Art festival this weekend

Karen and Harold Bauer of Evanston look at one of the iron vases made by David Coddaire of Oakland, Ca. during Glencoe's Festival of the Mastersback in 2010. | File photo

Updated: September 3, 2012 6:12AM

GLENCOE — Interactivity, the opportunity to create art and the chance to win art are among the highlights of the 2012 Glencoe Festival of Art being held Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 in downtown Glencoe.

Along with the Glencoe Chamber of Commerce, Amdur Productions is again hosting the outdoor festival, which will fill Park and Vernon avenues with the works of 116 artists from 22 states and Canada. Admission is free.

“This year a majority of the artists will be demonstrating in their booths,” event organizer Amy Amdur said, giving visitors the opportunity to witness the creative process and talk with the artists.

In its fifth year, the art festival is “getting legs” Amdur said. She is pleased artists are annually returning and that within the artist community there is an understanding of the quality of attendees and the community’s commitment to the festival.

One returning artist that Amdur is excited about is Nnamdi Okonkwo, a sculpture whose primary medium is bronze. A majority of his sculptures are large, suitable for indoor or outdoor exhibition, but he will also have smaller pieces available in his booth at the intersection of Vernon and Park avenues.

The work of a new artist to the festival, Carol Ferony of Florida, is featured on this year’s promotional poster.

“I picked the poster because it is very Glencoe,” Amdur said. “It’s very elegant and casual at the same time.”

Ferony used oil pastel to create the drawing on the poster using a technique called cross-hatch, where small lines are drawn to create tonal or shading effects.

Another addition will be a raffle that visitors to the information booth can enter. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, a card will be drawn and the winner will receive $100 in ArtBucks from Amdur Productions, which are good for any art in the show.

The festival also will have hands-on projects, including a spin-art booth; a bookmark project at the Glencoe Library; and an art scavenger hunt where children can connect with the fine arts and crafts of all mediums, including ceramics, glass, metal, painting, photography, jewelry and wood.

Last year the festival changed its name from the Glencoe Festival of Masters to the Festival of Art due to some confusion from visitors. People were thinking it referenced the old Masters, like Rembrant, Amdur said, so it was changed to something less ambiguous.

Amdur cites Glencoe’s unique character as another advantage for the festival.

“Not only will you be able to come to the festival and experience the art, but you will be able to get in and out of the businesses. Glencoe still retains the character of independent retailers” that other communities have lost, she said.

That feeling is echoed by Sally Sprowl, executive director of the Glencoe Chamber of Commerce.

“We are excited about this year’s festival because it brings lots of people to Glencoe and shows off our community,” Sprowl said.

A new layout was designed by Amdur Productions, the Chamber and Village with the hopes of improving accessibility to local stores. The chamber also will have a booth with information about Glencoe and its businesses.

“It’s an opportunity to have our local merchants provide brochures, or special coupons to give out during the art show,” Sprowl said. “Our goal is that [visitors] will enjoy Glencoe and return to our shops and business.”

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