Powderhorn Art Fair Expresses The Need For Community Through The Arts

For 33 years, the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association has helped put on the annual Powderhorn Art Fair. Artists from all over the country enter for a chance to display their art to the South Minneapolis community.

The art shown at the fair consists of more than just your average idea of paintings, though. The Art Fair ranges from clay to glass to papermaking, with several different categories in between.

For the first 13 years, community members organized and ran the Art Fair. The Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association decided to step in to help run the fair with community members still being at the heart of the planning process, Tabitha Montgomery, the Executive Director of the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, said.

This year will display a record number of food trucks at the Fair with 26 food trucks serving up unique foods for all who attend, complimenting the artists displaying their work.

“It’s a precursor to where we’re heading in the future in terms of how we center food artistry and culinary art alongside visual artists as a way to create an event that creates more access and interest, broadening our reach in terms of who participates in our community,” Montgomery said.

Tabitha Montgomery also said that she has seen artists from each and every background support each other throughout the process of getting the Art Fair set up.

“It’s about being welcoming, inclusive and encouraging people to use however they identify and however they see themselves in their art,” Montgomery said. “We’ve been known for very inclusive, eclectic, and welcoming art shows. We have been fortunate that we attract voices from all over the spector.”

Ash Satorius, the events manager for the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, said the planning for the Art Fair takes over a year as it is the largest event the Association hosts every year.

To enter the Art Fair, a jury panel consisting of people chosen by some of the artists rate the artwork and decide who is invited. This year, over 190 artists will have the chance to show off their talents to the Powderhorn Park community.

The top three winners in each category will have their application fee for the next year paid for by the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association as every artist is encouraged to apply for next year’s Art Fair. The top winner will also have their artists booth paid for the the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association since they are automatically given the chance to appear at next year’s Art Fair.

A new category that you can see this year is the recycled art category where artists produce their art with recycled materials. Satorius said she is excited for the group art exhibits the Art Fair is showcasing for this year.

Satorius said the Art Fair pushes to support BIPOC and women owned businesses when asking artists and group collectives to participate in the Art Fair. She added that she understands how difficult it can be for small businesses, and the Neighborhood Association wants to help out however they can.

One of the LGBTQ+ artists you can see at the Art Fair are Queer Haven Art, a group of rotating queer artists who produce many different forms of art. Satorius said they are just one out of the many LGBTQ+ artists being featured at the Art Fair.

The Uptown Art Fair typically runs the same weekend as the Powderhorn Art Fair but is unable to happen this year due to construction. Montgomery said the Powderhorn Art Fair is expected to see those who would usually attend the Uptown Art Fair this year.

Between 18,000 to 22,000 people are expected to attend the Art Fair this year over the two day period due to the Uptown Art Fair not happening. In years prior, Montgomery said the average attendance numbers ranged from 15,000 to 18,000 people.

The Art Fair would not be possible without the help from community volunteers, Montgomery said. The volunteers help out with directing parking for guests, making sure the artist lounge is fully stocked and much more.

One of Montgomery’s favorite parts of the Art Fair is getting to tell the artists who are selected that they won an award. She added she loves to see the support artists show each other throughout the “healthy competition.”

Satorius said their favorite part of the Art Fair is “getting to watch people from groups who often face oppression be able to express themselves and their struggles through their artwork.” She added she enjoys the social justice aspect of it all.

When asked what the word community means to her, Montgomery said one word: “neighbor.” To her, community means being to take care of and include those who surround you every day. She said this word plays a “major role in making sure people who attend the Art Fair feel a sense of community and all the other human emotions we go through on a given day.”

“Life requires the joy part, life requires the hard part, life requires the sad part, the unexpected part,” Montgomery said. “It is one of those facets that is required of existence is to have moments like these, and it’s important for whoever is producing an event to understand how it is woven into the tapestry of place and community.”

The Powderhorn Art Fair is happening Aug. 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Powderhorn Park. For more information, you can visit their website at www.powderhornartfair.com.