FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
46th Annual Stockholm Art Fair, July 20, 2019, 10am-5pm
Fine Art, Live Music
Contact:
Kristin Smith Procter
Leslie Stewart
[email protected]
715-338-8439
Stockholm, WI, April 3, 2019—As loyal followers already know, the 46TH Annual Stockholm Art Fair is destined to be a festive, five-sensory soiree. But for those who have never attended the one-day event, to be held on July 20, 2019, 10am-5pm, it’s probably the best blind date you’ll ever have.
Each year art seekers step into Stockholm’s village park and fall madly in love with 105 of the regions most talented artists. The swooning continues over locally sourced food and drink, four different musical acts that keep a spring in everyone’s step, and open-all-day village galleries and cafes. There’s singing and dancing, eating and drinking. And there’s that private moment when newcomers and regulars alike stop, reflect, and congratulate themselves on their one-of-a-kind acquisitions from the comfort of a haybale.
But did you know that Stockholm—beloved for its banks-of-the-Mississippi natural beauty, charming shops, and iconic eats—can also claim to have five seasons?
There’s winter, spring, and fall, of course. But there’s also “before-the-art-fair” and “after-the-art-fair.” Many people lump these two seasons together and call it “summer,” but thanks to a small group of friends and artistic visionaries who began the fair 46 years ago the third Saturday of July has become a seasonal turning point.
Since the first show was launched back in 1974, countless artists, volunteers, show-goers, and organizers have made sure that turning point has always been celebrated in style.
This year marks a double turning point as perennial show exhibitors and organizers, Linda Day-Dunlap and Jean Accola take off their long-held organizational hats and pass them on to Pepin County artists, Kristin Smith Procter and Leslie Stewart.
Their plan? Keep the hometown hospitality torch held high, add a few surprises, and don’t let Day-Dunlap and Accola stray too far.
Called upon by the freshman organizers to jury this year’s show, Day-Dunlap and Accola will continue to grace the art fair grounds. They’ll be doing so with a first-time mission to choose and bestow the merit and best-of-show honors to those artists whom they judge as most outstanding. And with all of the scrumptious displays of lovingly created pottery and paintings, fiber and photography, stained glass and sculpture, that’s no easy job.
If there’s a bonus to all of this overflowing goodness, it’s the locally illustrated commemorative poster. This year the collection will add Stockholm resident, gallery owner, and plein air painter, Matt Anderson’s snowy nocturne image to its coveted 45-year set. Designed by Jan Eckhart of Fuego Design, the 46th poster represents the short but glorious seasonal crossroad that begins on the third Saturday of July as the clock strikes 10am.
You’ve got seven hours. Don’t miss it. Because when the clock strikes 5pm, it’s all over.
Until next year.
46th Annual Stockholm art fair FINE ART and live music
The Stockholm Art Fair is celebrating it’s 46th anniversary on Saturday, July 20th in the Stockholm Wisconsin Town Park under the tall cottonwood trees located on the banks of the Mississippi River. Each year the fair showcases live music from 10 am to 5 pm with four diverse performances by some of the areas premier players.
10 – 11:30 am Brian Claxton Trio – Instrumental Jazz
11:45 – 1:15 pm Yata, Sinz and Orfield – Songwriters w/ blues, passion & soul
1:30 – 3:00 pm Two Rivers – Swing & country – Vocals, guitars, harmonica & sax
3:30 – 5:00 pm Hot Flashes – A Blast from the Past, served with Brass and Sass
The Fair has made a practice of mixing new acts with established bands, and this year is no exception, as the Brian Claxton Trio and Two Rivers will making their debut performance on the Stockholm stage. Yata-Sinz-Orfield and the Hot Flashes are popular bands returning once again to bring new music to an anticipating audience.
The Brian Claxton Trio features Brian Claxton drums, Josh Gallagher piano and Robbie Weisshaar bass. Claxton grew up in Pepin, WI, graduated from UWEC in music, and has gone on to become an award-winning drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist known for his electrifying groove and rhythmic mastery. He has a diverse music background and is a passionate student of the history of American music. Claxton has toured internationally with jazz legends, released three records and appeared on over thirty recordings. Gallager and Weisshaar are central to the growing Eau Claire music scene and fearlessly explore new musical heights with honed chops.
Yata, Sinz and Orfield combines three veterans on vocals, guitars and tenor sax with a passion for connecting with their audiences. There is joy in their playing which is responsive and intuitive, and comes from skilled musicianship in a wide range of styles including original songs in folk-rock, jazz, calypso and the blues. The Sue Orfield Band (with Sinz on bass) has received Best Blues Band awards for several years in Eau Claire, WI and Seattle, WA and has recorded numerous CD’s. This is Yata’s 40th year of performing at the Stockholm Art Fair, and he has a MN Music Award and eleven CD’s of original music.
Two Rivers has a musical repertoire which includes something for everyone. This trio from Eau Claire performs a mix of jazz, blues, bluegrass, country, old rock n roll, along with originals. The group consists of Sue Orfield on tenor sax and piano, Randy Sinz on guitar, bass and vocals and Gregg Wheeler on electric guitar, harmonica and vocals. Each has performed professionally with various groups across the US and beyond for more than 30 years. Two Rivers has spent many hours in recording studios with various projects and are putting the finishing touches on their own first CD.
The Hot Flashes are “seasoned” ladies from the Mississippi River valley under the musical direction of Dave Zahn on electric piano. The Hot Flashes will have you dancing in the park with their high energy performance of songs spanning 90 years of American musical history. From swing to doo-wop to 60’s R&B and Soul, the ladies deliver their renditions of your favorite tunes with plenty of brass and sass. They are back by popular demand to close out a day of art and music in this scenic river town in beautiful western Wisconsin. We hope to see you there!