The eight annual Austin ArtWorks Festival will welcome 57 exhibiting artists in 50 booths on Aug. 24-25.

A majority of the exhibitors (54 percent) are returning to the event while 26 exhibitors (46 percent) are new to Austin.  

The majority (42) are Minnesota-based with the balance from six other states: Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and Tennessee. Seven of the exhibitors currently offer work for sale in the Austin ArtWorks Center retail area. 

All artists were invited to exhibit after completing an application process which involved a brief biography, description of materials and techniques used in creating artwork, a list of honors and awards and images of artwork. The applications were reviewed by four jurors, all artists, and scored based on quality, originality and impact. Invitations were then issued based on the jury scores. Austin Area Arts uses this rigorous process to insure the highest-quality art is exhibited at the Austin ArtWorks Festival.

Exhibitors represent 13 mediums: ceramics, embroidery, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, paper, photography, print making, sculpture, textile and wood.

Among the exhibitors are three past Purchase Award winners, Scot Schmidt (2016), Tonja Ihlenfeldt (2017) and Vince Quast (2018).

Exhibitors are joined by seven other artists: Trunk Show artists, Lisa Truax and Ann Madland; Featured Artist Rory Wakemup; demonstraotrs Aalekhya Sharma Diswas (henna), Jon Offutt (glass blowing), Flor Soto (pinata making), and Katie Hunerdosse (sidewalk chalk). There will also be five special exhibits: Featured Artist Rory Wakemup’s work; “Our Austin, Our America” by William Taufic; Youth Exhibit by selected area first grade-12th grade art students; Kids Studio Exhibit featuring work created in the ArtWorks Center’s Saturday morning classes; and Tom Hormel Exhibit. 

Visitors can also create their own artwork at six, hands-on art experiences: the Family Arts Tent, Brush the Beetle, String Box Shanty, Unity Project, Harmonica Class with Everett Smithson and Sidewalk Chalk Contest. 

Three active stages will offer 11 music acts on the outdoor stage; five music acts on the indoor, acoustic music stage; and 12 authors on the authors’ stage. For much more information on the Austin ArtWorks Festival, visit austinareaarts.org. 

The Austin ArtWorks Festival is a program of Austin Area Arts, an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to harness the power of the arts to improve lives and the community. The Austin ArtWorks Festival was founded by a group of dedicated volunteers in 2012 and is led by co-chairs Bonnie Rietz and Mary Anne Wolesky. The Austin ArtWorks Festival is funded by Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea Austin, the city of Austin and individual donors

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Coming soon at the Paramount

• July 10: $5 Movie: “Cinderella” 3 and 7:30 p.m.
• July 17: $5 Movie: “Beauty & The Beast” 3 and 7:30 p.m. 
• July 24: $5 Movie: “Inside Out” 3 and 7:30 p.m. 

Coming soon at the ArtWorks Center

• Daily Clay Summer Camp with Jesse Smith: 10 a.m. on July 2, 9, 16 and 23 and at 1 p.m. on July 3, 10, 17 and 24. 
• Beginning Acrylic Pour Painting with Mary Nordeng at 6 p.m. on July 18
• Let’s Play My Way Kids Camp with Rachel Obranovich at 10:30 a.m. on July 23-26 

More information is available at austinareaarts.org.