EXMORE – Applications are now being accepted for the 2nd Annual Artisans Festival to be held September 21, 2019, from 10 a.m.- 3p.m. in the Exmore Town Park located at 3380 Main Street in downtown Exmore. The Festival is open to artisans across all categories as well as visual artists working in all media, whether professional, hobbyist or beginner, and is intended as a venue to exhibit and sell.
“We were impressed that in the first year our event drew a large crowd, and with only a few months lead time,” said Taylor Dukes, who helped spearhead the formation of the 2018 event. “The idea for an Artisans Festival has been embraced by artists and makers, and the community. It’s a unique opportunity for artisans to display their work in the intimate, fun and family-friendly setting of the Exmore Town Park.”
Artists, artisans, farmers, watermen, bakers, or any maker of hand-crafted goods from across the ESVA and the region are invited to participate. If you make it, bake it, grow it, sew it, shape it, carve it, can it or otherwise bring a product into being by hand, come showcase and sell your work in the Exmore Town Park.
The goal of the festival is not only to provide the local community access to original art and hand-crafted products, but also to welcome art lovers from the region to spend more time on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The Artisans Festival is part of two days of “art” activities that begin on Friday evening, September 20, with Exmore’s 3rd Annual Free Shakespeare in the Park, presented in partnership with Boston’s Brown Box Theatre Troupe. This year’s production is Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure”, a politically charged play with comic overtones. The performance is free and open to everyone.
The Artisans Festival is a “Rain or Shine” event, and the Town provides a choice of indoor or outdoor space. Spaces are 10’ x 10’ with 5’ clearance between booths. Indoor spaces with electricity are $45. Outdoor spaces with no electricity are $25, Exhibitors are asked to provide their own tables, chairs, and tents. Free hi-speed broadband is available throughout the Park, from 7 am – 7 pm.
Onsite food vendor and a children’s art activity area will round out Saturday’s Artisan Festival. Entry information is available on the Town of Exmore’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/events/302412080627831/ or by calling 757-651-8260.
As a new resident of ESVA I’m excited to be able to participate in the Artisan’s Tour.
Kris T Califano Hebert
Fiber Artist