My thanks to member Jean Thompson of
American Style magazine, an arm of the Rosen Group, for forwarding me this interesting article. After you have read it I'd sure be interested to know if you agree with the results of the poll.
America’s Top 10 Art Fairs and Festivals: Winners Announced Baltimore, MD (Dec. 10, 2008) Where do Americans prefer to go to view and buy art and fine craft in a festive setting? The answers are in the February 2009 issue of AmericanStyle magazine, which will reveal the nation’s Top 10 Fairs & Festivals, as determined by polling its readers. The issue goes on sale at newsstands on Dec. 16. Art collectors are willing to flock to places like Wausau, Wisc., and Midway, Ky. – crossroads far removed from better-known urban art centers. Despite the distance and the economic downturn, many of the top-rated art fairs and festivals boast crowd counts of more than 200,000 visitors – made up of tourists and locals alike. What keeps the crowds coming back? The
quality and
diversity of the art are top-notch. In addition, the nation’s best art events provide a noteworthy intersection of contemporary trends in professional art and craft and major current trends in retail, says Wendy Rosen, publisher of AmericanStyle.
“Discerning shoppers can ‘buy local,’ ‘buy handmade,’ ‘buy American’ and ‘support a worthy cause’ simultaneously at the very best art fairs and festivals,” Ms. Rosen says. “At the same time, they help the economy by supporting the small businesses of artists.” “They can feel good about making an investment in professional handcraft that has been carefully juried,” Ms. Rosen says, “and at the same time, soak up the fun atmosphere, the entertainment, the education and the collegiality that’s possible only at a gathering of like-minded art lovers. They can meet the artists and learn where the work came from and how it was made.” This year’s first-place winner blends three distinct events into a citywide arts extravaganza called Wausau’s Artrageous Weekend: Art in the Park, held in Marathon Park; the Festival of Arts, in downtown Wausau; and the annual “Birds in Art” exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art museum, a mecca for international wildlife artists.
2009 Winners list TOP 10 FAIRS & FESTIVALS Wausau’s Artrageous Weekend, Wausau, Wis. Kentucky Crafted: The Market, Louisville, Ky. Bayou City Art Festival, Houston, Texas Scottsdale Arts Festival, Scottsdale, Ariz. Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, Iowa St. James Court Art Show, Louisville, Ky. Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival at Midway College, Midway, Ky. American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, Baltimore, Md. Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original, Ann Arbor, Mich. Kentuck Festival of the Arts, Northport, Ala. SOURCE: AmericanStyle magazine readers’ poll, Feb. 2009 issue, on newsstands and at
www.AmericanStyle.com on Dec. 16, 2008. Are you planning a trip to one of these great festivals in 2009? Here’s the winners list again, in calendar order: February 21-22 Kentucky Crafted: The Market (2) February 27-March 1 American Craft Council Show in Baltimore (8) March 20-22 Scottsdale Arts Festival (4) March 27-29 Bayou City Art Festival (3* also see October) June 26-28 Des Moines Arts Festival (5) June 27-28
Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival at Midway College (7) July 15-19 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair (9) September 12-13 Wausau’s Artrageous Weekend (1) October 2-4 St. James Court Art Show (6) October 10-11 Bayou City Art Festival (3* also see March) October 17-18 Kentuck Festival of the Arts (10) The mission of AmericanStyle magazine is to inform craft enthusiasts and art collectors about the significance of handmade objects of art. Launched in 1994 by The Rosen Group, AmericanStyle provides art lovers with valuable tips on decorating, interior design, display and lighting ideas for everything from designer jewelry and art glass to collectible teapots, art furniture and sculptural ceramics. More than 250 arts festivals, gallery exhibitions and museum events are listed in the Datebook section of each issue. For more information, visit
www.AmericanStyle.com.
Your turn. What is your vote for the best art fair? Or, let's make it easy: what are the three best art fairs? Let us know.
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