Artist brightens up crafts at Art in the Park

Many vendors at Mandan’s Art in the Park this week showed our community how great artisans are in the upper Midwest and Merlin Libak is one of those artists. His inventory includes flags, wildlife, sports, and even insects, all made from steel.

“I come back and do this two to three hours a night; sometimes all weekend and then we’ll come up and plan out for a show and then we’ll work two months probably planning for this show,” Libak said.

For ten years, he has crafted his art as a hobby.

“We used to cut out these things and paint them black. Have the kids find sticks and put them out in the yard,“ Libak said.

Sign Design, which is the name of his company, participates in many art shows in the area with help from Libak’s daughter and son.

“She helps sales, my son helps me assemble things together. We kind of make things in parts. We’ll assemble it all like we need,” Libak said.

Something that stands out about the handcrafted signs is how they light up.

“It’s all done through Bluetooth connectivity, which you can control in the palm of your hand.
We tried a battery operated and it didn’t work; we did electric and that worked,” Libak said.

Libak will be in Bismarck again in October during the Big One Art & Craft Fair.