The 35th annual Arts Fair on the Square will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday on the Courthouse Lawn in downtown Bloomington.
The art show features artwork from over 100 regional and national artists, according to the event website.. The objective of the event is to showcase the highest quality fine arts and crafts and to connect artists with the community.
Lee Burckes, the event organizer for Arts Fair on the Square, said this is her sixth year planning the event and is very excited for the Bloomington public to enjoy the festival.
“It is the best event that takes place in Bloomington. It’s an event for everyone,” Burckes said. “There’s a brand new expansion of 30 new artists. This brings in more art to Bloomington and more of a variety of art styles to the town.”
The event is organized and sponsored by the Bloomington Playwrights Project. For the block exhibit, all of the featured artists will have art booths to present and sell artwork in various mediums such as painting, fiber, photography, wood, metal and others.
In addition to the artwork showcase, the art fair will also have an interactive art center with activities for everyone to take part in. The Lotus Education and Arts Foundation will have a pahiyas workshop, the Storyzilla Story Show will have a poetry workshop and the Ivy Tech and BPP Youth Education Theatre will have a windblown art workshop.
“The city has been supportive and helping us make the expansion possible,” Burckes said. “It’s really great that as a community we are all coming together to create art. We are able to bring more art and more entertainers and more importantly art activities. We have more things going on so we have something to do for ?everyone.”
There will also be musical performances featured every hour at the festival, including musical acts such as the Bloomington Community Band, the Windfall Dancers, Jordan River Crossing, Panache Dance, Dark Side Tribal and Different Drummer Belly Dancers.
The juried art show will be a dual partnership with the Taste of Bloomington in order to draw visitors to the Bloomington area.
“The showcase not only supports tourism, but it also helps make Bloomington a foundation,” Burckes said. “It is a place that people want to come to and come back to. The arts, diversity, people and infrastructure are all supportive and drive Bloomington. We take great pride in being supportive to the arts and this destination.”
The event is free and open to the public. Free parking will be available in select locations. Burckes said everyone should take the chance to visit the fair, and that they will find something they will highly enjoy there.
“People should come to see something they never seen before and have an experience they never had,” Burckes said. “Even if they have been to the event before, there is something new that everyone can benefit from. Even if you don’t particularly care for art, it is exciting, fun and diverse.”
