It’s official! Spring has sprung, the tents have been dusted off & the summer art & craft fair season is officially underway. This past weekend was the first of two summer shows for me in the historic Indian Fort Theater in Berea, Ky. I, along with several members of the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen, decorated my space & set up my work for the KGAC Spring Fair.

For the first time in five years the KGAC Spring Fair was hosted under the canopy of trees in Indian Fort Theater. Indian Fort Theater is an excellent venue for this sort of outdoor fair. The atmosphere is charming, enchanting & relaxed. Musicians stroll the venue with instruments in tow, pausing where crowds are gathered to entertain for a couple of songs before moving on to delight ears elsewhere. This past weekend there were fiddle players, a bass constructed from an upside down washtub, a puppeteer entertaining children as they passed.

As a seller, it is pleasant to sit just outside my tent, behind my table and take it all in–the smell from the blacksmith’s fire, the consistent sound of his hammer forging a new piece, the lull of wind chimes or of musical bells, laughter, fresh corn, “yum” and “ooohhh” or “aahhh” and sentences like, “How delightful.”, “I’m mesmerized!” or “This makes me happy.” There is much to be said about working this way–conducting business in the shade of the trees, making contacts & new friends. It can be heartbreaking, heartwarming, soul stirring, exhilarating, tiring….it can be all those things at any given moment. But mainly it feels genuine, real, gritty & alive.

It’s sometimes difficult to put yourself out there, to welcome scrutiny & critique, but the oohhhs, aaahhhs & genuine ear to ear smiles are always worth it. I’m happy to be a small part of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen & to display my work with other artists from this state. It makes me proud to show you what these hands can create!

My next show will be July 12, 13 & 14th at Indian Fort Theater in Berea, Ky. I will join 120 vendors there for the Berea Craft Festival. In October, the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen will again be displaying their wares in the woods of Indian Fort Theater. These are events too good to miss!

Too keep up with Berea Craft Festival or the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen “like” their facebook pages.

Berea Craft Festival

Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen Facebook