The Greenwich Village Art Fair is an annual event that is run by volunteers at the Discovery Center Museum in Rockford IL for artists to showcase their art to the public and bring the community together.
Scott Prime, Chairman of the Greenwich Village Art Fair gave some insight into this annual event’s history, and comforting neighborhood atmosphere.
“It started out at the Burpee Art Museum… by a group of people who wanted an art show; it was inspired by Bohemian Artists of Greenwich New York,” Chairman Scott Prime explains, “that’s why it’s called Greenwich Village Art Fair.”
For seventy-one years the Greenwich Art Fair has been going strong with the help of its volunteers. Some volunteers work all year long to help choose the artists that are invited.
With about 90 spots to fill, that’s a lot of narrowing down. However, there is plenty of variety, from paintings to jewelry, there really is something for everyone.
All of the vendors are friendly and willing to talk about their art. If they are a regular artist in the Fair it is possible they will recognize some of their previous clients and chat about things purchased years prior. This adds to the neighborhood feel of the event.
People can come with their friends and family alike and enjoy a relaxing day of looking at art and even purchase their favorite pieces.
“In a big city it’s kind of like a neighborhood gathering place,” Scott summarizes, “we don’t really have those anymore so people come and see their friends.”
The relaxed atmosphere invites more than just citizens of Rockford though. Everyone can come and feel comfortable looking at all the art, including dogs.
Greenwich Art Fair allows your furry friends to come and spend the day with you, as long as you keep their leashes attached. When you’re buying yourself some lunch you can buy some snacks for your pet from a dog treat vender.
There is also live entertainment in the back for your enjoyment along with a variety of food stands to choose from.
As you head out, don’t forget to sign up for a free three-month membership where you can get information on the Discovery Center’s other art shows.
This two day Art Fair allows for plenty of time to see what some local artists have to offer and purchase your favorites.
If you want to test your luck they also have a raffle where you can try and win pieces donated from some of the artists that they draw for towards the end of the day. To ask the artist more about the piece they donated, the venders have signs that show if they donated a piece to the raffle.
“On our app, The Rockford Art Museum app, we have a Greenwich page that shows the layout and some of the history and things like that, so you might want to check that out as well.”
