EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Art Fair was packed with visitors and had an exceptional display of more than 100 artists Friday through Sunday at Edwardsville City Park.
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Richard Wehrs of Peoria earned “Best Of Show” at the special art fair. Alton’s Rocky Pardo captured “Best Of Show” last year. Pardo, a local favorite, captured the Best Of Jewelry honor at the 2022 Art Fair.
“We were thrilled to again host artists from across the country to our beautiful Edwardsville City Park and to share our hospitality with guests from near and far,” Melissa McDonough-Borden, executive director of the Edwardsville Arts Center, said. “We had artists visiting from Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and even from Israel.”
The show is described by many of the artists as a big show with a small-town feel.
Edwardsville Arts Center board members and other volunteers provide a herculean effort each year for the Art Fair and the Wylie family has committed to sponsoring the fair for five years.
Pfund Construction and JF Electric organized the power for the event and there was plenty of food and drink options for visitors throughout the weekend. On stage, local dance and musical groups were showcased from Friday to Sunday.
Carolyn Tidball, art director of the Edwardsville Arts Center, said there were a lot of artists participating they had seen before, but also several new entries.
“We had someone come as far away this year from Israel,” she said. “It is great to see people from all over the world doing different things and see their technique and talent.”
Wehrs’ work with sculptures is very unique, Tidball said.
“He has very realistic characters and they go from being lovable, scary, and really unique,” she said. “His personable characters are made from clay. He is so skilled.”
Tidball said the same things about Pardo: “She so talented and wonderful like Richard. She is a really nice person and she takes time to talk to each person individually. She does a lot of custom work and she even does everything from wedding rings to anniversary presents. She really gets to know each person she works with.”
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