The 88th Annual Plaza Art Fair Presented by Saint Luke's Sept. 20, 21 & 22

    KANSAS CITY, MO, September 18, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City's three-day celebration of art, food, culture and music, will return to Country Club Plaza Sept. 20-22. This marks the 88th year for the Plaza Art Fair, and the 2019 event is once again presented by Saint Luke's.

The Plaza Art Fair is one of Kansas City's most long-standing traditions. It continues to be a place where people come together to celebrate art and each other. The event covers nine city blocks, greets a crowd of more than 250,000 and features 240 artists, three live music stages and more than 20 restaurant booths.

"We love what the Plaza Art Fair means to Kansas City – a time to come together and celebrate art, culture and our great city," said Kasey Vena, Country Club Plaza marketing and sponsorship director. "We are proud to partner with so many important community organizations to continue this beloved tradition."

The Art
This top-ranked, national art event features 240 artists who were selected by a highly competitive jury process. More than 1,300 artists submitted work in hopes of showcasing at the Plaza Art Fair.

Artwork featured includes the finest in a diverse mix of ceramics, digital art, fiber, glass, printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, 2D and 3D mixed media, painting, pastels, photography, sculpture and wood.

The Food
Food at the 2019 Plaza Art Fair is poised to be tastier than ever. More than 20 Plaza restaurants offer culinary specialties that serve as the perfect complement to the beautiful artwork on display. New restaurant booths this year include True Food Kitchen and Shake Shack.

Art Fairgoers can enjoy bites in any of the fair's three restaurant areas: along Ward Parkway between Broadway and Pennsylvania; along Broadway between Nichols and Ward Parkway; and on Central Street between Nichols and Ward Parkway.

The Music
Dance the night (and day) away and hear Kansas City's favorite local musicians playing at the three live music stages found throughout the Plaza Art Fair. Fifty bands will play throughout the weekend. The main stage is located on the Wornall Bridge. The INK Live! stage is located at Ward Parkway and Pennsylvania and the 90.1 KKFI community stage is located near Starbucks on Central and Nichols Road. All stages will feature a variety of dynamic, local bands all weekend long.

2019 Featured Artist
Steve and Bonnie Harmston are the 2019 Plaza Art Fair featured artists. Colorful and vivid, their work on silkscreen prints utilizes hand-cut shapes overlaid with color, along with stencil cutting and color mixing techniques to create unique pieces of art. These pieces of art reflect travels through wild and rural parts of the land. Their work can be viewed on the 2019 Plaza Art Fair banners hanging along the streets throughout the Plaza.

Presenting Sponsor
Saint Luke's Health System is celebrating five years as the presenting sponsor of the Plaza Art Fair. And for more than 135 years, Saint Luke's has been at the heart of Kansas City health care and are deeply committed to supporting the community they serve.

"The Plaza Art Fair is one of Kansas City's most time-honored traditions," said Julie Quirin, Saint Luke's chief operating officer and senior vice president. "We believe in the power of art to enrich people's lives and the value of coming together as a community to connect and celebrate. Our entire staff is proud to be a part of this wonderful event."

Art Fair-goers can relax and refresh in the Saint Luke's tent, located in the heart of the fair at Broadway and Nichols Road. They can also bring their kids, grab a balloon and enter to win prizes, including an original artwork from Plaza Art Fair featured artists Steve and Bonnie Harmston.

Saint Luke's is once again hosting the giant GO LIFE sculptures – a fantastic photo opportunity – as well as the Nursing Mothers' Lounge at RE, at the corner of Nichols Road and Wyandotte. The Lounge provides mothers with a private, comfortable space to nurse or bottle-feed their babies. This area is open Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Additional Partners
While the Country Club Plaza management team produces the Plaza Art Fair, it truly is a community event and is made possible by many Plaza-area businesses, organizations and volunteers. Plaza partners, including Saint Luke's, Polsinelli, Kansas City Lexus Dealers, PepsiCo Recycling, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Pembroke Hill School, KSHB-TV (41 Action News), ArtsKC, all pitch in to support the weekend's festivities.

Polsinelli, one of the nation's largest law firms with more than 875 attorneys in 21 offices across the U.S., is proud to support this national art event and to celebrate our local arts community. Polsinelli will sponsor the information booths, located at the intersections of Ward Parkway and Broadway and Nichols and Central.

PepsiCo Recycling, a new community partner this year, will host a recycling activation at the Broadway activity block, featuring a hybrid vehicle with fun activities to educate fair-goers on the importance of recycling.

More Details About the Plaza Art Fair
With classic Spanish architecture, iconic fountains and picturesque sculptures, Country Club Plaza is a work of art in itself and is a perfect setting for an art event. The Plaza Art Fair tradition began in 1932. Over the years, the exhibits have grown in quality and creativity to become a nationally recognized fine art and fine craft festival, and a beloved Kansas City tradition.

Plaza Art Fair hours:
Friday, Sept. 20 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 22 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There is no admission cost for the Plaza Art Fair. Parking is free and Plaza garages are open.

Country Club Plaza will offer updates on available parking, tips on the ongoing festivities and more on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the weekend. Check out the 2019 Plaza Art Fair website to stay up-to-date as well, at http://www.plazaartfair.com.

Links to more information about the Plaza Art Fair at plazaartfair.com:

Live music schedules: http://www.plazaartfair.com/live-music/

Restaurant delights: http://www.plazaartfair.com/restaurants/

Artists exhibiting work: http://www.plazaartfair.com/2019artists/

Plaza Art Fair layout: http://www.plazaartfair.com/map

Plaza Art Fair free parking: http://www.plazaartfair.com/parking-map

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mackenzie Lujin
[email protected] or 816.842.8111

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