Summers in Minneapolis’ art community are marked with many art fairs, beginning in May and ending mid-August. The new City of Lakes Art Fair at Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis this October will extend the art fair season into the fall.
“Artists see a big kind of space between summer and winter markets and events and oftentimes there aren’t many outdoor ones, particularly in Minneapolis in the autumn,” said Nichole Showalter, events manager at Homespun Events. “And so we saw this opportunity to have this beautiful art fair in the backdrop of one of the Uptown lakes.”
Applications launched last week, and artists, food vendors and musicians have until Aug. 15 to apply. The fair runs Oct. 11-12 and will feature 140 national and local artists, live music and food vendors. It will take place on the northwest side of Bde Maka Ska between W. Lake and W. 32nd St. on the lakeside paths.
Homespun Events also runs the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Art Fair, Edina Art Fair, Minnehaha Falls Art Fair and the holiday-themed Minnesota Merry Market at the State Fair in December.
Artists who do the summer art fair circuit had mixed feelings about the City of Lakes Art Fair, with some excited about another fair, while others already had travel plans or were too burnt out to apply.
Ceramicist Joy O’Conner, owner of Earthenjoy, is a regular on the summer art fair circuit and has done six art fairs this summer alone, including Art-A-Whirl. When she heard about the City of Lakes Fair, she decided to apply.
She moved here with her family from Omaha four years ago and tends to make 85-90% of her income from summer art fairs outside of Art-A-Whirl.
“I make so many one-off pieces ― I have literal, really severe ADHD and so to keep making the same thing isn’t going to happen for me,” O’Conner said. “My customers know that the place they’re going to find the biggest selection from me and the newest work is always at the art fairs.”
