Fiesta Arts Fair is a Fiesta® San Antonio tradition that’s grown from small beginnings 35 years ago, into what’s now considered one of the nation’s Top Ten art fairs. In February, readers of the Baltimore-based American Style Magazine named Fiesta Arts Fair the seventh ranked art fair or festival in America, noting its longevity, quality, and pure, unique “fiesta fun.”
The 2008 Fiesta Arts Fair will bring together 115 U.S. artists from more than 20 states to display their contemporary art on Saturday, April 19, from 10-6P, and Sunday, April 20, from 11-5P. Ceramics, paintings, jewelry, glass, photography, wearable art and other high-quality artworks will be for sale to embellish San Antonians’ home, table or body.
Judge Susan Reed, Bexar County District Attorney and Secretary of the Fiesta Commission’s Executive Committee, is this year’s Fiesta Arts Fair Honorary Chairman.
Fiesta Arts Fair is held on the lush and shady grounds of the Southwest School of Art & Craft’s historic Ursuline Campus. The more than 12,000 people who visit Fiesta Arts Fair each year enjoy fine art and the beautiful setting, as well as traditional fiesta food and drink from La Margarita and Ruta Maya, and toe-tapping live music on two stages.
As always, the favorite spot for families will be the Children’s Art Garden, where kids work with professional artists to create their own artworks, sponsored in 2008 by AT&T and the Baptist Health System. Located in one of the most picturesque parts of the Ursuline Campus overlooking the River Walk, activities include clay, stained glass, monoprints, face painting, Fiesta medals, beading & quilling, metal repoussé, art pots, and Fiesta crowns.
Through the years, the art fair has earned a reputation for hosting some of Fiesta’s most energetic music, in a cool and comfortable setting. The 2008 performance schedule is:
Saturday, April 19
11:00 – 12:00 Eric Carlson
12:30 – 1:30 Azul
2:00 – 3:30 Guy Forsyth
4:00 – 5:30 The Bellville Outfit
Sunday, April 20
11:30 – 1:00 Small World
1:30 – 3:00 Sisters Morales
3:30 – 5:00 Pieta Brown
Both days, Convent Garden
12:00 – 1:15 Eric Carlson
1:30 – 4:00 George Gaytan
Admission, which helps support the educational programs at the non-profit Southwest School of Art & Craft, is $6 for adults, 2-day adult pass $10, and $3 for children 5-12 years old.
During the fair, visitors can walk across the street to visit the art school’s All School Exhibition on its Navarro Campus. This annual juried exhibition features works created during the past year by Southwest School of Art & Craft students, faculty and associated artists. Mary Mikel Stump, Curator of Galleries at Texas State University-San Marcos, is the 2008 juror.
Since 1973, Fiesta Arts Fair has raised funds to support the Southwest School of Art & Craft, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching contemporary and traditional visual art techniques. The school underwrites exhibitions of regional and national artists, offers more than 400 classes for adults, children and teens, and maintains a significant historic site and museum.
For more information, including driving and parking directions and a list of participating artists, visit http://www.swschool.org/fiesta_arts_fair.php.