A couple browse different wares for sale during the Los Alamos Arts Council’s Spring Arts and Crafts Fair last year. This year’s fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fuller Lodge lawn. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
LAAC News:
The organization’s Spring Arts and Crafts Fair takes on a golden hue as it will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. The outdoor fair 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fuller Lodge lawn. During the event, white tents will be erected and displayed underneath them will be a wide range of art.
One of the few juried arts and craft shows in the area, shoppers can browse some top-notch wares including sculptures, fiber art, pottery, paintings, photographs and jewelry. There also will be some culinary masterpieces for sale such as honey, jams and nuts. Food vendors will sell lunch.
The Los Alamos Arts Council has presented the Spring Fair every year since 1967 and this year’s fair will feature 75 artisans in New Mexico, the fair offers both traditional and contemporary art forms. All of the items displayed are handmade or hand-crafted and have originated in New Mexico or nearby states. The fair will feature items such as pottery, weavings, clothing, wood workings paintings, jewelry, photography and more.
If all this art works up your appetite, food will be sold at the fair. Dora Platero will sell Navajo Fry Bread and Navajo Tacos veggie tacos, burgers and chips. She will have bottled water and soft drinks, too. David Martinez with Dave’s Dogs will be there with green chili cheeseburgers and hamburgers. Ragtime Kettle Corn will also be at the fair.
There will be an area for children again this year. Valyn Purvis from Party to Go will have inflatables which are always great fun. This year members from the Christian Church will provide a children’s craft area. Children are welcome to make a Mother’s Day gift for Mom while she enjoys some shopping time. Fathers, be sure to stop by this area with your children to make that special gift.
There will also be musical entertainment. Tio Rios will play his guitar during the fair and Bill Turney will entertain with his accordion. At 11:30 a.m. the Scottish Country Dancers will perform inside Fuller Lodge.
Customers will note many new artists at the fair this year in the areas of woodworking, photography, pottery, metal, painting and, of course, jewelry and Native American jewelry. Look for Thomas Cross, rustic woodworking; Lewis Wilson, glass; Esther Smith, pottery; Warren Weber, photography and more.
Featured at the fair will be the many returning artists who are well known and loved, and many who are from Los Alamos. They represent all categories including jewelry, pottery, metal work, wood-working, fiber arts and more such as David Davis with his luxury candles which are handmade and beautifully packaged for gift giving. His Belladonna Candles are created one at a time using only the finest ingredients available.
Bee Chama honey will be there with seemingly endless flavors of honey. Katie O’Hara Barrett from Durango will also be there with delicious jams and jellies. Rudolf Cavalier, who with his wife, makes a variety of items from metal, wood and glass such as sculpture, jewelry and wall pieces will be returning after a hiatus of many years.
Eric Louis who works in the family pottery business of award winning artists from the Pueblo of Acoma will be returning. He does traditional styles of Acoma pottery.
This year the Arts Council will sell tickets for a beautiful large metal sculpture by Greg Gowen which will be on display in the lobby of Fuller Lodge. LAAC will also sell tote bags marking its 50th anniversary in 2017. People will find them useful to carry home their purchases. By purchasing a raffle ticket or tote bag you will help support the Arts Council in its continuing effort to bring programs and events to the community. The tote bags are special one of a kind for this anniversary year, so be sure to get one while the supply lasts. They are also available at the Arts Council office.
Proceeds from booth rental fees are used to present cultural programs throughout the year. In the past year, the nonprofit council has presented dozens of arts related programs, that include an annual Art/Flight Kite Festival, Missoula Children’s Theatre, noontime Brown Bag Performances at Fuller Lodge, seasonal celebrations such as the Los Alamos Pumpkin Glow, Scarecrow Contest and Senior Recitals. Most of the programs are offered free to the public.
We hope everyone will come out and support the artists who have traveled from all over New Mexico, as well as, a few from Colorado to this fair. The fair provides us with an opportunity to shop for special and unique items not normally found locally.
Anyone wishing to directly support the Los Alamos Arts Council by becoming a member (individual memberships are $15) is invited to drop by the registration table during the arts and crafts fair or call the office. For more information about the Spring Arts and Crafts Fair, call 663-0477 or check out the LAAC web site at LosAlamosArtsCouncil.org.
