H aving wrapped our last art fair of the Winter/Spring season it is good to be off of the road, shift focus and get back to work in the studio. That being said, after two years of isolation it was so refreshing to get out, meet new people and share the art that we and our artists have worked so hard to produce with appreciative audiences. Over the past several months we were able to share these projects at the Cleveland Print Fair, the Bay Are Fine Print Fair, EXPO Chicago and the Baltimore Fine Art Print Fair.
Online art fairs became the norm during Covid isolation, and while they served a purpose these virtual events were no substitute for the real thing. Particularly at the Cleveland Print Fair, which happened just shortly after Covid restrictions began to ease up, attendees seemed hungry to see actual art and engage with real people again.
above: Manneken Press proprietor Jonathan Higgins stands with works by Judy Ledgerwood, Gary Justis and Kate Petley.
I want to give an appreciative shout out to the collectors who came to the fairs and and made their purchases. Manneken Press is a print publisher with a workshop but no formal gallery space, so art fairs are our primary opportunity to formally present the work we produce to the public. Fairs are also a chance to see our peers in the art biz, who are a lively bunch. So, while they are exhausting to do art fairs are also a lot of fun.
Below are Matt Magee with his prints at EXPO Chicago and Jill Moser with hers at the Baltimore Fine Art Print fair.
Other folks who must be acknowledged are the tireless professionals who put together crack teams to plan and execute these sensational art fairs, friends who graciously let me crash at their home in Chicago, and my sister who’s assistance in running our booth at Expo was invaluable.
