Thursday, August 26, 2010

28th Annual Country Folk Art Festival is Almost Here!

Holy Moly! Summer’s almost over and our fall Country Folk Art Festival is fast approaching! We’ll be holding our 28th annual show at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Illinois, on September 17, 18, & 19, 2010, one week earlier than usual.

You won’t want to miss one of our best shows ever! We’ll be introducing Mary Heneghan, with her amazing reproductions of historic, early American tavern signs, many of which were featured in the book, Lions & Eagles & Bulls, Early American Tavern & Inn Signs, published by the Connecticut Historical Society in 2000. We’re thrilled to announce that Anne Childs, one of the most talented folk art painters in the country will be returning to the show this fall. Anne’s originals are meticulous copies of the originals which she places in antique frames, offering an incredible opportunity for antique collectors who have been unable to find the originals, to augment their collections with Anne’s creations.

Renowned folk artist and author, Will Moses will return with his charming New England folk art paintings, children’s books and Christmas cards.

Back by popular demand, popular Windsor chair-maker, Jim Van Hoven will be building a child’s Windsor chair at the show. Jim has also promised some new and exciting product additions to his presentation.

Furniture-makers John Bachman and Don Kates will be bringing a tempting selection of Shaker, formal, and country painted furniture pieces, any one of which would serve to enrich your interior décor! Peggy Teich will feature her wonderfully “folky” hooked rugs which can add a dramatic decorative touch as a special wall hang, and Jane Theobald will be back presenting the artistry of her handmade Nantucket baskets.

Our presentation of master woodcarvers is the best in the country, featuring Tony Costanza, Ed Pribyl, Vernon DePauw and James Neill. You’ll also find choice examples of historic Halloween & Christmas chalkware figures presented by Vaillancourt Folk Art of Massachusetts and Michael Wollett from Wisconsin.

ASL Pewter will return with their outstanding reproductions of period pieces as well as contemporary interpretations. Jain Faries will present her always popular, hand-woven textiles. SJ Pottery will offer a wonderful selection of their handmade redware and scraffito pottery, along with salt-glazed stoneware, an all-time favorite of our customers as one of the most desirable categories of country accent pieces.

See you at the show!

Judy & Lee Marks

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

September, 2010 Country Folk Art Festival

Exciting plans are underway for our 28th annual fall Country Folk Art Festival, to be held at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Illinois on September 17, 18, & 19, 2010. Once again our show will be in the new convention center, which, believe it or not has finally been given a name! It will now be known as “The Prairie Events Center.”

Please note that our fall show is being held one week earlier than normal.

Our passion for presenting the very finest Americana in the nation will be much in evidence as many of our regular, multi-talented artisans and craftsmen return for the fall show and a number of new exhibitors join us for the first time. We’ve got some special surprises planned for our Friday Evening Opening, with details to come as our plans are finalized.

And if you’ve never attended one of our shows don’t let our Country Folk Art Festival name fool you. There will be plenty of exceptional contemporary folk art to be sure, but there will also be outstanding reproductions of American antique furniture as well as a huge selection of impossible-to-find decorative accessories and historic replicas, including pottery, rugs, textiles, pewter and a host of other categories to help you enhance your interior décor! All items are handmade in America and presented by the actual artisans and craftsmen who made them! Since the wonderfully unique creations found at our shows are not available in stores, many people shop our show for special Christmas, anniversary, and birthday gifts.

In addition to a number of our participating artisans decorating their show booths with antiques and offering them for sale, some antiques dealers will be joining us too. We will also be featuring some “outsider” artwork with a little more of a contemporary flair.

Be sure to mark your calendar and plan to attend the show that Early American Life Magazine named as one of the finest Americana shows in the nation!

For additional background information about our show, please read our prior “Blogs” which will provide many more details as to what we’re all about! Stay tuned and watch for more upcoming “Blogs” as plans continue to unfold for the September show.

Lee & Judy Marks