36TH LA QUINTA ARTS FESTIVAL
La Quinta Civic Center Campus
78495 Calle Tampico
La Quinta, CA 92253
(760) 564-1244, www.lqaf.com
Now in its 36th year, the La Quinta Arts Festival® has been rated as the No. 1 Fine Art Festival in the Nation by Art Fair SourceBook,a guide to juried arts and crafts fairs in the United States.
The 2018 event is slated for Thursday through Saturday, March 1 to 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the grounds of La Quinta Civic Center Campus, a short drive from Palm Springs. An outdoor gallery, La Quinta Arts Festival® showcases among the finest in contemporary artworks in a wide range of media, including ceramics, digital art, drawing and pastel, fiber/textile, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and wood.
The superb quality of the artists truly defines the excellence of La Quinta
Arts Festival®. Exhibitors are invited through a rigorous jury process that reviews the works of over 1,000 applicants vying for a coveted spot. This year the festival will host 220 of the nation’s premier contemporary artists arriving from 35 states and Canada to present an array of original art.
The 2018 La Quinta Arts Festival will honor two featured artists, Erin Hanson and Debra Steidel. Hanson was chosen as the Poster Artist for her landscape oil painting of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Hanson transforms landscapes into vibrant mosaics of color and texture using impasto paint techniques for a sculptural effect in her art.
New to La Quinta Arts Festival, Steidel will present handthrown porcelain sculptures, featuring vivid and bold crystalline glazes.
Music, performance art, upscale cuisine and refreshing beer and fine wine complement the experience at the four-day event. Admission is $17 for a single-day ticket, $22 for a multiday pass and free for children 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased online at www.lqaf.com—the best option to avoid long lines—or at the festival gates.
“Over $50 million in art sales over the years generated at La Quinta Arts Festival® is testament to the strong support of the arts and artists from Coachella Valley residents and visitors. The region boasts world-class museums, five major art festivals and fairs and over 50 fine art galleries.”
— Christi Salamone, president and CEO, La Quinta Arts Foundation