Morris celebrates the arts with the Liberty Arts Festival

Downtown Morris and the Grundy County Courthouse Lawn were colorful and busy Saturday as the Liberty Arts Festival returned, bringing along with it artists of all types.

The heat didn’t deter any patrons, and crowds stopped at the corner of Washington and Liberty Streets to watch performances from groups like the Pizzaz Dancers from Donna Mueller’s School of Dance, the Morris Community High School Varsity Poms and Rielly Sanders Vocal Studio.

Those looking to beat the heat had plenty of options, though: The Morris Watercolor Guild hosted an open house and showcased artist Phyllis Natanek, a member of the guild from Seneca.

Natanek recently released a book called “Moments” which contains both her poetry and her art.

“I very much champion the ordinary,” Natanek said. “My poetry is also about the ordinary, those mundane ‘aha’ moments in your life.”

Natanek had her art showcased along with the rest of the Morris Watercolor Guild.

The Morris Area Public Library was also a good place to cool down: An anonymous local collector allowed the library to exhibit works from Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Dirk Stoop, David Teniers, Francis Cleyn, Cornelis Pietersz Bega, Jan van Huysum, Wenceslaus Hollar, Nicolas Chapron and Adamo Scultori.

The whole downtown embraced the festival on Saturday, with the Grundy County Historical Society hosting presentations on antique cameras, knitting and crocheting, and the Goose Lake Prairie Partners weavers, while many of the downtown businesses participated in Sip ‘N Shop.

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The Pizzaz Dancers from Donna Mueller's School of Dance perform at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets in Morris on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (Michael Urbanec)