was inspired by his work more than anything that I’ve seen,” he said.
Workshops at Luna Parc this summer include Techniques for Basketry with Jeanie Eberhardt on June 24; Painted Paper Collage with Michael Stewart on July 8; Introduction to Tile Making with Greg Hicho on July 22; Beginners Weaving with Daryl Lancaster on August 5; Baking on the Right Side of the Brain with Emily Downs and Ricky Boscarino on August 12; and the Art of Fermentation with Sandor Katz on August 26. Each of these one-day workshops is priced at $150.
You can learn more about the workshops, the house and garden and the arts colony at www.lunaparcfoundation.org, or by phone at 973-948-2160.