In its sixth year, the Barrington Art Festival has created a special place in the hearts of the local community in Barrington. The art festival will help the village celebrate its 150th anniversary on Memorial Day weekend with live music, festival food, art activities for children and much more. The art festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, along Cook and Station streets in downtown Barrington.
“People we work with are supportive of bringing art to the community, they’re a pleasure to work with and create such a welcoming feel for the artists. It really sets the stage for a great weekend,” said Amy Amdur, President of Amdur Productions, the company that helps put numerous local art festivals together.
The Barrington Art festival has juried artists — a selection process where artists must be invited to attend based on a sample of their work and an idea for their booth set-up. Paintings, photography, ceramics, fiber art, and handmade jewelry and clothing and more will be available to view at the artist booths. There will be over 130-juried artists from all over the country. The prices for art range from $25 to $2,500 so and the art can also be commissioned.
The festival will also offer live music on Saturday and Sunday. David Dallison plays in a trio, and they perform jazz-fusion. They will be performing all day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with some breaks in between. On Sunday, Jeff Libman will be performing with his band. They play easy-listening rock with vocals. There will be a sangria and beer garden this year so attendees can grab a drink and sit down, relax and listen to music in a beautiful setting. There will also be outdoor grilling and festival food.
“This event is really free. The only thing you would buy is food, art or something to drink,” Amdur said. “For anyone who wants to avoid the crowds they should come early or come late, but you’ll have a good experience.”
This year Barrington launches a historic building walk during the art festival. Visitors and anyone interested can take one of these walks and see some of the beautiful architecture and buildings in the community and learn some of the history behind them.
“We always try to do new and special things, this year we have some artists coming back from previous years and some new ones,” Amdur said. “It’s always a fresh experience. We’re doing something with the local art school, Kaleidoscope. They’re running the whole youth activity center, where there will be free art activities so you can come with kids.”
Barrington Art Festival
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23-24
Cook and Station streets in downtown Barrington
