CELEBRATING ART
Annual show connects thousands with diversity of works
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Thousands of shoppers and art lovers attended the Saratoga Arts Celebration over the weekend.
This year’s event, a juried show featuring fine arts and crafts from near and far, included of 100 invited artists from the Capital Region, as well as across the United States and Canada. Jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, painting and woodworking were all represented at the two-day show, held Saturday and Sunday at the National Museum of Dance.
First-time exhibitor Forrest Doyle of Connecticut-based Wood by Forrest said Sunday he loved the local show and plans to come back.
“What I’ve found, more than most other shows, the people are very engaging, very interested in my work,” the artisan said. “I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations with other artists, also.”
Doyle was set up inside the museum’s lobby, showcasing his handmade wooden serving trays and cheese boards, which he designs and creates himself. Outside, on the lawn, ceramic artist James Brunelle Jr., also from Connecticut, was selling his works, including decorative pieces and beads. Brunelle said he likes that the show takes place in Saratoga Spa State Park, where people are already drawn for other activities, such as Sunday’s farmers market.
“This is like an added plus, with all of the events that go on in the park,” he said.
Brunelle also likes the diversity within the show.
“[Founder] Sue [Brown Gordon] puts together a nice, diverse
range of works. So there’s something for everyone.”
Gordon, of Gordon Fine Arts, founded the show nearly a decade ago, with help from the Swyer Family Foundation, after a request from an exhibitor with connections to Saratoga Springs and the dance museum. Since then, the partnership has expanded to include a holiday arts fair each November. This year, it will be held Nov. 1112 inside the South Broadway museum.
“It’s so nice to be able to work with the dance museum,’ said Gordon. “It gives people an opportunity to come to the museum that they might not always have.”
The organizer, who lives in Greenfield, puts on about nine shows per year, and all are juried.
“We choreograph the shows, so it’s balanced,” she explained. “There’s a lot of different varieties of things, a lot of different medium, in both fine art and fine craft.”
Artists are also encouraged to educate event-goers about what they do, she added.
The 2017 Saratoga Arts Celebration even included some performing arts, with bellydancing by Half Moon Tribal.
“We have a little of everything going on,” Gordon said, pointing out the children’s art table, where kids could work on something and get inspired.
Returning shoppers Mike and Anne Curtin of Saratoga Springs found a few things to buy while browsing through the fair Sunday, including olive oil, two greeting cards and a Japanese necklace to give as a gift.
“It’s high quality, and so many different kinds of art. It always is that way,” Mike Curtin said, with his wife adding, “It’s a great way to spend an afternoon.”
More information about other Gordon Fine Arts shows and the upcoming Saratoga Holiday Art Fair is available online at www. gordonfinearts.org.