120 artists to display works along Naperville Riverwalk
Something fresh and new will meet something tried and true this weekend at the Riverwalk Fine Art Fair in Naperville.
Roughly 120 artists will be exhibiting their works along the city's downtown Riverwalk and on a stretch of Jackson Avenue between Main and Eagle streets.
"We usually have 50 percent returning artists and 50 percent new," said Debbie Venezia, director of the fair, which is presented by the Naperville Art League. "The show is juried. The only artists invited to return are artists who won an award the previous year."
New artists go through an evaluation process before they receive the go-ahead to participate, resulting in a vetted, high-quality selection of art in a variety of media, she said.
"It's a nice cross-section of art," Venezia said. "Each year, the fair takes on a life of its own."
This year's mix will include jewelry, acrylic and watercolor painting, drawing, photography, glass, ceramics, etching, wood, fiber, metal sculpture and mixed media.
"We don't allow prints," said Venezia, with the exception of prints by artists whose medium is printmaking and prints by photographers.
The show also will include what Venezia calls "fine crafts," such as glass or ceramics.
Among the artists who have long been part of the fair and will be in this year's rendition are Michael Bond, who does printmaking, digital artist Michael Brown and jeweler Robert Trisko, Venezia said. Metal sculptures from artist Thomas Yano will be at the fair, along with photography from Lou Zale.
Back this year after a long time away are watercolorist Anne Hanley, whose work was used on the art fair's banner, Venezia said, and artist Anne London.
Price points in most of the artists' tents reflect the art's high quality, Venezia said.
"These are artists who are confident their work will sell even at a higher price point," she said. "There are some artists who will have sections for kids with lower price points. Sometimes they'll have smaller ceramics and jewelry at more modest prices."
Venezia said a catering food truck will be on-site.
Musical entertainment will be provided by instructors from the Bach to Rock music school on Saturday and by Acappellago, an a cappella chamber choir, on Sunday.
Venezia said there is no admission charge for the fair.
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34th annual Riverwalk Fine Art Fair
Who: Presented by Naperville Art League
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22
Where: Riverwalk and Jackson Avenue, between Main and Eagle streets in downtown Naperville
Admission: Free
Info: napervilleartleague.com