What a Glorious Weekend for Art

You couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather in Kansas City to get out and enjoy the wonderful art fairs this past weekend. We have art festivals all summer long but September often has the best weather for joining the crowds to check out great art in some of my favorite settings. 

The Plaza Art Fair kicked it off for me on Friday night. The crown jewel of Kansas City’s art fairs, I always love seeing one of the prettiest spot in the city transformed with crowds of adults and kids enjoying painting, photography, sculpture, textiles and wonderful original jewelry. Add live music and great food to the mix and there’s no better way to enjoy a cool, September evening. I got to see new works by some of my long-time favorite artists including John Whipple and Sueng Lee. As an artist, I love to see how others are evolving and what new methods and media they are trying in their work.

Saturday dawned sunny and cool with a promise of warmer weather in the afternoon so I decided to head out to the UnPlaza Art Fair to see what else was new on the local art scene. While the Plaza is fun, the crowds on Saturday can test my nerves. The UnPlaza Art Fair offers more great art but less crowds and easier parking. Plus, you can’t complain about the setting across from the Kemper Museum. It’s easy to get to and you can check out the museum after you get your fill at the art fair.

Next weekend, I’m hoping for weather as fine as this weekend. It’s the Longview Art and World Music Festival where my friend McKenna will showing her jewelry. The show takes place in Lee’s Summit and hosts lots of local artists. If I stay focused, I might even be able to get some early Christmas shopping done since original art makes wonderful gifts. Or, I might just let my mind wander and enjoy the sights and sounds of art and music in the fall in Kansas City.

What’s your favorite art festival?