120 artists exhibit at Sept. 18-19 Greenwich Village Art Fair

From press release

The 63rd annual Rockford Art Museum Greenwich Village Art Fair takes place Sept. 18-19, rain or shine, on the grounds of Rockford Art Museum at Riverfront Museum Park in downtown Rockford.

Sponsored by Alpine Bank, the fair features fine art, live music, a gourmet marketplace, children’s art activities, and food and drink concessions.

Gates are open 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 19.

A Rockford tradition since 1948, Greenwich is the oldest continuous outdoor fine art fair in the Midwest. Admission is $5 for adults, free for children 12 and younger. Advance tickets are $3 and are available at the Rockford Art Museum Store or any Alpine Bank location. Proceeds support RAM exhibitions and education programs.

Shop

• FINE ART—120 artists from across the nation will exhibit at this year’s fair. Types of artwork represented include paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, photography and more. Artists are judged by category at the fair by 2010 Juror Nina Weiss, an instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago and Evanston Art Center. Winners will be named in the following award categories: Best of Show, $1,000; 3-D Functional, $500; 3-D Non-Functional, $500; 2-D, $500; Jewelry, $500; Painting, $500; Photography, $500; and five Honorable Mention awards, $100 each.

• GOURMET MARKETPLACE—Offers samples and sells Midwest delicacies, including craft beers, herbal teas, gourmet dips and cheeses. Vendors include: Carlyle Brewing Company (craft beers); Dip’n Good Dips (gourmet dips); Market Baskets On The Go; and Wind Ridge Herb Farm (dried herbs, herbal teas, dips).

• BOHEMIAN BAZAAR—Offers affordable vintage finds and work by emerging artists in an urban market setting.

Listen

The Kryptonite Music Stage features live music all day, both days, by local musicians. All shows are included with fair admission. Styles vary, ranging from jazz and blues, to rock and pop, to folk and country. The 2010 roster features Jim Grass, Jim Hagerty, Steve Stapler, Hope Despite, Philip Reilly Stendak, Jodi Beach Trio, Ron Rawhoof, Frank Calvagna, Ernie Hendrickson, Sarah Abramowitz and Starlite Radio. For a detailed music schedule, log on to rockfordartmuseum.org/gvaf.html.

Play

• Prismacolor Creations by Kids is a hands-on area where children can make their own take-home art. This year’s theme is Egyptian Art. Activities are $1 each, or $5 for all seven, which include face painting, sandpaper art, tomb easel painting, Egyptian falcon amulet, Egyptian cat bookmark, Egyptian cartouche and Model Magic desert animals.

Relax

• The Rock River Times Wine Bar offers Maytag Dairy cheese plates, Brio Cream Puffs, wine, champagne and a special GVAF gourmet coffee by Javamania. The TRRT Wine Bar also offers two special events during the fair, both $7 each: Saturday Made-to-Order Crêperie features individually prepared sweet or savory crepes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday Omelet Brunch features individually prepared omelets with fresh fruit and champagne or coffee, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Kortman Gallery Point Bar, sponsored by J.R. Kortman Center for Design/Kortman Gallery, serves cocktails, wine and signature martinis.

• Bud Light Village Pub serves grilled sandwiches, hot dogs, brats and burgers—including veggie burgers and Maytag Blue Cheese burgers—and wine, beer, soft drinks and gourmet coffee. Other vendors throughout the fair include Javamania Coffee Roastery (espresso, iced coffee); Matt Hey Ice Cream (waffle cones, root beer floats); and WE-B-POPPIN Kettle Korn (gourmet popcorn).

Art Raffle

Tickets also are on sale for the 2010 Art Raffle, $5 each or three for $10. Raffle tickets are available at Rockford Art Museum, 711 N. Main St., and J.R. Kortman Center for Design, 107 N. Main St. The drawing will be Sunday, Sept. 19, at 4 p.m., and ticketholders need not be present to win. Four winners will be announced, with artwork generously provided by exhibiting artists Carol Menninga, Christine Simpson-Forni, Robert Sunday and Deni Upshaw.

Sponsors

• Presenting Sponsor: Alpine Bank;

• Supporting Sponsors: Prismacolor, SwedishAmerican Medical Foundation, and The Rock River Times.

• Contributing Sponsors: C&E Specialties, Javamania Coffee Roastery, Kryptonite Music Club, Kortman Gallery, North Park Rental Service, Inc., Octane and Meridian Implements.

• In-kind sponsors include the 320 Store, A Movable Feast, Auburn High School Key Club, Bagel Place, Bob’s Ace Hardware, Brio and chef/owner Paul Sletten, Cadbury Adams, Curran’s Orchard, Edwards Apple Orchard, Great Harvest Bread Co., Hilander Foods, Hinshaw and Culbertson LLP, International Paper, Logli Supermarkets, Maytag Dairy Farms, Mrs. Fisher’s Inc., The Olympic Tavern, Panera Bread, Prorok Law Office, Subway, Trickie Enterprises, Tyler’s Landscaping Inc., Walmart, and Woodman’s Food Market.

Admission to Greenwich Village Art Fair includes FREE admission to Rockford Art Museum Sept. 18-30; feature exhibition is Spaces Within (Sept. 10, 2010-Jan. 9, 2011), with paintings, prints and sculpture inspired by the architecture of interior spaces by RAM Collection artists Richard Hull, Nicholas Sistler, David Kotker, Gordon Dorn, and Michiko Itatani. Learn more at www.rockfordartmuseum.org/gvaf.html.