Perfect day kicks off Beaux Arts Spring Fair
Tamara Fudge
"It's a perfect day for this," Rock Island artist Bob Brehmer said Saturday during the first day of the Beaux Arts Spring Fair in downtown Davenport.
That may sound commonplace. But with the history of the festival not always including much help from Mother Nature, no one can blame him for being extra thankful that the day's activities did not include rain.
"No matter what happens, rain or shine, the artists will be up and selling," said fair chairman Tom Magers, owner of Major Art & Hobby Center on 2nd Street.
His committee of 20 people prepares the event. He said the spring festival began in the early 1960s, and because of its popularity, a fall event was added years later. In all, about 63 such art fairs have been presented.
This year, there is an abundance of creative work from stained glass, paintings of various media, bird feeders and lawn decorations to children's wooden puzzles, art clocks, jewelry and tie-dye clothing. It covers 2nd Street from Brady to Iowa streets, as well as up and down Pershing Street by a block in each direction.
Vendors came from Chicago, Milwaukee, and other Midwest cities as well as the entire Quad-City area. Not only is there a wide variety of artwork available, there are also many stories to tell.
Meg Prange of Russell, Iowa, was a biologist who developed new techniques to raise walleye until her job was cut in the mid-1990s. She turned to creating hand-appliqued fabric pictures as a stress-reliever and found that her new life as a self-employed artist was fulfilling.
She worked on new pictures as she explained the technique to those who ask.
"It's opposite of Hmong and other techniques," she said as she layers the fabric from the background up rather than cutting top layers and folding them under before sewing.
Leanna Collins of Lafayette, Ill., brought her stained glass stepping stones — garden centerpieces with a personal touch. "The most popular by far is the shamrock," she said. She has been bringing her stones to this show since starting her business eight years ago.
Brehmer brought his line of pottery, reminiscent of Fiesta ware with some color twists. One small attraction was not for sale — Punky the Festival Parrot, owned by June and Tom Lackiewicz of Clinton, Iowa, who say that Punky attends many outdoor events to enjoy the weather and occasionally squawk at passersby.
Small donation boxes are located at several street intersections to request donations for the Figge Arts Center. Sponsored by the center, the Kids Construction Corner is located at 2nd and Perry streets and offers an opportunity to create coffee-filter flowers placed in small painted pots.
"We're committed to art education for all ages, and it's great to be here to offer family opportunities to enjoy art," said Ann Marie Hayes, the museum's curator of education. "We're looking forward to being downtown."
"This is a great outdoor thing to do," Shelly Reisenbigler of Chicago said of Saturday's event. She and her husband, Eric, grew up here and are visiting family.
The two-day spring fair concludes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in downtown Davenport.
The city desk can be contacted at
(563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.