Saturday and Sunday the Lexington Art League and LFUCG Division of Parks and Recreation will host the 38th annual American Founders Bank Woodland Art Fair, a juried art fair that features the work of over 200 artists from Kentucky and beyond.
The event, which includes live music, local food and a beer garden, usually draws crowds of 60,000 over the course of its two-day run, according to a release from the Lexington Art League.
Free parking shuttles will be available from several downtown locations, including AFB Bank, the parking lot of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Phoenix Parking Lot and the Transit Center; a bike check station will also be available on site.
“We’ve tried to remove any obstacle that might keep someone from attending what has become one of the premier arts events in the region,” said Lexington Art League Executive Director Stephanie Harris.
This year brings the introduction of the “Big Tent,” represented quite literally by a large tent, that will include a community activities area where children and adults can interact alongside one another with activities facilitated by local arts groups and non-profit organizations.
The LAL Big Tent will also feature the work of four emerging artists as part of a one-time professional development program that showcases quality artists to the outdoor fair exhibition experience. Sculptor Sarah Heller, painter Lennon Michalski, printmaker Liz Foley, and this year’s featured artists printmaking duo Sara and Bryan Turner of Cricket Press will all be included under the Big Tent as a way to not only introduce fair-goers to the work of established and emerging local artists but also as to provide an opportunity to learn more about the juried, outdoor fair industry.
“Artists who’ve never sold their work at an outdoor art fair like the AFB Woodland Art Fair, which features over 200 artists, can easily become overwhelmed by the process or simply may not know what to expect,” LAL Exhibitions and Programs Director Becky Alley said in a release. “By inviting a handful of quality artists to experience the fair industry at no risk to them, we are fulfilling part of our vision of serving artists at all levels of experience. Our hope is that we will see these artists begin to sell their work at outdoor art fairs throughout the region.”
The event starts both Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. in Woodland Park and runs until 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information and an artist lineup click here.