Kentucky Art Fairs Take Top Spots on National List

A national magazine’s readers’ poll has three Kentucky art fairs in its top-ten list. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer has more.For six years, AmericanStyle has surveyed readers and artists to find out what they think are the country’s best arts fairs. The magazine is geared towards art enthusiasts and collectors.The top two spots on the latest list are held by Louisville-based events: Kentucky Crafted, The Market, which takes place this coming weekend; and the St. James Court Art Show, which is in October. Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival at Midway College placed fifth. No other state on the list had more than one fair.Hope Daniels is AmericanStyle’s editor."Kentucky itself has got such a strong heritage for traditional folk arts, and craft arts and contemporary arts," Daniels says. "And Kentucky has developed and maintained a very strong reputation for quality crafts, which I think is commendable."Lori Meadows is the Kentucky Arts Council’s executive director. She says the council, which produces Kentucky Crafted, works to have quality art there. She says this year’s event, which is this coming weekend in Louisville, will have some new features."We have a new display area of architectural art: artists that do cabinetry; that do sinks; that do lighting fixtures. And we’re working with the University of Louisville on an emerging artists’ section," Meadows says.Meadows says there are more displays and more buyers who have signed up to come this year compared to last year and that Kentucky Crafted has grown since its 1981 debut.The Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival at Midway College, started in 2004, has been on the list for the last four years, says event coordinator Marcie Christensen. She says it’s quality products that bring in people and helped boost the area’s economy."There are thousands of people that come to the Francisco’s Farm Art Festival that have not been to Midway before," she says. "And they come back and shop and go to restaurants there. The Francisco’s Farm weekend is a fabulous weekend for the restaurants and shops downtown."Christensen says the crowds have grown from five to nine thousand visitors since 2007. She says this year’s festival will have 150 artists from 16 states. It takes place on June.