One of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest and largest arts festivals celebrates a milestone this Father’s Day weekend as the 50th annual Edmonds Arts Festival opens for a three-day run June 15 at the Frances Anderson Center in Edmonds.
More than 75,000 art lovers are expected to attend the free event, which features three days of visual and performing arts, art events and food.
Chosen by professional jurors from a field of more than 600 applicants, some 200 artists will display their works on the grassy field east of the Anderson Center. The Plaza and the Plaza Room will also showcase 36 artisans whose specialties are more traditional arts and crafts as well as the culinary arts.
The Juried Gallery offers a showcase of originals by more than 450 top local and national artists. Cash awards are presented in seven categories: paintings, prints, drawings, photography, artisans’ works, sculpture and miniatures.
2007 Festival Poster artist Hung Nguyen has been painting for over 25 years. An immigrant from Vietnam, he came to the U.S. in 1975. At a very young age Hung was an inspired artist and was passionate about drawing. After extensive training in Arts and Design at Indiana University, he went on to become a designer for Boeing, KIRO TV, KING TV and Walt Disney Internet Group in Seattle. Prints of the poster suitable for framing will be on sale at the festival.
A juried Junior Art Exhibit will unveil a collection of artwork from students of Edmonds School District, private schools within the district, and home-schooled students that reside within the boundaries of the district.
The Kids Creative Corner will host arts and crafts activities such as jewelry making, mask making, silhouette painting and decorating, button buddy dolls, and coloring books from the Edmonds Museum. Kid Art and Science Fun will also be there helping kids make crafts out of recycled glass and there will be the opportunity to make wax hand molds.
Entertainment on the Kids Creative Corner stage will include several musical groups from local schools and professional children’s performers, plus a puppet theater, a yo-yo champion and a magic show.
The main stage entertainment will include performances from Mill Creek singer Kellee Bradley, Olympic Ballet Theatre, and Miles From Chicago, among others.
The Wine Bar and Bistro will have entertainment throughout the day and into the evening. There will be tables available outside the tented area for families with children, as the inside tent area is for adults only. In the morning, espresso drinks will be served. At lunchtime, there will be a selection of food available to accompany wines and ales from local wineries and breweries.
The annual Edmonds Arts Festival began in 1957. The mission, then as now, is to celebrate and promote the arts with a lively and pleasurable presentation of local and national work.
The festival is 100 percent volunteer-run and supported by sponsors, which allow all proceeds from the festival to benefit art scholarships, educational grants to schools, community grants to arts and cultural organizations, as well as public art installations.
Since there is limited street parking around the festival site, a free shuttle is available. Handicapped parking is available on Main Street, north of the Cultural Center and on Dayton Street to the south. Free shuttle parking for the festival is available at the Edmonds Home School Resource Center (formerly Woodway High School), located at 23200 100th Ave. W. in Edmonds.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
