WALDPORT — Just in time for holiday gifting, a collection of artists will offer their specialized wares from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Waldport Community Center.
Fourteen artists, all from Waldport, will offer unique items ranging from fiber arts to paintings, ceramics to jewelry, and more.
“These are artists who don’t showcase their art at a lot of venues,” said spokeswoman Marie-Lise Best, a fiber arts and leather specialist. “It gives the public a chance to see more of the talent that lives in our little town.”
The “Waldport Artist Festival & Sale” is the brainchild of Best and her neighbor, Ricki Peterson, who creates natural beaded jewelry. The two staged a small gathering last year at Best’s house that was “quite successful,” she said.
Buoyed by that experience, the pair approached Waldport Chamber of Commerce executive director Thomas Fullmer, who “thought it was a great idea,” Best said. With marketing support from the chamber, the two artists set about gathering a dozen more colleagues from the art community for the pre-holiday sale.
One special feature of the Saturday festival is a free drawing for a collage created by Margaret Paz Partlow. Attendees can enter free at the door, and don’t have to be present to win.
In addition to Best and Peterson, artists at the one-day event are scheduled to include Patti Beyer, Anna Biszantz, Jana Boutwell, Carol Cassidy, Juli Dahl, Judy Dream, Linda Hildreth, Beth Hubbard, Beth Kattleman, Dan Kelleher, Sharon McCrum and Laurie Owens.
“This is a chance to see artists you won’t find at most other fairs,” said Best, who hopes to expand the festival if Saturday’s event is a success.
- Cheryl Romano/YachatsNews
Great! Looking forward to this event.