Kentucky

August 20-21

36^th Annual Woodlands Art Festival—Lexington, KY

Renegade Heart Jewelry

A very well established art show in historic Lexington, Kentucky at the Woodlands Park just east of downtown Lexington claims nearly 200 of the countries top artists.  The area is famous for the University of Kentucky and the wonderful bluegrass  region where many of the famous thoroughbred stables are located. Hours are: Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.lexingtonartleague.org/woodland.htm

Illinois

August 26-28

23^d   Annual Salute to the Masters—Fairview Heights, IL

DS Reif 2-D Paintings

Held at Longacre Park (also known as Moody Park) in this delightful suburb of St. Louis the Salute to the Masters is one of Illinois most prestigious and popular art Festivals.  Hours are Friday, 6 PM to 10 PM, Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM. Location is 525 South Ruby Lane; Fairview Heights, IL 62208-2613

More information:

http://www.midwestsalute.com/index.html

Iowa

September 2-4

ArtSplash—Sioux City, Iowa

Renegade Heart Jewelry

This year is the 18^th annual for this event.  Sioux City is on the edge of the Great Plains and attracts a group of artists from a wide area of the country.  This festival has lots of family activities and is Grandview Park.  Hours are: Friday 5-8, Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.siouxcityartcenter.org/artsplash/

Nebraska

September 10-11

Renegade Heart Jewelry

 
Rockbrook Art Fair—Omaha, Nebraska

Another well established art show is this one held at the Rockbrook Shopping Center, 108^th and Center Street just off I-680.  Over 150 artists will be exhibiting this year for the 40^th edition of this venerable art event.  Great shopping, dining, and just strolling; hours are: Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.rockbrookvillageartfair

Mississippi

May 7-8

This is the 40th year for this terrific art festival.  In a beautifully traditional town in northeast Mississippi perched right on the famous Natchez Trace National Park this festival is worth your attention.  It also hosts a unique Songwriter’s Festival that draws emerging talent to this event.

http://www.gumtreemuseum.com/gumtree.shtml

Oklahoma

May 28-30

Paseo Art Festival, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (D S Reif 2-D Paintings)

The Paseo neighborhood is where art and history come alive in Oklahoma City’s vibrant community of artists. This a small and very selective art show. The festival hours will be Saturday & Sunday from 10am to 8:00pm, with music until 11pm and Monday from 10am to 6pm, with music until 7:00pm. The Paseo is located between NW 30th and Dewey and N.W. 28th and Walker in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

http://www.thepaseo.com/events/festival/paseofestival.html

Missouri

June 4-5

Art in the Park, Stephens Lake Park, Columbia, Missouri (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

Begun in 1958, Art in the Park is the oldest and largest fine arts festival in mid-Missouri. The festival features more than 100 visual artists from across the United States, displaying a variety of media including painting, drawing, photography, pottery, jewelry, fibers, sculpture, wood, and glass.  We are looking forward to this show.   Sat. 10-5 & Sun. 10-4

http://artinthepark.missouri.org/

Kansas

June 17-19

Town Center Art Show, Leawood, KS (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

Benefiting the Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland

The Town Art Show is consistently ranked among one of the top art shows in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Located in the Town Center Plaza, on Father’s Day weekend, June 17-19, 2011, this show will bring unique creations of award-winning artists to thousands of art enthusiasts in the Kansas City community. Fri 10-8, Sat 10-8, Sun 11-5

http://www.townart.org/

Texas

July 2-3

Rockport Art Festival, Rockport, TX (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

This Texas costal community hosts one of the best Art Fairs in the state.  Located on Aransas Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the Rockport area is one of the premier destinations in Texas. This year is the 39^th year for this event and the hours are: Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5.

http://www.rockportartcenter.com/exhibitions/detail.php?uid=45

Florida

January 22 -23 (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

Suncoast Art Fest, Shops at Wiregrass, Wesley Chapel, Florida

Sixth Annual show this event is fast becoming a major art event in Pasco County Florida.  Held at the beautiful Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel 2 miles east of I-75 on SR 56 in Pasco County

More Information:  http://suncoastartsfest.com/

January 29-30 (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

Images Art Festival, Riverside Park, New Smyrna, FL

Sponsored by the Atlantic Center for the Arts this show is one of best known festivals in Northeastern Florida.  Less than 20 miles south of Daytona Beach the show is in a park adjacent to old downtown New Smyrna with a wonderful view of the Intercoastal waterway.

More information:

http://www.imagesartfestival.org/

Consistently ranked one of the top 100 Fine Art Shows by Sunshine Artist Magazine, the 23rd Annual Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts is one of the area’s biggest and best art events. The festival is held along Main Street in downtown Sarasota, spanning from 5 Points-Selby Park to Orange Avenue. Meet some of the best artists in the nation, displaying life-size sculptures, spectacular paintings, one-of-a-kind jewels, photography and more.

