This year marks the 150th year of South Haven and the 61st anniversary of the South Haven Art Fair, June 29 & 30 from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in Stanley Johnston Park.
The South Haven Art League held the first fine arts fair in 1958 at Stanley Johnston Park, then called Oakland Park. Known as the “Clothesline Exhibit”, 50 Michigan artists exhibited over 300 paintings on clotheslines and easels that year. In the last six decades, the art fair has expanded to a two-day juried event and evolved to include more than 120 artists and thousands of works of art.
“Art Fair is a wonderful part of the busy summer season in South Haven and we look forward to visitors coming out to see the work,” said South Haven Center for the Arts Executive Director Kerry Hagy. In the last 61 years the event has expanded to include local artists, as well as artists from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Florida and a handful of other states, but in 2019 the fair is moving back to its roots. “This year we are proud to present the work of over 50 Michigan artists, which constitutes over half the work in the fair.” said Hagy.
This year’s fair features unique fine and functional artwork created by more than 100 talented artists working in acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastel, drawing, sculpture, photography, metal, glass, wood, clay and jewelry made from
precious and non-precious materials. The SHCA awards a $500 prize for Best in Show. The second-place winner is awarded $250 and third place receives $100.
This year’s judges are sculptor Geoffrey Novelli, and watercolorist, mixed-media painter and muralist Anne Farley-Gaines. Novelli is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and composes works in marble, limestone, cast iron, sandstone, copper, glass and rubber. Gaines grew up in South Haven and now lives and works in Chicago. She creates multi-media paintings, and large-scale murals consisting of paint, mosaic and ceramic that adorn many public spaces across the U.S.
New to the art fair this year will be a family art tent featuring arts and crafts for kids of all ages. Guests can also enjoy a variety of food, including wood-fired pizza, BBQ, Italian ice, coffee drinks, smoothies, waffles on a stick and more. The Casco Band will play traditional Independence Day music on Saturday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m.
The South Haven Trolley, sponsored by the South Haven Visitor’s Bureau, will be available throughout the weekend. The trolley runs on the half hour from the South Haven High School parking lot into town with stops in between, Saturday from 7:00 a.m.-midnight and Sunday from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Art Fair is funded in part by local businesses and corporate sponsors, including Albemarle, Meijer, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Outdoor Adventures, Renewal by Anderson, South Haven Visitor's Bureau, Abonmarche, BER Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling of St. Joseph, Beyer Construction, Filbrandt Family Funeral Home, Whiteford Wealth Management, Hardt Insurance and Sherman's Dairy Bar.
For more information contact the South Haven Center for the Arts at (269) 637-1041 or info@southhavenartfair.org. Visit the SHCA on Facebook for art fair updates.