Art Festival Can't Escape 'Crazy Weather'

Many artists at this year’s North Shore Festival of Art were disappointed with the turnout as storms and the extreme heat kept the crowds light during the three-day event.

Organized by Amdur Productions, nearly 150 artists from across the country had booths throughout Westfield Old Orchard Mall through Sunday. Vendors offered a huge variety of works, ranging from Chicago-themed pictures and photographs to ornate glass sculptures of fish-filled coral reefs to handmade clothing. Pieces ran from $25 to $25,000.

“There’s something for everybody, which is just wonderful,” said Amy Amdur, president of Amdur Productions.

This was the second year that the festival was held among the mall’s stores, having moved inside from the parking lot.

Last year the free event drew 84,000 people, Amdur said. But many vendors expect the attendance number to have taken a dip, when the figure is made available.

Marzena Weber, who has sold scarves and other fabric art at the festival for four years, said she hadn’t done much business at this year’s gathering.

“I’m a little disappointed,” she said. “With the rain and all this crazy weather we’ve been having, business has been a little slower than usual.”

Alan Hawmi was working on clay figures of a woman and a pelican at his booth. Hawmi sells impressive stone and bronze sculptures of dragons, sea monsters and animals, some of which were priced at more than $13,000.

“It’s been a little quiet but we’ve been fighting the weather,” he said. “These are higher-end pieces so they’re not an impulse buy.”

Florida-based oil and acrylic painter Rasa Saldaitis said Saturday that she expected to make more sales.

“People went home and were measuring their walls,” she said. “Usually people make their final decisions and people come back Sunday.”

Saldaitis, a former Chicago resident, said she had been selling her work at the North Shore Festival of Art for six years.

“It’s a well-educated area,” she said. “People know art and they appreciate art.”

Diane Marksz-Wright has been traveling from Ohio to the art festival for four years, visiting her family in the area and selling her gold and silver jewelry.

“The community seems to really appreciate the work,” she said.

The North Shore Art Fair added a preview day this year. About half of the artists set up before the mall opened Friday and could leave whenever they wanted.

Marksz-Wright said she closed up shop at 3:30 p.m., even though the event was scheduled to run until 5 p.m.

“There wasn’t really anything going on,” she said.

Weber said business was also very slow on Friday, as the region battled a days-old heat wave that pushed temperatures near 100 degrees and severe thunderstorms.

“People might not have been ready for us so there wasn’t so much interest, but it was good to be here,” she said.

Based in Algonquin, Weber said most of her customers were local and she viewed area art fairs as an opportunity to meet them.

“That’s what I do my art for,” she said. “I like to see the women being happy trying on my scarves and seeing them appreciate the art.”

The fair has a loyal following, and many visitors said they were pleased with the experience. Cristine Anderson of New Zealand was in town visiting her sister and attended the fair to scout for pieces for her art gallery, Just Imagine.

“I try to time my visits to when there are events happening,” she said. “I think that you’ve got some really nice artists.”

Glenview resident Joanie Raskin has been attending the event for 10 years.

“I’m an artist so I like to see what other artists are doing,” she said. “Everyone’s really nice. I’ve been to many art shows this summer and I’ve seen things here I haven’t seen anywhere else. I think this is one of the nicer shows.”