Kane County plans folk art festival at convention center
Need a decorative jump-start for your home? Pump up your interior design quotient with a visit to the 26th annual Autumn Country Folk Art Festival on Friday, Sept. 26 to Sunday, Sept. 28 at the new Kane County Fairgrounds Convention Center, Randall Road between routes 64 and 38, St. Charles.
Traditional furnishings including authentic period reproductions, a limited selection of American antiques, spectacular folk art and decorative accessories, season and holiday decor - all handmade and personally presented by award-winning artisans is the focus of this eclectic one-stop home fashion market.
Celebrated furniture maker David T. Smith returns to The Country Folk Art Festival with a multiroom display of the heirloom reproduction pieces he has been crafting for more than 40 years. Well known for his expertise in designing country kitchens (many in the Chicago area), Smith will present two seminars at The Country Folk Art Festival:
• Designing a Kitchen for a Historic Home at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27;
• Hiding Your Necessities at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.
Attendance at the seminars is included in the show's $8 weekend admission.
The workshops of David T. Smith of Morrow, Ohio, will also feature redware pottery for which its artisans are widely known.
Internationally acclaimed author and folk artist Will Moses introduces his eighth and newest children's book, "It's Raining Cats and Dogs." It's an anthology of illustrated idioms such as "in a pickle" or "on thin ice." Moses, the great-grandson of Anna Mary Robertson, known as Grandma Moses, will also present his latest serigraph "The River of Life." He will be present to autograph his work for buyers and meet with collectors of his work.
Moses is one of many of America's top artisans and craftsmen appearing at The Country Folk Art Festival, judged one of the top traditional shows of its kind in America by Early American Life Magazine. It is a forum for the work of many award-winning professionals who bring to the event the rich potpourri of American style that makes our country unique.
ASL Pewter Foundry will present a large array of traditional pewter pieces, many similar to the items they provided for the recent HBO miniseries on the life of John Adams, one of America's founding fathers. Actor Tom Hanks and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine produced the documentary.
Vaillancourt Folk Art, one of America's few remaining Christmas ornament and collectibles makers, will bring their compelling Victorian-era chalk ware figurines to the Country Folk Art Festival. The pieces are distinguished by the richness of emotion in hand-painted eyes on the faces of each figurine.
The Country Folk Art Festival also features Anthony Costanza's wood carvings, handmade antique reproduction furniture crafted by D. Andrew Kates, whimsical creations by artists Janet and Laura Ravenna, charming folk paintings by Rosann Wynkoski, creative carvings by Ed Pribyl and a fresh array of appealing whirligigs from Vernon DePauw. Much more is available.
Check out the Country Folk Art Festival's extraordinary collections of seasonal garden items, Halloween and Christmas and other holiday decor.
The hours will be 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.
Weekend admission is $8 and includes attendance at one or both of David T. Smith's seminars at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Children younger than 15 attend free. Ask about group rates.
There is free parking. Other details: homemade food and refreshments; all exhibits under roof; handicapped accessible; strollers allowed. For show information, call Judy Marks, (630) 858-1568 or www.folkartfest.com.