Art Fair on the Square 2007
Saturday, July 14 • 9 am–6 pm
Sunday, July 15 • 10 am–5 pm
Free
MADISON, WI – Since its first incarnation as a sleepy sidewalk sale in the late 1950s, Art Fair on the Square has grown to become a can’t-miss-it summertime destination for approximately 200,000 visitors each year. The present-day version of the fair features music, entertainment, and outdoor dining, as well as nearly 500 artists selected through a juried competition. This year’s event-the 49th annual Art Fair on the Square-returns to Madison’s Capitol Square on July 14 and 15.
Art Fair SourceBook and Sunshine Artist magazine, two leading publications that review art fairs around the country, consistently rank Art Fair on the Square among the nation’s top art festivals. Sunshine Artist, which ranks fairs on a five-star scale, gave Art Fair on the Square the top ranking of five stars.
As always, Art Fair on the Square offers a range of artistic styles, media, and price ranges. In addition to paintings, photographs, prints, and other two-dimensional media, shoppers will be able to purchase sculpture; handmade clothing and accessories; jewelry; and fine craft.
Artists who display and sell work at Art Fair on the Square are selected by a jury of four arts professionals. This year’s jurors were Theresa Abel (painter and gallery owner); Kim Cridler (metals artist and professor of metals at the University of Wisconsin-Madison); Richard Judd (furniture artist); and Rebecca Kasemeyer (curator of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Jurors reviewed images of representative works submitted by more than 1,300 applicants to select this year’s participating artists. They will also evaluate artworks during the fair to select the 2007 Best of Show winners.
Nine artists chosen for Best of Show awards in 2006 will be returning to this year’s fair. These artists include: Natalia Margulis (2-D mixed media); Samuel Yao (fiber/leather); Robinson Scott (glass); Seung Lee (graphics); Susan Hammes-Knopf (jewelry); Laura Meddaugh (painting); Jeffrey Zachmann (metal); Thomas R. Wargin (sculpture); and LeRoy Bayerl (wood).
A complete list of artists exhibiting in Art Fair on the Square 2007 is available online at http://mmoca.org/events/artfair/artists.html; the list is linked to artists’ websites so that shoppers may preview works and plan their stops around the Capitol Square. A program booklet for the fair will be bound into the July issue of Madison Magazine. The booklet will include a map identifying the location of individual artist booths, photographs of selected artworks, and performance schedules. Copies of the booklet will also be available to shoppers at the fair.
Featured Artwork
Exhibiting artist Doug Spalding was commissioned to design the “featured artwork” for this year’s fair. Spalding, who creates ceramic tiles with boldly colored caricatures, designed a whimsical bear as a mascot for the fair. Holding a sign that says “Art Fair on the Square” (or, alternately, “I Like Art”) the bear is a persuasive and good natured envoy for the event. His likeness will be silk-screened onto t-shirts, available for purchase at the fair, and printed on the Art Fair on the Square poster and program cover.
National Bands to Perform at Art Fair on the Square
Among the 25+ groups and individuals scheduled to perform at Art Fair on the Square are The Nefrons (acappella doo-wop), Chicago artist Mindy Hester (hilarious children’s rock), Salaam Shalom (kletzmer), and the Blueheels (Hank Williams meets The Who). Other out-of-state acts include a Chicago blues band, Chainsaw Dupont, which will perform at 4:30 pm on Saturday evening. Kids and families will welcome the return of Bebop the Clown and Wildwood Productions’ hands-on silk screening station, as well as other children's activities. [A complete schedule of performances is attached.]
Great Food, Silent Auction, and More
In addition to artworks for every taste and budget, and terrific performers, visitors to this year’s fair will enjoy scrumptious outdoor dining options. Food courts on State Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard will provide ample space for fairgoers to sit and enjoy a meal while watching performances. Shoppers wishing to support the museumand perhaps find a bargain in the processcan stop by the Silent Auction Tent at the intersection of the Capitol Square and Wisconsin Avenue. Donated works from many exhibiting artists will be available to the highest bidder. The Silent Auction Tent is a project of the Art League of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Art Fair on the Square 2007 is generously supported by: Pizza Hut of Southern Wisconsin; The Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable art of The Capital Times; Pepsi; Town Bank; Capitol West; Wisconsin Lottery; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, S.C.; WIBA; THE MIC 92.1; WKOW-Channel 27; DowntownCondos.com; Madison Magazine; Bluegreen Corporation; Saturn of Madison; Stoddard Meat Market; and Whole Foods.
Art Fair on the Square is organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and is the museum’s most important annual fundraiser. Revenue from the fair supports the museum’s free exhibitions and education programs year round.