In what has become a Mendocino summer tradition, the Mendocino Art Center will host the 48th Annual Summer Arts & Crafts Fair, in its beautiful outdoor garden setting, Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – rain or shine. Sixty-five arts and crafts booths, a food court, live local music, and an opportunity to participate in a public sculpture project, will be featured. The Fair is free and open to the public.
The Summer Arts & Crafts Fair plays host to a juried selection of talented artisans showcasing an exciting mixture of handmade artwork. Shop among a variety of unique wearable art, including hand-painted silk scarves and garments, felted and knitted caps and hats, children’s clothing, leather bags and accessories, and gold, silver, mixed metal and enameled jewelry. Choose from a number of creative household and garden items, from metal garden sculptures and rustic wood birdhouses, to abalone clocks and marquetry work on mirrors and tables.
Browse a diversity of two-dimensional artwork – highlighted by pastel, watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings, as well as photographic coastal images – and three-dimensional works including mosaic objects, sculptural and functional ceramic work, torch cut steel mobiles, and fused and leaded glasswork. There will also be a selection of books by local authors, and handmade herbal tinctures and creams.
MUSIC SCHEDULE: Saturday, July 14
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Kevin and the Coconuts, Calypso Steel Drum Band
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Earl Oliver, “The Walkin’ Blues Man”
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Kevin and the Coconuts, Calypso Steel Drum Band
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Kevin and the Coconuts, Calypso Steel Drum Band
MUSIC SCHEDULE: Sunday, July 15
Noon – 2:00 p.m. Bob Dease, Helene Chalfin, Johny Qwest Heubel, Acoustic Eclectic
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Richard Lang, Eclectic Guitar
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Annierose and Gary Moran, Sweet Grass
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Billy Schieve, Jazz/Pop Piano
This year the food booths will be operated by long time participants Ruby and Dawa Sherpa with their Himalayan cuisine and Steve and Shirley Mangini serving food with an Italian flair, including meatball bread bowls, minestrone soup, pasta salad, biscotti and more. Mendocino County beers and wines, Jennie Zacha’s traditional delectable blackberry sundaes, handmade ice cream and other sweet treats will also be served.
In conjunction with the Fair, the Mendocino Art Center is inviting the public to assist world-renowned sculptor John Fisher kick off his three-month long, on-site stone carving project, “Reconstruction Thru Deconstruction,” Saturday, July 14, noon to 4:00 p.m., on the Fair grounds at the Art Center. Attendees will be encouraged to take their own chip off the Texas limestone block, weighing ten tons and measuring eight feet tall. Donations are requested. Fisher will work on his life-sized sculpture nearly every day through September 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. By carving on-site, he provides the public with a rare chance to watch the creative process evolve first hand.
For more information on the Mendocino Art Center’s 48th Annual Summer Arts & Crafts Fair, please call 707-937-5818 (toll free at 1-800-653-3328) or visit www.MendocinoArtCenter.org. The Mendocino Art Center is located at 45200 Little Lake Street (at Kasten Street) in Mendocino Village.
The Mendocino Art Center is a member organization of the Mendocino Arts Showcase. The Showcase features major art and music festivals, art and wine auctions, garden tours, and theatrical plays and operas on the Mendocino Coast. Participating groups include the Mendocino Music Festival, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino Rotary Club Art Auction, Winesong!, Gloriana Opera Company, Mendocino Opera Fresca and the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. For more information visit www.MendocinoArts.org.