Milwaukee's Lakefront Festival of Art has always been held in long tents right next to Lake Michigan. It is now held right in front of the architecturally incredible Milwaukee art museum on the lake. It is now held on a street, rather than grass so that now when it rains, they don't need to spread hay on top of wet muddy grass. (this isn't wonderful the first day of the festival but by day 3, it is downright obnoxious!!)
Quality at this festival is always among the best. There is always a good mix of artists from previous years and new ones. The jewelry is always amazing but I think that this year had to be the best. This is supposed to be the year I only buy bracelets so of course I bought two pairs of earrings, from new artists who had incredible pieces. If my lottery ticket had the right numbers, I would have bought the entire booth of jeweler Beth Solomon. Exquisite work with metal, stones and pearls.
Beautiful oils, luxurious textiles, wonderful glass and useful ceramics were a joy to look at.
One of the major sponsors of the festival is a plant nursery. As you walk into the tent from the admission booths, you pass by what looks like a garden with large pieces of art placed throughout. It was a great way for a sponsor to contribute to the atmosphere of the show.
On Friday the show runs until 9pm so that news of a possible storm with 70 mph winds arriving around 5 was cause for concern. The rain arrived a lot earlier and most of the storm passed to the south of us. There were people from the festival advising the artists to make sure the back areas of their spaces were secured but they assured us that the tents were able to withstand the winds We took advantage of the situation and went to see the 20 artists with booths inside the museum. They were of the same quality as those outside.
Since weather always plays a role here, having a small amount of booths inside is not the disadvantage it may seem to be. Before the rain, it was sunny and extremely hot--so much for Cooler by the Lake. Going into an airconditioned building for a shot of cool air and more art is a good thing.
This patron drove home happy to find a dark house and no electricity for 24 hours. Yes, it was definitely LFOA weekend.
Comments