More information:

http://www.artfestival.com/Festivals/Downtown_Sarasota_Festival_of_the_Arts_Sarasota_Florida_February.ASPX

February 26-27 (D.S. Reif 2-D Mixed Media/Painting)

Downtown Stuart Art Festival, Stuart, FL

Over the years, this festival has established itself as one of the main art fairs in Martin County, just north of Palm Beach County in Stuart. The show is set up along Osceola Street in Stuart’s historic downtown area. This 21st-year event brings together some of the best artists in the nation, displaying life-size sculptures, spectacular paintings, one-of-a-kind jewels, photography and more.

More information:

http://www.artfestival.com/Festivals/Downtown_Stuart_Art_Festival_Stuart_Florida_February.ASPX

Alabama

March 12-13 (Renegade Heart Jewelry)

Orange Beach Art Festival, Waterfront Park, Orange Beach, AL

The show is right on the Wolfe Bay art center campus and has several other cultural events at the same time the art fair is scheduled.  There is an abundance of things to see and do.  About 60 exhibitors make this high quality show a pleasure to visit.  Lots of coastal artist as well as art from all across the South grace this well attended event. 

http://www.orangebeachartcenter.com/

Mississippi

April 2-3 (Renegade Heart Jewelry)
Art in the Pass, War Memorial Park, Pass Christian, MS
This is a new show for us.  Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, War Memorial Park is a great place for an Art Festival.  This show has many great artists from the Gulf South and beyond.  It should be a lot of fun to attend.
http://www.artinthepass.com/

Interstate 10 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Lafayette is an experience.  After you cross the Mississippi River and drive west you soon reach the Atchafalaya Basin.

This is basically a swamp that goes on for miles along the Interstate highway.  It also stretches a hundred miles or so north and south as it slowly drains into the Gulf of Mexico.

This wet track is a tangle of swamp, waterways, lakes, canals, rivers and bayous that are incredibly beautiful.  The Interstate traverses a narrow part of the basin but it is still many miles across.  The road is an engineering marvel of bridges and causeways that cross over muddy, boggy, impenetrable wetlands. 

Miles of Bridges

We have the privilege to know some people who live in the Atchafalaya.  One is Jeff Acoin a sculptor from Belle River, Louisiana.  He gathers all manner of driftwood and does beautiful wildlife carvings from the found objects.  The area is not the home of dilatants and drifters.  It is inhabited by people like Jeff who know how to live off the land.  Fish, hunt, trap, and use whatever God gives you to make your way in life.

The trip across the Atchafalaya is well worth the effort.  If you are traveling in the area or visiting New Orleans find an excuse and take the drive.  I rarely recommend a scenic Interstate highway tour but this is one to remember. 

Home for Gators and Folks Who Like Them

Kentucky

October 1-2-3

Court of St. James-Belgravia Section-Louisville, KY

This is one of the Southern mega-show that attracts 750 of the best artists from across the country.  Hours are 10-6, 10-6, and 10-5. You can find lot more information at:

http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/

Tennessee

October 7-8-9-10

Pink Palace Arts and Craft Festival-Memphis, TN

This 4 day show is another mega-shows; many artist and big crowds in a lovely park setting. It is held at Audubon Park and is a benefit for the Memphis museum system.  Hours are 10-6, 10-6, 10-7, and 10-5.  More at:

http://www.artsandcraftsfestival.org/

Mississippi

November 6-7

Peter Anderson Art Fair-Ocean Springs, MS

One of the biggest events we attend it has earned an awards as a top destination on the Gulf Coast.  Hours are 9-5 & 9-4.

http://www.gulfcoast.org/events/index.cfm?EventID=26

Louisiana

November 13-14

Three Rivers Art Festival-Covington, LA

Two hundred artists from across the South will attend this art festival.  Located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartain in scenic St. Tammany Parrish this show has art, food, and music for everyone. 

http://www.threeriversartfestival.com/

Texas

November 20-21

Sami Arts & Craft Show-Round Rock, TX

Held at the Dell Diamond Baseball Complex it is a well established show with lots of exhibitors.  Just north of Austin, it is conveniently located just off I-35.

Hours are: 10-5 & 11-4:30.

