The Art Center Highland Park's Festival of Fine Arts is back!

This coming June 26th and 27th, 10 am to 5 pm both days, The Art Center Highland Park will host their 22nd Annual Festival of Fine Arts. “I think the community is ready to restart doing what they loved before the pandemic hit. Last week we had the first in-person art show opening at The Art Center after a long time and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive”, says TAC’s Director of Events, Jackie Chilow.

“We invited back all the artists that were accepted for the 2020 edition of the Festival that never took place, and the response was extremely positive”, says James M. Lynch, Executive Director. “We’ll have 50-60 vendors from all over the country this year, offering ceramics, painting, photography, fiber art, wood-making, mixed media, and, of course, established locals like Sher Berman Designs from Deerfield and Dana Reed Jewelry from Highland Park that will be able to meet many loyal and returning clients.”

The faculty and members of TAC will also be highly involved in the Festival again. Besides TAC jewelry teacher Amy Butts and drawing/painting teacher Terry Luc, there will be a tent dedicated to TAC students and faculty. Classes will continue as usual and festival goers will be invited to tour the center. Faculty members will hold art demos throughout both days and hope to involve people in some hands-on projects. “There will be a ‘cooling center’ in our building lobby to invite people into the building”, says Lynch, “to reinforce with our visitors and our guest artists that this is about us, TAC, our professional-level galleries, and our hundreds of classes each year. We want our 5-7,000 visitors to buy art from our amazingly talented artists and then consider taking a class with us during the year!”

The festival, starting in front of their building located at 1957 Sheridan Road and extending to Central Avenue, wouldn’t be complete without great music and food, of course. Many local community organizations, including Northbrook Bach to Rock and Highwood School of Rock, are scheduled to perform throughout the weekend and eager to entertain a vibrant audience of thousands. As for food, the position of the Festival of Fine Arts is very strategic: the artists’ stalls will be aligned along a portion of Sheridan Rd with great local restaurants, like Lao Sze Chuan, Yummi Bowl, Norton’s, and many more. Festival-goers will be able to buy art, visit the TAC galleries, enjoy great food, listen to live music, and meet friends.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door but organizers hope people are comfortable giving that much or more, to make sure that the excellent programs of The Art Center Highland Park, soon to celebrate its 62nd anniversary in Highland Park, with its year-long agenda of ‘Drawing Together’, and its long-term agenda of being a cultural destination that inspires and ignites a passion for the arts.

As of this writing, June 2021, TAC is still accepting sponsors and offering unique branding opportunities for community-friendly businesses that would like to reach an audience of over 7,000 people who have been looking forward to this event for two years. Contact Jackie Chilow, jchilow@theartcenterhp.org for event information and sponsorship opportunities, or info@theartcenterhp.org for general inquiries. #TAC, #FOFA2021, #Celebratearts

The Art Center, a non-profit organization, is the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration. Through innovative programs, exhibitions, and classes designed for all ages and levels and ages, The Art Center provides a welcoming space for our diverse communities to experience and participate in the arts. For more information about programming contact info@theartcenterhp.org or call 847-432-1888.