06/22/2013
Only a few weeks til this year’s Shawano County Art Fair sponsored by the Shawano County Arts Council. The 45th annual event takes place Sunday July 28th at Mielke Park on Airport Rd. in Shawano. It is one of the longest running annual outdoor art and craft shows in the area.
In the beginning, the Fair was held in various locations, with the express purpose of promoting the visual arts in Shawano and the surrounding communities. Some of the Art Fair’s founding members were also involved with the beginnings of the Mielke Art Center. After much planning and building, the impressive facility we now know materialized and the Art Fair found a permanent home. This year there are many changes in the park. New restroom facilities, and a much needed addition to the Arts Center. All these improvements will make it easier to provide an even more enjoyable experience for the Art Fair patrons
Art has grown into a wide variety of skillfully done multimedia. Once only drawing, painting, and some pottery were exhibited. Now many jewelers, sculptors, wood carvers, weavers, quilters, wood workers, and others, are all mixed in with the original artists. Every year we have new artists and fine crafters, with unique new offerings for fair goers. All the proceeds from the art fair are used to support the many events held at the Mielke Art Center throughout the year.
Vendors begin setting up at 6 a.m. in the morning, and the show opens for business promptly at 10 a.m. Food and refreshments will be available on the grounds. Gates close at 4 p.m. and everything’s packed up for another year.
Entries are still being accepted until a week before the show, so who knows what exceptional treats await! All the fine arts and crafts will be judged and awarded monetary as well as ribbon prizes.