This weekend, the Saint Louis Art Fair comes to Clayton, bringing hundreds of top-notch artists together alongside food, music, live art experiences, and great projects for the youngest future artists in the community.
“It’s not hard to say that the Saint Louis Art Fair is among the most beloved traditions in the area,” says board chair Suzanne Dalton Kearins. “We’ve very proud of our 30-year history.”
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The three-day event, which dates back to 1994, runs Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday. It covers a multi-block footprint along Forsyth Boulevard, from Brentwood just past Central. The fair features high-quality work by a diverse range of artists working in 14 different types of media.
“Our focus is always on the artists and their success at the art fair. Without them, we have no art fair,” Kearins says. “We have a wonderful array of artists who are coming from all over the country and from outside the country.”
In a typical year, about a thousand hopeful artists apply for the show, and five jurors are tasked with winnowing the pool down to about 200, in a process that Kearins calls both transparent and rigorous. “They always create a beautiful show,” she says.
This year, the fair features expanded offerings for kids, in the form of the Creative Castle, where 10 groups offer unique projects for kids ages 3–12, such as paper-plate masks from Rohan Woods School, LEGO printmaking by St. Louis Artists’ Guild, a costume activity from The Repertory Theatre St. Louis, and a ‘zine workshop by New City School.
“I think it goes a long way to inspiring these kids to think of themselves as artists,” says Kearins. “You just never know whose talent might be sparked, whose passion might be ignited. To be surrounded by so many people who have realized their full artistic potential, I can’t imagine how that’s not inspiring to these kids.”
The fair also offers community outreach beyond the days of the event, including the Public Art Collection, which offers artworks purchased from the art fair to organizations at no cost, as well as the Emerging Artists as Entrepreneurs program. The two-year-long emerging artists program provides practical training for early-career artists, from how to best present their work to navigating the business aspects of the festival industry and how to make a living as an artist. “We’re always proud when our former emerging artists jury into the Saint Louis Art Fair,” Kearins says.
Beyond the board and artists, she says, the festival couldn’t happen without support from the City of Clayton, more than 350 volunteers, and corporate sponsors. Those relationships also allow the festival to remain admission-free. Kearins also points out that the festival puts great emphasis on being equitable and accessible.
Says Kearins, “Being the kind of family-friendly event that makes everyone feel welcome and being able to enjoy everything that the Saint Louis Art Fair has to offer is what we’re about.”
The Saint Louis Art Fair runs from 5–10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. See the website for more details.
