Saturday marks debut of 9th annual “A Fair of the Arts”

This Saturday, the brick plaza across from the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market\n will come to life. Potters, jewelers, photographers, and artists of all kinds will come to show their works at the opening of the ninth annual event called “A Fair of the Arts.”\nThe fair takes place the second Saturday of every month from May through October. It runs from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. and is free to visitors.\nLeslie Kaiser, community events coordinator for Bloomington Parks and Recreation, coordinates and helps set things in place for the fair. Kaiser said the event has grown each year since it opened in 1999.\nThe fair was created to give local artists an opportunity to showcase their wares in the community, Kaiser said.\n“Its intent was to tap into what Bloomington has, which is a huge artistic community.” Kaiser said.\nThe community aspect is what many artists say draws them to the fair each year.\nTerry Taylor-Norbu, a local jeweler, has been participating in the fair for four years now. Though she will travel to other fairs this summer, including the Covington Art Fair in Fort Wayne\n, Taylor said the people at the fair are what keep her coming back.\n“They just are lovely people,” she said. “You talk to your friends, you talk to your neighbors and you make new friends.” \nAnother artist participating in the fair this Saturday is Sue Westhues, whose unique form of art consists of turning gourds into artwork. Westhues has been attending the fair since 1999 and had even requested to participate in the farmers’ market before the fair was created.\nShe said she enjoys the fair because it is close to home and provides an easily accessible place for people to find art.\nShe started working with gourds after she grew too many in her garden and saw different uses for them, she said. Since then, she has found ways to turn them into fairy houses, toy bases, purses, containers and musical instruments. \n“You can use them for an endless amount of products,” she said. “They are infinitely interesting.”\nGeorge Zajicek and his wife Phyllis come to the fair yearly to showcase their glass art. George has also been with the fair since 1999\n and worked on the steering committee that helped create it.\nThe couple began working with glass art over 30 years ago when they made a “lifestyle change” and left their jobs in order to pursue the arts, Zajicek said.\nThough he and his wife travel across the country participating in shows and art fairs, he said Bloomington holds a special place in their hearts. They have showcased their art in Ann Arbor, Mich., in the past, and plan to travel to Milwaukee, this summer. But Bloomington is different for them.\n“Bloomington is a city of special people,” he said. “They come there in the morning and they’re very enthusiastic. It really represents the true spirit of Bloomington.”\nIn addition to the artists’ typical pieces, visitors can look forward to some special pieces being brought out for Mother’s Day. Some vendors plan on hosting special pieces on sale specifically for the occasion. Kaiser suggests visitors keep that in mind on Saturday.\n“If you haven’t gotten a Mother’s Day gift yet,” she said, “it may be a good place to look.”