Maude Kerns Art Center, which produces Art and the Vineyard, is celebrating its silver anniversary this year. The Art and the Vineyard festival is the center’s annual fundraising event and will be larger than ever this summer.
The festival begins today at Alton Baker Park and includes a juried Artists’ Marketplace with 165 artists from eight states and British Columbia.
Twenty-one Oregon wineries will be represented this year along with live music and entertainment, a full international food court, a youth arena, garden art, book signing tables featuring 34 Oregon authors, aerial fireworks, special events and various art demonstrations.
Maude Kerns Art Center is a non-profit organization whose purpose is “to nurture artistic expression and creativity in the individual and to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of art and culture in our community.”
The center serves the community with a number of projects and 12 to 14 shows in its gallery each year.
The center hosts print, ceramics and darkroom photography studios, which are available for monthly rentals and classes, and workshops and youth art camps during the summer.
Sabrina Hershey, assistant director of the center, said she is really excited and hopes all the people here for Eugene 08: Olympic Track & Field Trials will attend.
Hershey said in celebration of the center’s anniversary, special T-shirts, totes and hats are available for purchase at the event.
Attendees can enter drawings and contests to win free items.
Kendall Lexus is giving away three gas cards, Comcast has gift baskets, and there will be a raffle for a garden arbor donated by Roger Bidwell of the McKenzie Fence Company.
The festival’s entertainment highlights include The Essentials, Don Latarski Group featuring Halie Loren, and the reunion of 1980s rock stars Quarterflash. Quarterflash will play tonight at 8 p.m. before the fireworks show.
NextStep Recycling is constructing a large public art piece made of recycled materials that attendees are encouraged to contribute to.
In the Artists’ Marketplace, there will be displays of paintings, prints, photos, fabric art and clothing, drawings, ceramics and jewelry ranging from fine art to everyday pieces created from a variety of materials.
Art for Your Garden will have plants donated from local nurseries and garden artwork with items made of glass, metal, ceramic, fountains and pools, bird baths, tiles and wood carvings.
The Youth Art Arena will have many hands-on art activities for children to enjoy.
Besides art, wine and music, there will be demonstrations of glass blowing and wheel throwing pottery.
Marsha Shankman, the center’s publicity coordinator, said, “The garden setup is really magical.”
She said she hopes the park setting will attract people from the Trials who have been surrounded by concrete all week.
Tonight’s aerial fireworks are sponsored by the 20/30 Club’s Freedom Festival.
The cost for admission is $15 for a three-day pass, $6 per day for adults, $1 per day for children ages 6 to 11, and children under 6 are free.
Parking is free July 4th at EWEB and the Slocum Center (located at 55 Coburg Road).
For more details about Art and the Vineyard and to download a festival program, visit www.artandthevineyard.org.