Works of nearly 200 artists to be in juried KIA art fair June 5-6

Sometimes Mother Nature makes it hard to tell what season it is in Michigan. Luckily, there’s the annual Art Fair from Kalamazoo Institute of Arts as a sign.

The annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair is set for June 5-6 in downtown Kalamazoo’s Bronson Park.

This year there will be nearly 200 artists in the juried show, coming from across the country. More than 60 will be first-time participants in the kick-off to summer event.

Art created in 12 different mediums will be seen, with jewelry, painting, and ceramics the most represented. There also is a growing number of accomplished glass, fiber, leather, and wood artists, who will be showing their artwork, say KIA officials.

The fair runs 3-8 p.m. Friday, June 5, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m, Saturday, June 6. For those who like to meet their friends over a beer, there’s the Bell’s Beer Garden  from 4-10 p.m. Friday.

Saturday features art activities for the kids from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (The Do Dah parade passes by the park starting at 11 am.) Youngsters can create sand art, T-shirt art, and experience face tattoos, spin art, jewelry making, and a scavenger hunt. They can say hello to mascots from local sports teams including the Slappy from the K-Wings’, and Porter from the Growlers’.

That’s not all. There will be musical performances by Bog Road, Cabtown Checkers, Crescendo Fiddlers, Loy Norrix String quartets, Mall City Harmonizers, Steve Kamerling Trio, and wrapping up on Saturday, Zion Lion, 3-5 p.m.

For a list of artists participating in the KIA Art Fair and more information check here.

Source: Kalamazoo Institute of Art