Birmingham Fine Art Festival celebrates 25th anniversary

BIRMINGHAM – Thousands of art enthusiasts from throughout the metro area are expected to celebrate Mother's Day weekend, May 13 and 14, by attending the very popular and prestigious Birmingham Fine Art Festival in Birmingham's Shain Park.
Ranked consistently as one of the top art festivals in the country – and the first major art festival of the season in Metro Detroit – the 25th annual Birmingham Fine Art Festival offers wonderful art and entertainment. The Festival is hosted by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center and The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber.
Some 80,000 are expected to pour into Shain Park and the surrounding streets in downtown Birmingham to enjoy all that the Festival has to offer: fine arts and crafts, musical entertainment, a diverse array of specialty concessions, artist demonstrations sponsored by Bruce White Galleries and the hands-on HAP family art and science activities led by BBAC instructors and volunteers.
This year's featured artist is Ed Risak of Marquette. Known for his Raku artworks, Risak is recognized as a major artist in his field, with pieces in the permanent collections of the White House, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, ABC Studios in Livonia, Blue Cross Blue Shield in Detroit and the Dow Chemical Company in Midland.
Risak will be among more than 250 of North America's finest artists who will be offering tempting unique artworks in 17 different media, including ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, painting, photography, wood and digital.
The Festival draws a large number of applicants from all over the United States and Canada. The caliber of the juried artworks accepted into this show is very high. The Festival strives to keep "fresh" by striking a balance between new and familiar artists. This year, 15 percent are new artists.
"The Festival will offer a wide variety of special artistic gifts to pamper wonderful moms, or for moms to choose – like jewelry, a trendy spring wearable, paintings and decorative pieces for the home," said Festival Director Peggy Kerr. "For a new or refreshing look for the home or apartment, the Festival will offer artworks that buyers can proudly show off to friends who will admire their wonderful taste and savvy artistic shopping. No matter what the budget or interest is, there is something that will entice."
The Festival is a great opportunity for parents to discuss art with their children, Kerr added. "It's an opportunity for both parents and children to meet different types of artists; see the medium the artist has mastered; and ask questions."
The Festival is free and open to the public. It opens each day at 10 a.m. and closes on Saturday at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 5 p.m.
http://www.bbartcenter.org.