Boston Mills Artfest 2006
Artfest
Snapshots from the early years of the Boston Mills Artfest show a handful of artists–in the cut-off jeans and large, dark glasses so popular in the early 70s–baking in the sun. They watch over their wares, arranged on plain, open tables at the base of this small local ski resort and chat easily with the potential customers who stroll past.
These bucolic scenes seem a far cry from the Boston Mills Artfest of today in many ways. The grassy flats have given way to an outdoor floor of finely crushed limestone, and most artists’ booths are located beneath large clear-span tents. Live jazz, blues and Cajun music create a fittingly eclectic soundtrack for the lively mix of contemporary and traditional works shown.
Artfest now holds court over two separate weekends, featuring 160 different exhibitors per weekend. Where the roster of exhibitors was once filled exclusively with local craftspeople, it is now a national, well-respected show. The Artfest exhibitors show work across a wide range of fine art and fine craft categories.
Each weekend is kicked off with a Preview Night that allows patrons the first opportunity to view and purchase the artwork being exhibited at that particular show. Like most Preview Nights, ours is a festive affair that includes a winetasting and palette-cleansing hors d’oeuvres. However, ours is one of the few such events whose attendance is not dominated by sponsors and "friends"–it is completely open to the public for a special ticket price, and all of the artists are in attendance.
In the midst of these improvements, a few key features of today’s Artfest hearken back to its roots. Display gardens created by a local nursery increase the enjoyment of the outdoors that has long been an attraction of both this show and the national parklands that surround it. The gardens offer patrons a place to sit, relax and enjoy some refreshment while they digest the art that surrounds them. Most important, though, is the continued presence of the artists who create the works that are on view.
Boston Mills Artfest exhibitors are required to be in attendance every day of the show. Some artists sit in the backs of their booths and knit or read until a customer addresses them. Others lounge in a chair at the front of their displays and greet patrons with a friendly smile and a hello. Many are only too happy to explain the impetus behind their use of color on a favorite piece, but a few need to be drawn out slowly before your questions reward you with a glimmer of insight into their work.
Does the presence of an artist at a show really make a difference to an attendee who may want to purchase his or her artwork? As a patron myself, I say it does. When you buy a work of art, you are buying a little piece of the artist who created it, so you receive a much more complete idea of what you are buying when you have the chance to meet the creator as well.
I admit, there are times when I have refrained from purchasing a piece of work that I initially admired because the artist’s personality turned me off to buying his or her work. Far more often, however, my discourse with and connection to an artist has compelled me to make that purchase that I had been contemplating.
I had admired the dichroic glass plates made by Jim and Sharon Barrett for a couple of years but always talked myself out of actually purchasing a piece, thinking them a bit too contemporary and metallic for me. After a few years of conversing with the artists at the show, however, I decided that I really had to have a piece of their work–nevermind that I had absolutely no idea where I would put it for display.
Their contemporary work now rests above my antique mahogany sheet music cabinet, where it looks strangely at home and appropriate. It makes me smile when I see the afternoon sun glinting off the blues, purples and golds. Occasionally a new visitor asks me about the piece, and I delight in telling them about both the process and the delightful couple from Tennessee who made it. The personal connection to the artists adds to my enjoyment of their work.
The Barretts have been juried into this year’s show, along with a host of other longtime Boston Mills favorites. Tom Hale, whose automotive paintings that concentrate on the way light and pattern reflects off of classic cars–and often contrasts that reflective quality with the more matte and organic shapes of flowers–will be exhibiting in the July show. His work, well-loved and respected by Artfest patrons, automotive art collectors and critics alike, has been chosen as this year’s Artfest Featured Artwork.
Only award winners from previous years, and select featured artists for the current year, are exempted into the show. Everyone else goes through the jury process, which often leads to some interesting new work being incorporated into the Artfest.
In 2005, first-time exhibitor Joseph Dumas–a jovial, laid-back guy from Louisiana–sold out completely by the second day of the show. His quirky, rustic outdoor furniture was made of metal and stone and was unlike anything the Artfest patrons had seen come through in recent years. Melanie Kimmel, who creates 2-D fabric collages from the tiniest snips of fabric, was another first-time exhibitor who captured attention at the Artfest this year. Her picture of a tall birch tree won one of three Awards of Excellence given out at each show.
The constant mix of old favorites and new discoveries keeps Artfest patrons coming back year after year–which in turn keeps quality artists interested in applying for the show. The show director, Ron Beahn, tries to foster that freshness by changing the jury of selection each year. The Artfest ownership and staff is constantly looking for other ways to improve the show as well while still keeping the intimate yet easygoing feel that has given the show its character over the past 35 years.
