Make and take home your own creation at Fine Line Arts Festival
Imagine spending an entire day in a country setting watching skilled artisans demonstrate how they create their works. At the Fine Line Arts Festival-Prairie Style, to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3, you'll be able to do that and more.
Located at 37W570 Bolcum Road, St. Charles, the Fine Line Creative Arts Center, which is hosting the event, plans to showcase more than 50 artists who will be selling their wares. Many of them will demonstrate how they do what they do with hands-on experiences for the whole family.
An artisan market, live bluegrass music and picnic foods, including hot dogs and cookies, are included in the offerings of the day. Everything featured will revolve around the prairie, executive director Lynn Caldwell said, adding that years ago the event was called Raku Day.
"This year, we added a theme because we have a prairie property that was donated to us and it's attached to our campus," Caldwell said.
The Fine Line Creative Arts Center is a nonprofit organization that started in 1979. It is primarily an educational facility where ceramics, drawing, weaving, felting, blacksmithing and more are taught. There are two galleries on campus and a supply store. In addition to fun art activities and shopping that will take place the day of the festival, attendees can peruse the prairie, learn more about the care involved in maintaining it, and even lend a hand.
"We'll have some prairie activities going on that day," Caldwell said. "We have seeds that can be distributed and some of the art activities will have a nature theme."
Kids can learn about and try gel printing, paper making, and indigo tie-dyeing. There will be an oil pastel demonstration, and they'll offer a needle felting make-and-take activity.
"You start with fleece and by using a barbed needle, you can create small figures or flowers or landscapes," Caldwell said.
The Fine Line just installed an outdoor sculpture shell, which will be an impressive area for viewing. Galleries can be toured; one has six to eight exhibits and the other features a juried show and gifts. But the biggest draw, which is open to anyone, may be the pottery section where people can purchase bisqueware and glaze it. After that, artisan potters will "rapid fire" your piece so it can be taken home the same day.
"They'll put it in a kiln outside at 1600 degrees and then take it out and put it in sawdust or newspaper," Caldwell said. "It flames up and then you put it into a garbage can and you end up with a cool metallic finish."
This is the 20th year the festival has taken place. The free event offers plenty of parking right on the grounds.
"It's going to be a really fun day with enough to do for the whole day," said executive coordinator Eileen Collins. "It costs nothing to come out to see us."
Caldwell called the event a great day to hang out in the country not far from home.
"We'll have a lot of different demonstrations going on," Caldwell said. "We'll have the Raku, the prairie tours, the sculpture in the prairie, live music and there will be food. It's a family-friendly event."
For more information, visit fineline.org.
If you go
What: Fine Line Arts Festival - Prairie Style, featuring artist demonstrations, an artisan market, hands-on experiences, prairie tours, live music and food
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3
Where: Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Road, St. Charles. The location is one-half mile west of Randall Road on Bolcum Road.
Admission and parking: Free
Details: <a href="http://www.fineline.org">www.fineline.org</a> or (630) 584-9443