A celebration of creativity, community and culture

ArtFest will return to Green Bay this year with new dates and a fresh lineup of artists and activities.

Downtown Green Bay will continue its mission of bringing art to the heart of the city with ArtFest, scheduled for Aug. 22-23 — later in the summer than it has been in previous years.

“ArtFest is a full weekend of visual art, music, food, hands-on experiences and community participation,” said Kennedy Corpus, digital media manager for Downtown Green Bay. “We really want to celebrate the creativity, community and cultural energy of this city.”

“The main centerpiece of the festival is the art fair with more than 100 artists,” Corpus said. “They range from local to regional to national artists that travel here to display their art and sell their art for two days. The artwork ranges from many mediums and styles, from fine art to decorative to functional art.”

For the artists involved, art festivals and fairs like ArtFest offer opportunities for exposure and for artists to meet potential new buyers.

“A lot of people don’t have galleries,” said Anthony Strublic, an artist from Marinette and 2026 ArtFest participant. “I have a studio, but for me, it’s a workshop. I don’t have a retail spot and a lot of artists don’t have that, so they really want the exposure and so they look for high profile shows that will allow them to get that.”

“It’s a really good way to get your art out there,” said Christine Courchaine, a Kewaunee County artist participating in this year’s ArtFest. “I am a member of the Lakeshore Artist Guild and I had somebody recently ask me how I sell my work… If you don’t put yourself out there, you’re not going to get those sales. It’s a great opportunity to get out there and let people see your stuff and just get people more knowledgeable about what you’re doing and the benefits of art in general.”

In addition to the art fair, this year’s ArtFest will feature live music throughout the event and an interactive Experience Art Zone, where attendees can find opportunities to not only view art, but make art themselves, and a collaborative art project to be displayed in the city after the event.

“Part of our mission is to create a vibrant downtown that welcomes visitors and residents alike,” Corpus said. “All the proceeds from this go back into beautifying our downtown, so not only are our local artists getting to showcase their art and visitors are able to purchase that art and be hands-on with it, but they’re also supporting the beautification of downtown and adding to the vibrance of the city. As part of that, we have a community art project, which I think is one of the most fun aspects of this event and just a wholesome part of it as well. This year it’s a collaborative painting project that’s located on the exterior alley wall of the Pine Street Parking Ramp over both festival days. Participants can come by and collaborate on this project and return throughout the weekend to watch the piece evolve, creating a lasting downtown art installation made by the community.”

Learn more about this year’s ArtFest at downtowngreenbay.com and find a map and list of artists featured in this year’s art fair on the back page of this week’s issue of City Pages.