Between Art Westport this past weekend, and the upcoming Lawrence Art in the Park and Plaza Art Fair, September is among the busiest times of year for Kansas and Missouri artists.
“You work all week, and then the weekends are filled with art shows and fairs,” said Matthew Jarmer, a woodworker based out of Lawrence.
It’s busy, he says, but worth it: “It’s the best time of year.”
Jarmer makes “mosaics” out of wood. He hand cuts thousands of pieces and joins them together with resin into sculptures, wall hangings and more. He also builds custom wood furniture.
He’ll have a booth at Lawrence Art in the Park this Saturday and Sunday, along with more than 130 other artists. These fairs are critical for their businesses, says Roura Young, a watercolor artist and organizer of Art in the Park.
“When you sell at a gallery, you have people working for you, trying to move your work, which is great, but you have to give up approximately half of the sales,” Young told KCUR’s Up To Date. “When you sell at an art fair, you have so many customers coming in, and you get to keep the majority of the sales.”
Even when fair attendees just browse and don’t buy, interacting with customers is a chance for artists to show off new work and hear about what pieces are resonating with the community.
Still, Jarmer says, it’s always exciting to see work go to a new home.
“There's a second where… I'm letting it go and I'm sad about it,” Jarmer said. “But end of the day… that's almost more exciting that somebody's deciding they want it in their home.”
Lawrence Art in the Park runs Saturday, Sept. 19 at South Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Plaza Art Fair runs from Friday, Sept. 25 until Sunday, Sept. 27 across the Country Club Plaza.
- Roura Young, watercolor artist
- Matthew Jarmer, woodworker
