The village of La Grange will celebrate fine art this weekend with the West End Art Festival, which is marking its 21st year.
The event will take place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18. Music will be played and a limited number of artists will remain open for browsing and purchase on Saturday evening.
The fair is located on Burlington Avenue in the area around the Stone Avenue Train Station, which organizers said provides an historic ambience to the event.
“We plan this event specifically because it features the West End as a backdrop,” said Nancy Cummings, executive director of the La Grange Business Association which organizes the event.
“Although it’s considered the quieter side of La Grange, the West End has a very active business community with a diverse segment of service businesses like banking and insurance, but it also has an energetic retail and restaurant segment as well,” Cummings said.
The juried festival attracts artists from throughout the Midwest who exhibit and sell their works in a variety of mediums including drawings, pastels, ceramics, jewelry, acrylics, metals, glass, photography and mixed media, she said.
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“We limit the number of artists in each category so that the show maintains an eclectic mix of exhibitors to appeal to a variety of tastes,” Cummings said.
The event will include interactive activities in which guests will be able to work on a community mural or create a piece of art at an individual easel, she said.
The fair also will feature a live auction of artist-decorated bird houses atop peace poles that have been on the streets of the business district this summer as part of an annual display of public art. The auction is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday and proceeds will benefit local charities, Cummings said.
Amy Smetana, an artist from Downers Grove who owns Eye Candy by Amy, a jewelry line, has sold her work at the fair for the past three years and likes the enthusiastic reception she receives.
“The people really seem to crave the unique and handmade,” she said. “They just seem to love art.”
Cummings said patrons like the festival because of the variety of art and the setting.
“Patrons tell us they love this event precisely because it is located on the West End which has a calmer, slower and more residential feel,” she said. “We have a bit more space at our disposal so we’ve been able to add to the menu of offerings.”
The other offerings include a culinary tent and a performance art stage.
At the Art of Food tent eight local chefs will demonstrate their culinary skills and prepare recipes. Attendees will be able to taste samples of these dishes along with tastings of suggested wine pairings.
Various musicians and dancers will perform throughout the weekend in the performance tent. Following the auction of the bird houses on Saturday, the Reunion Jazz Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m.
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