More information:

http://www.samishow.com/show-schedule?&pid=8

Kentucky

August 21 and 22

35^th Annual Woodlands Art Festival—Lexington, KY

A very well established art show in historic Lexington, Kentucky at the Woodlands Park just east of downtown Lexington claims nearly 200 of the countries top artists.  The area is famous for the University of Kentucky and the wonderful bluegrass region where many of the famous thoroughbred stables are located. Hours are: Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.lexingtonartleague.org/woodland.htm


Iowa

September 3-5

ArtSplash—Sioux City, Iowa

This year is the 17^th annual for this event.  Sioux City is on the edge of the Great Plains and attracts a group of artists from a wide area of the country.  This festival has lots of family activities and is held at the Pavilion on the River adjacent to downtown right off I-29.  Hours are: Friday 5-8, Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.siouxcityartcenter.org/artsplash/

Nebraska

September 11-12

Rockbrook Art Fair—Omaha, Nebraska

Another well established art show is this one held at the Rockbrook Shopping Center, 108^th and Center Street just off I-680.  Over 150 artists will be exhibiting this year for the 39^th edition of this venerable art event.  Great shopping, dining, and just strolling; hours are: Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 10-5.  More information:

http://www.rockbrookvillageartfair.com/

Festival of the Trails-Gardner, Kansas

June 11-12

Entrance to Our Building at the Gardner Show 

In the nearly 30 years we’ve been working art shows there have been some really poor ones to remember.  This show will rank right up there with the worst.

Held in a portion of the Johnson County Fairground the show was set up in 2 buildings with an asphalt parking-lot in between.  The committee had arranged a “preview” party on Friday evening to attract the more interested public.  No one came.  If the committee thought they would attract art collectors to the event with a veggie & cheese platter from the local HyVee supermarket then they vastly under estimated their target market.  It was a fiasco.

Saturday morning it rained; no one could be blamed for that.  But lack of planning over basics like fans, air conditioning, parking, tear down procedure, and other issues were evident and reflected in the ambience of the show.  The atmosphere was at least tacky but junky might be a more appropriate label.  The artists in attendance on the other hand were of high quality and good character and did not deserve this shabby venue: one artist commented, “How did they get us here to this mess?”

By one o’clock it was sunny and nice.  Some people came to the event that included a chili cook-off which the judges said to us was “awful”, a car show, and several concerts.  The crowd for the art show was light in the other building and small in our building; we estimated it at 600 people. 

Apparently the committee wildly over sold the crowd count for the event at 10,000.  I spoke to an off-duty policeman and he agreed that the crowd was “not too big”; I’d put the whole event at less than 5,000. Inflated attendance figures are a real problem in this business which hurts both artist and concessionaire who must plan ahead for the crowd.

Nearly every artist I spoke with said sales were dismal to none.  The art show lacked focus, organization, and leadership in my opinion.  As in most non-art-friendly events artist were viewed as a source of revenue for the committee rather than an uplifting attraction that showcases the best intentions of a community.

Art in the Park-Columbia, Missouri
June 5-6, 2010


2010 Art in the Park Logo

This is an established show that has good community involvement and a staff of professionals and volunteers to put it on who know what they are doing.  Not an overwhelmingly large show it is about proportioned to the size and market for the area it serves. 

The location for the show is Stephens Lake Park on the east side of town about a mile from the big University of Missouri Campus.  The park is lovely for the people who attend but a little unhandy for the artists.  The Parks Department does not allow vehicles in the park so everything has to be loaded in and out on foot, with a hand truck, or on one of the ATV’s that are provided by the committee.

The ATV’s and trailers are a new wrinkle this year that worked out pretty well as the distance from the parking areas to the show is about one hundred yard or so making the walk (with a load) an issue especially for artists living with some sort of challenge or other.

The weather was hot on Saturday and very nice on Sunday.  The general attitude of the fair-goers was good and everyone seemed like they were having fun. 

There were numerous side events that complimented the atmosphere and added to the experience for the public. The crowd count was good on both days.  Sales were decent for a show of this size and most artists I spoke to were generally satisfied with the show. 

The only thing that could hurt this show in the future is if the committee tried to expand it.  It might be a little big right now but not overly so.  The size of the show was reflected in the jurying which was good but slightly soft at times.  Overall this is a great event for the public and artists alike.

Kansas

June 11 and 12 

Festival on the Trails, Downtown, Gardener, Kansas

This is an intimate art show with about 40-50 exhibitors indoors so weather is not a factor.

Billed as a fun, family oriented event for the Kansas City suburbs. The event will include art, food, car show, chili cook-off, activities for children, beer garden and free concert with the Little River Band Saturday night.  Hours are 7 PM to 9 PM Friday (preview) and 10 AM to 8 PM Saturday.

http://www.festivalonthetrails.com/index.php

Illinois

June 26 and 27

Fountain Square Art Festival, Sherman Avenue & Clark Street, Evanston, Illinois

This is a major Chicago area Art Festival with a very good reputation for having only the best artists they can find.  For three decades, Fountain Square Art Festival has won acclaim as one of the most prestigious art festivals in the Midwest. With more than 225 artists, it's the largest and oldest juried fine arts fair on Chicago's North Shore. The festival is located on six city blocks in downtown Evanston with the fest's eponymous "Fountain Square" sculpture garden serving as its focal point. This urban setting creates the perfect ambience and embodies the word "sophistication" with an audience of more than 50,000 discerning, upscale art aficionados and collectors.

http://www.chicagoevents.com/event.cfm?eid=123