The Webster Arts Fair returns to the Green at Eden Seminary this weekend for its 22nd year. Spend time in the community by browsing work from more than 100 artists, as well as rocking out, eating up, and enjoying the beautiful setting on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
“We want people to come and buy art and support artists,” says Heather Sparkman, communications and marketing director for Webster Arts. “They pour themselves into their artwork, and then they bring it to the fair because they want people to take it home and live with it.”
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This year’s fair includes 101 artists from across the country, who earned their spots by jury selection. “Our artists love to come back because they are treated very well,” Sparkman says. “We have this amazing group of volunteers and board members, and they’re dedicated—they put their heart into it. The artists feel cared for; they feel welcome. They have a positive experience, and then they can give that back to our patrons, so it’s kind of this full circle.”
Students and recent grads from Webster University’s Department of Art, Design, and Art History are returning to vend after a successful debut last year. The Youth Market is also returning, with artists ages 6–18 selling their own inventory on Sunday afternoon.
Getting to know the people behind the art is half the fun of the fair, according to Sparkman. “I wish I could tell you the stories of all the individual people. All these beautiful stories weave together to create this weekend,” she says. “I would encourage people to come and talk to the artists and get to know them.”
Beyond the Art
Shake your groove thing at the Bistro Stage and the Lockwood Tent, with more than 30 musicians. Students from the School of Rock and Childbloom’s classical guitar program will show off what they’re learning. JOIA: World Percussion starts its set at the Bistro Stage on Saturday at 6 p.m. and moves through the fair on the way to its finale at the Lockwood Tent. The Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis celebrates 250 years of Americana, and Erin Bode headlines.
Engage your inner artist at the Studios Tent, with a community art project refreshing Webster-Kirkwood Times newspaper boxes. Try fun make-and-take projects such as creating journals, star trails, critters, and landscapes. The Rep’s fan-favorite costume and prop design activity for young people returns. Grown-ups can check out a free yoga class on Saturday morning or an abstract painting activity that evening.
If all that fun works up an appetite (or thirst), grab a bite from Dat Bayou, Thai Crispy Crepe, or Jambga Kettle Corn or a sweet treat from Sylvie Dee’s, as well as bevvies from Urban Chestnut. (Proceeds from beverage sales support Webster Arts’ work.)
Sparkman says the fair and the setting come together into something even greater than the sum of its parts. “The environment has such a big impact on the experience,” she says. “We’re putting the art into this beautiful green campus. The sun starts to go down, and the sky turns these beautiful colors, and it truly has this magical feel to it.”
