Wichita Festivals, Inc. and Laham Development officials announced that due to a strong opening night and beautiful weather, the tenth-annual Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair, presented by Fidelity Bank, is on-track to exceed last year’s attendance figures.
Cash awards totaling $7,250 were presented Saturday night to seven of the artists participating in the region’s largest fine-art show and sale.
An early estimate puts attendance at 32,000 art enthusiasts at the alfresco fine art fair over the Sept. 13-15 weekend, an increase of about 2,000 guests over 2018.
More than 700 patrons and sponsor companies supported the event, with a crowd in excess of 600 at the opening night Patron Party. Patrons returned throughout the weekend and enjoyed reserved parking and complimentary beverages. In addition to viewing and shopping for art, guests of all ages enjoyed art-themed family fun, lawn games, artist demonstrations, live entertainment and other programming.
“We have so many to thank for the ten-year success of Autumn & Art,” said Teri Mott, director of marketing and communication at WFI. “Our sponsors and patrons who make it possible for the event to be free of charge to the public, our always amazing volunteers, the talented artists who bring their best every year, and, of course, the art lovers who attend, all have made A&A a beloved arts tradition in our community.”
Next year’s Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair is scheduled for Sept. 18-20, 2020.
The 2019 event featured 98 artists who were invited to participate after the show’s jury – comprised of Rollin Karg, Patricia McDonnell, Reuben Saunders and Bob Workman – evaluated their work. The cash prizes were awarded on Saturday night at a wine reception hosted by Bradley Fair and Hilton Garden Inn. Judges included Emily Brookover, Christopher Gulick, Josh Tripoli, and Mary Werner.
Woodworker Zack Schaffer of Jetmore, Kan., received the Best of Show award for a combination of presentation, communication and quality of work.
Here are the winners for overall achievement in two-dimensional art, which include two-dimensional mixed media, digital art, drawing, graphics/printmaking, painting and photography:
* 1st Place: Diane Lawrence (Fiber) of Berryton, Kan.
* 2nd Place: Cort Anderson (Photography) of Belle Plaine, Kan.
* 3rd Place: Daniel Fager-George (2D Mixed Media) of Boca Raton, Fla.
These artists were recognized among artists with three-dimensional works, including three-dimensional mixed media, ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metalwork, sculpture and wood:
* 1st Place: Kelly Conner (Jewelry) of Kansas, Mo.
* 2nd Place: Candiss Cole-Footitt (Fiber) of Sedona, Ariz.
* 3rd Place: Rick Robinson (Woodworking) of Prairie Village, Kan.
Photographer John Kennington of Bixby, Okla., was the featured artist for Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair 2019.
Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair is produced by Wichita Festivals, Inc. in partnership with Laham Development and Bradley Fair. Fidelity Bank is the presenting sponsor for the event. Other Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair sponsors include Walser Auto Campus Wichita, Evergy, Martin Pringle, The Flint Hills Group at Morgan Stanley, IMA, KU Wichita Pediatrics, American Theatre Guild, Legend Senior Living, House of Schwan, Trust Company of Kansas, J.P. Weigand, Living Sound, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, and Wilbeck Chiropractic. Visit Wichita is the Official Marketing Partner for this event.
Also partnering with WFI to produce the event are Mark Arts, Newport Grill, RedRock Canyon Grill, YaYa’s EuroBistro, Tree Top Nursery, PrairieFire Coffee Roasters, RedGuard SiteBox, PrairieLand Partners, The Frame Shop, Pottery Barn, Homegrown, Docuplex, Hilton Garden Inn, Jacob Liquor Exchange, Luminous Neon Art & Sign Systems, The Bar’s Open, Star Lumber, and Unifirst. Media partners for the event are Lamar Outdoor, iHeart Radio/B98-FM, Intake Studios, KAKE, KMUW, Johnson Media Services, SPLURGE!, East Wichita News/West Side Story, Wichita.com, Wichita Transit, Radio Kansas and The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com.
For more information about Autumn & Art at Bradley Fair contact Teri Mott, Director of Marketing and Communication, at (614) 506-9307 or [email protected].
Wichita Festivals, Inc. is a non-profit corporation with the purpose of creating diverse community celebrations within the Wichita community.