■ Former BUSD Trustee Bonnie Weidel died April 18

Children and adults can experiment with art Saturday at City Park in an event that will memorialize the late Bonnie Weidel, a local artist who died April 18 at 84.

Another Benicia artist, Les Overlock, spoke affectionately about Weidel and her son, Ian Allen, during a Benicia City Council meeting that recognized Weidel’s service, which included sitting on the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board.

Overlock said he and Allen decided to organize an Arts in the Park tribute to Weidel this year.

“Ian is the mastermind,” Overlock said. He said Allen was leafing through Weidel’s belongings when he realized he wanted a more active tribute to his mother.

He and Overlock decided to put on an Art in the Park event.

“She did it forever,” Overlock said, adding that Saturday’s event is “small potatoes” compared to how Weidel planned things.

Children in particular, but anyone who shows up, will work on a piece of art, guided by other artists who also remember Weidel and her passion for keeping art in children’s education.

Weidel was a member of the BUSD board from 2007 to 2011, and used that position to advocate for children’s art training. She had a 40-year career as a classroom teacher, beginning in Olympic High School, where she was head of the art department.

She moved to Benicia in 1978, opening her own studio in the Arsenal, where she began teaching children herself.

Among those pupils was Seth Odgen, then just 18 months old. His grandmother, Renee Marie Jordan, an artist and the owner of Jordan Real Estate, attended Seth’s classes 12 years ago, and that’s where the two artists met.

Jordan is among those intending to help guide young artists Saturday at City Park, said Mike Kendall, another local artist who knew Weidel well.

“I’m going to do it (too),” Kendall added.

He said Weidel and Overlock collaborated on Art in the Park events, and she was active in other community events.

Overlock tapped Kendall because he runs the Benicia Artists Networking Group, and could spread the word quickly throughout the area’s community of sculptors, painters and artisans.

It doesn’t hurt that Kendall encourages recycling other items into art pieces, Overlock said.

In fact, Kendall said he’ll be “hauling a carload of materials” to the park so youngsters and their parents can hunt for treasures they can use in their own creations.

He’s also recruiting other artists, such as Nicky Ruxton, a Vallejo jewelry designer, and Sharon Payne Bolton, who works in mixed media.

Overlock said his wife, Joyce Byrum, will guide participants in making objects from clay. He will help children paint self-portraits.

Plans for the event are far from set in stone, Kendall said. “We’re going to free-form it!”