Arts on parade

DAC celebrates 20th anniversary of outdoor arts festival

by Stew Mosberg    

More common than beach outings, rafting trips, and backyard BBQs, summer arts festivals abound throughout the United States. Beginning just after Memorial Day and running into early autumn, streets and plazas across America turn into outdoor galleries that attract hoards of locals and tourists alike, and Durango is no exception.

This year marks the 20th year of the Durango Autumn Arts Festival, albeit, it has not run consecutively nor has it always been located in the same place.

This year’s festival director, Jules Masterjohn, was also the director 10 years ago when she was the Exhibitions and Program Director at the Durango Arts Center. She was recently approached by Maureen May the previous director, and asked to take it on once again. Masterjohn remarked that since her earlier experiences, when the festival occupied a stretch of Main Avenue, the event has been, “streamlined and there is a lot less schlepping.” Now, for example, the setting up and taking down of barricades, tents and booths has been simplified with the help of volunteers and by the city’s procurement of street barricades. 

There are a number of changes to look forward to for artists and visitors this year as well. For starters, since the event’s relocation from Main Avenue to East Second Avenue, the number of artists has been reduced from more than 100 to the 86 that were accepted for this year’s event. In all 166 applications were submitted from 17 states.

Acceptance into this show was guided by jurors Diane West, jeweler and owner of Diane West Jewelry & Art; ceramic artist Peter Karner; and photographer Jenny Gummersall. In addition to their duties as entry judges, the three will also award prizes for “Best of Show” in art and “Best of Show” in craft. Both prizes include $500 in cash and automatic entry into next year’s festival. There will also be an award for “Best Booth,” which includes automatic entry into next year’s festival and a waived booth fee of $300.

The broad range of art includes everything from traditional painting and photography to jewelry, glass, sculpture, gourds, prints, ceramics, fiber art, metal and wood. There 4

will be a potpourri of talent and taste to select from, and festival goers will get the chance to talk directly to the artisans.

Many of the artists and craftspeople are newcomers to the show, while others have exhibited here many times before. Returning ceramicist Maggie Mae Beyeler, for example, has participated in the festival eight or nine times and sais she likes it for its size. “I like it for many reasons,” she says, “It’s a very nice time of year, it’s a smaller show and I don’t get lost among 200 plus booths and artists.” 

She also acknowledged that the DAAF staff is organized and helpful and that Durango is, “A nice town, a nice location for the show once they moved it off Main Avenue and it is only a short drive from my home-base in Santa Fe.”

An added bonus for exhibitors is the unique layout that allows for better visibility, with booths in pods of four versus in a line. “Everyone has a corner,” says Beyeler “and you don’t have to pay an extra $100 for it like in other shows.”

For photographer Darien Bogart it is the first year displaying his work in Durango after relocating to Colorado three years ago. Describing his attraction to the DAAF, he mirrored Beyeler’s beliefs about the staff, the booth placements and the town. “Durango is a beautiful city surrounded by gorgeous countryside,” he said. “The DAAF organization is especially helpful, organized and determined to put on a great festival. This combination made it an easy decision for me to participate. I’m looking forward to the weekend!”

Food and music are not new at the fair, but this year they, too, are enhanced. “We have expanded the musical offerings, and we are hosting nine musical groups,” Masterjohn declared. Five performers will appear on the Second Avenue stage on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and on Sunday, there will be six musical acts from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., when the festival closes.

There will also be an enhanced “Creation Station,” a hands-on art area that has been expanded to include activities for all ages. A large-scale interactive installation, dubbed “The Forest,” invites festival goers to get involved and create life-size trees out of yarn. That particular activity commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act and is sponsored by Yarn Durango. 

In addition, there will be dumpsters for participants to decorate using acrylic markers, which is sponsored by The Dumpster Beautification Project and Art Supply House.

There is an expanded food court this year, as well, offering local, artisanal food and microbrews from Durango’s finest purveyors including Steamworks, Rylee Mac’s Famous Foods, The Intolerant Italian, Cream Bean Berry, and Tom Cat’s Lemonade.

Taking into consideration all the art, music, food and creative opportunities, the atmosphere promises to be exactly as billed, an autumn arts festival.