Fine Art Fair
September 27 – 29, 2019
Friday: TBA | Saturday: TBA | Sunday: TBA
It's our 57th anniversary for bringing original art to central Illinois and we want you to be a part of the celebration! As one of the oldest art organizations in the country, the Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair is nationally recognized. We offer affordable hotel rates, convenient parking, and 500+ volunteers. This year, we have added Friday night in order to increase your opportunities to visit our extraordinary fair! This is the Peoria Art Guild's major fundraising event of the year. All proceeds benefit the Guild's community outreach and programming. Thank You to all of our Sponsors for all they do to support this event! Check them out here
Location
Riverfront Festival Park
200 NE Water Street
Peoria, IL
Note: The Peoria Park District requests that no animals be allowed unless for therapeutic or emotional support.
Free Parking / Click here for parking map
Admission
$10 Friday Evening
$5 Saturday Single Day Pass
$5 Sunday Single Day Pass
$7 Saturday & Sunday Weekend Pass
CHILDREN 12 & UNDER FREE
MEMBERS FREe
Art Fair Preview by ExplorePeoria
Artists
Showcasing 130 nationally recognized artists who love Peoria! Original works of art will include jewelry, painting, ceramics, photography, digital art, printmaking, mixed media, metal, glass, wood, sculpture, fiber, leather, and wearable fiber.
I BUY ART: Supporting the arts in Peoria
I BUY ART, a grassroots campaign started by Peoria-based textile company Collecture, will become the central theme of this year’s Peoria Fine Art Fair.
I BUY ART was launched to reinforce a philosophy that the best way to support the arts is to buy art. I BUY ART buttons will be given to every Fair patron that purchases artwork in an effort to advocate and emphasize the importance of buying original art.
Shannon Cox & Kim Sanders, Directors of the 2018 Peoria Fine Art Fair are thrilled to be collaborating with Collecture to bring the I BUY ART initiative to the 56th anniversary of this event.
2018 EMERGING ARTIST
NATALIE ZELMAN
Natalie Zelman is currently studying ceramics at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, working towards an MFA by way of an MA. She found her passion for art at a young age and earned her BFA in Studio Art with concentrations in ceramics and sculpture from Millikin University in Decatur, IL in 2017. She has participated in multiple group exhibitions through Millikin and at Blue Connection Gallery in Decatur, IL, and completed her BFA exhibition with fellow Millikin students, Sarah Suits and Danna Herbach. An academic in addition to an artist, she has a passion for art history and through the James Millikin Scholar program has done extensive research on the subject of women as subject matter in grotesque art. In her free time, she continues to create, pursuing writing and crafts such as sewing and prop-making. nataliezelman.com
2018 GUEST ARTISTS
ALEXANDER MARTIN, ALLISON WALSH, COLLECTURE
Collecture is a Peoria-based textile company that collaborates with artists to create fabric and finished goods from original artwork. Alexander Martin, the first artist collaborator, is an Appalachia-native who explores common associations with masculinity and femininity, and stereotypes associated with these concepts in a way that explores why these ideas perpetuate our culture and society. Alex received his MFA from Bradley University, and currently lives in Peoria, IL. Allison Walsh, Collecture's second artist collaborator, is an independent documentary filmmaker and artist in Peoria, Illinois. She combines her art disciplines to bring new life to the stories she encounters. Allison has a BFA in Painting and a BA in Spanish from Bradley University.
collecture.co
alexanderandrewmartin.com
allisonwalsh.com
2018 POSTER ARTIST
JOHN LEBEN
John Leben, our 2018 featured artist, was born and raised in Chicago. While in 8th grade, he received a scholarship to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. He attended University of Illinois in Champaign, earning a BFA and was awarded a fellowship to study at the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Northern Maine. He next received a fellowship to study in the MFA program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also won the Kunioshi fellowship in Europe. Since that time, John has created paintings, used Xerox machines as art media, worked in video publishing, studio design, documentary production, animation and produced television series on PBS. "After ten years...with technology, I mellowed my message and focused, again, on my roots as a draftsman and graphic artist," said John. "I continue to exhibit and sell my work at art shows and galleries around the midwest and Florida, occasionally winning awards and accolades for my digital paintings." www.lebenart.com
Community Mural
If you think the kids are the only ones having fun, the interactive Community Mural is designed for adults. It takes hundreds of people to participate in this fun, hands-on activity — and everyone attending the Fair can watch as the mural literally comes together tile-by-tile over this three-day event. It's free, it's fun and it's Peoria's nod to our extremely talented poster artist John Leben.
Kids Art Festival
Admission $5
We are happy to announce the Kids Art Festival will include a community Mural which will feature artists like Van Gogh and Kadinsky for our young artists this year! There will also be a large interactive canvas representing Jackson Pollock style of painting. Sculpture, textiles, watercolor and drawing activities will be included as well!
Other things offered will include:
A Paint-It-Take-It T-Shirt or Canvas Bag
Face Painting
Slime Making
Henna Art (for an additional fee)
Peoria Playhouse Destination Playground and Activities
ISU Center for Math, Science & Technology STEM Projects
Entertainment
On entering the fair, you can enjoy live musical selections throughout our scenic riverfront as a backdrop to your viewing and purchasing of the art on display.
Food
Exceptional palate-pleasers from some of Peoria's favorites will be available. This year's food vendors include Nick N Willie's, Mike's Knot Just Ribs, Moja's, Nacho Mama's Grilled Cheese, Haddad's, Popcorn Heaven, Demarchi's Coffee, Ortiz Bakery and Jane's Sweet Addictions.
Beer, Wine, and Water Tents
Selected red and white wines will be at two locations -- The Landing & under the Murray Baker Bridge.
Wine by the Glass: $6
Beer: $5 – $6
16 Ounce Water: $2
Peoria Art Guild Information
The best volunteers on the planet will answer all your questions about the Fine Art Fair, locating a specific artist, or directions to the Kids Art Festival. They can also tell you about upcoming special events. A fundraising raffle will also be at the PAG tent with current works from participating artists. And don't miss the official Fine Art Fair commemorative poster and T-shirts. They are a great, affordable way to support the Fine Art Fair.