See art, learn and give back at Naperville fair
If there's one event that embodies the purpose of the Naperville Woman's Club, it's the group's long-running art fair.
Just like the club, the fair is about art, education and community service, President Julie Cunningham said.
The art part is obvious, and it's what's kept the event coming back year after year.
"It's become quite a tradition for us and for Naperville," Cunningham said.
More than 100 artists are scheduled to set up booths on the Naper Settlement grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, to compete in the 56th annual juried competition and sell their pieces. Artists at the free-admission fair come from near and far displaying works in clay, glass, jewelry, mixed media, metal, painting, photography, sculpture and wood.
And don't forget performing art. A guitar duo called Patchouli will serenade shoppers from noon to 4 p.m. both days of the fair.
With art as the star, education comes in a couple of forms.
Adults can learn about the creative process informally by talking with artists or watching them give demonstrations of painting or drawing, said Roxanne Lang, art show director.
"There are always artists creating," Lang said.
But kids have a dedicated spot to gain a hands-on art education: the Petite Picassos children's activity tent. There, they can experiment with clay and painting and get a ribbon saying "I created my own masterpiece."
"We're helping children to express their artistic side," Cunningham said. "A part of a rounded education is to learn more about art."
Hitting the community service element of the club's mission, the event includes three ways to give back.
Visitors can bid on silent auction items donated by participating artists, or they can buy ceramic bowls created by ClaySpace in Lisle as an Empty Bowls fundraiser. Both the silent auction and the sale of ceramic bowls will benefit food pantries.
And as the woman's club's largest fundraiser of the year, Cunningham said the fair helps the club donate to charities and maintain its historic building, the Old Stone Church at 14 S. Washington St., for event rentals by public users.
The fair has come a long way in its first 55 years.
"It started as a little art fair in Central Park behind our building and the artists put their wares out on benches and clotheslines," Cunningham said. "It's gotten quite sophisticated."
And organizers say it continues to evolve. This year, a new element is an award category for "upcycled" or recycled art, Lang said.
"It's people incorporating maybe vintage pieces into fabric creations or other pieces of art," Lang said. "So that should be interesting."