Tag Archives: fair

The Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff returns in July

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, ,

By Matthew Bizoe
Krasl Art Center

Krasl Art Center (KAC) will host the 2021 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in person on Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11. Safety precautions will be in place to keep the vibrant community of artists, patrons, and event supporters safe in ever-changing times.

In 1962, a small handful of local artists held a clothesline art exhibition along scenic Lake Bluff Park in St. Joseph. Those artists then formed the St. Joseph Art Association which, in 1979, through the beneficence of George and Olga Krasl, built Krasl Art Center. Over the years, the fair became one of the top-ranked juried art fairs in the nation and grew to become one of the peak summer events in southwest Michigan. When the COVID-19 Pandemic took hold in 2020, the fair paused for the safety of the 50,000 visitors, 200 artists, 500+ community volunteers, and our local neighbors.

“We are grateful to the community for their many years of support for this beloved event,’ KAC Executive Director Julia Gourley Donohue. From considering plans for 2021 to approval, and now as we finalize how to implement plans, we remain fortunate to have the leadership of many volunteers who will help ensure a successful and safe event this year. The new, advance timed ticketing plan will enable us to keep crowd sizes down for safety and in accordance with Executive Orders. Admission fees support expenses associated with planning the Art Fair and Krasl Art Center’s year-round free to all gallery and outdoor sculpture exhibitions. We can’t wait to see our masked-up patrons once again shopping with living, working artists at the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.”

What to expect for the 2021 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff:

All guests are asked to secure a timed ticket in advance.

Tickets are $5 per person age 2 and older and free for those under 2. Tickets will be available online mid-May.

To manage attendance size, a limited number of timed tickets will be available for each time slot.

Gated event. Lake Bluff Park will be gated to the north and to the south of Broad Street.

Cloth or paper masks are required for all guests, volunteers, artists, and KAC staff age 2 and up.

Increased hand sanitizing stations.

Artist vendors only (In lieu of a food court, guests are encouraged to explore local restaurants in downtown Benton Harbor and St. Joseph during their visit).

Stay up-to-date on decisions for this year’s event and learn other ways you can volunteer by signing up for email updates at krasl.org/art-fair/event-information/

Snapshots: Weekend news you need to know

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , ,

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.

Comedian Milton Berle, 1908-2002

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Carnival Fun

Through Sunday, Aug. 23, Celebration! Cinema South is hosting a Fair Food event in support of the Kentwood Athletic Boosters. They have elephant ears (five trucks), funnel cakes, deep fried Oreos, Lemon Shake-Ups, corn dogs, Philly steak and cheese, cheeseburgers, cotton candy, caramel apples, candy apples, popcorn, chicken nuggets, tater tots, fresh cut French fries, sausage and snow cones. The event is from noon to close (noon to 9 pm. through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday)

Sprinkle Away!!! Yeah!!!

Yep! Betty, Sue and Johnny can now run through the sprinklers as the City of Wyoming announced it had completed the repair of the larger of two transmission water mains. Through the efforts of its customers, who reduced their water demand by half along with the quick work of the contractors, the main was fixed in about a week and half with the ban being lifted on Wednesday and the city announcing “Sprinkle Away.”

Go On an Art Walk

Disappointment reigned supreme when it was announced that COVID-19 had put the kibosh on this year’s ArtPrize activities. As others scrambled to fill in the gaps, we discovered there is quite a bit of art — both new and old — for any resident to take their own art tour through downtown Grand Rapids. WKTV Intern Shallom Kimanzi offers up her own art walk through downtown, where she discovers just how much art downtown Grand Rapids has to offer.

Fun Fact: Where does the name August come from?

In the original Rome calendar, August was called Sextilis because it was the sixth month of the year. When January and February was added, it became the eighth month with Julius Caesar adding two more days to the month so it had 31 days. Later, it was renamed to honor Rome’s first emperor Caesar Augustus, who was Julius Caesar’s adopted son and heir.

Krasl Art Center Summer Art markets on the Green resume through August

Entertainment, ,

By Matthew Bizoe
Krasel Art Center

Krasl Art Center (KAC) will continue hosting four local artists each Saturday in August at the Summer Art Markets on the Green. Markets are Saturdays, Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Our annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff was just too large to safely hold this year but we still wanted to provide artists and our community members a chance to support each other,” said Dee Hodgson, KAC Art Fair Manager. “This summer we are thrilled to introduce our KAC faculty, ceramic guild, and Shop artists to the public – their work is incredible and it’s always a great experience to visit with the creator of your next favorite artwork.”

Aug. 1 Artists include:
Nicole Rimes, Jewelry & Fibers
Jeff & Theresa Heaton, Fibers
Bill Boyce, Sculpture
Eliot Schlaack, Drawing & Printmaking

Visit krasl.org for more information on future artists at the market.

KAC Galleries and The Shop will be open from 9 AM – 5PM on Saturdays and 11 AM – 5 PM Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays throughout the summer. Dex R. Jones: Storied Portraits is on view in the main gallery and sculptor Barbara Cooper is featured in the artlab.

The Markets will adhere to KAC’s COVID-19 safety policies. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the grounds and masks are required. Some artists accept credit cards, all accept cash. For more information visit krasl.org.

The Summer Art Markets on the Green events are underwritten by an Anonymous Patron who loves the Art Fair and The Livery Microbrewery.