Every September since 1994, for three days a small intersection east of Shaw Park in Clayton becomes a storefront for hundreds of different designers all hoping to capture the attention of thousands of attendees and a handful of creative judges. Coming back for its 32nd annual event, the St. Louis Art Fair (SLAF) returns to the area bigger than ever.
Focused on delivering a diverse and inclusive experience, the fair included multiple streets of artists’ booths highlighting many different forms of art, including everything from painting and sculpture to clothing and photography. Every artist was given a booth to showcase their work, where they could interact with fairgoers and sell to those potential customers. The hundreds of booths and stalls had art of every kind and fashion for everyone to purchase, with special jewelry and woodworking shops being extra popular this year.
Along with the art pieces on display, there were various groups hosting interactive tables for children, with activities such as bracelet making and cookie decorating, all hosted by charity organizations across the St. Louis area.
Another key aspect of the SLAF is the performances taking place all weekend, with various groups from the St. Louis area taking the stage to show off their talents to the crowds of fairgoers. The shows had everything from ballet compositions to a beatboxing violinist. These shows acted as a nice reprieve from the hot summer day, along with the various food trucks parked all around the event.
Returning for a third decade, the St. Louis Art Fair’s governing body has been attempting to stay relevant, now through the use of various new sponsors and exhibits across the weekend. Thanks to a new title sponsor, St. Louis-local electric company Emerson, the SLAF has been able to bring more artists to the fair and donate more money to various art-based courses around St. Louis.
Alongside the new sponsor, the fair saw countless volunteers returning this year to help over the weekend. Since SLAF is a free event, everyone helping was a volunteer, which appeared to be an easy decision for many. Nathan Flagg, a volunteer in attendance on Saturday, said he has been coming back for 10 years.
“I moved to Clayton in 2015 and I’ve been coming here since…it’s been amazing to see how much the whole event has grown,” Flagg said.
The St. Louis Art Fair has never been a stranger to evolving with the times, choosing to grow with its community. In 2004, they added jazz performances, and in 2010, they introduced new cultural sections to better portray the melting pot community of St. Louis. More recently, the St. Louis Art Fair introduced writing exhibits and stalls, further growing the number of artists and performers on display.
Along with these exhibitions bringing in funds for artists around the city and country, there is a competition element as part of the weekend. Each artist is placed into set categories and their work is ranked and reviewed by several judges throughout the weekend. Each category had a winner for best art and exhibit and then a final winner across all categories was awarded Sunday.
Amy Samuels, a veteran judge of the fair, shared how this competition element helps the organization stay fresh.
“We like to think that the [judging] pushes these artists to keep growing and introducing new stuff…everyone likes to see something new,” Samuels said.
The past weekend saw another successful iteration of a classic St. Louis event, with brand new performances and exhibits keeping the event fresh and exciting. Gabriel Worth, a repeat attendee, shared his hopes for the coming years.
“I’ve been here a couple years, and I’m gonna be here a couple more…I think they can keep things interesting,” Worth said.
Gabriel’s wife, Natasha, agreed with his statement, a sentiment shared among attendees.
