The Krasl Art Center is thanking the community for a successful Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff this year. The event was held July 10 and 11 at Lake Bluff Park with a few changes due to COVID-19. Krasl spokesperson Matthew Bizoe tells WSJM News the weather was cooperative and the new ticketed model for the fair worked well.
“People were able to come and leisurely enjoy the art fair in a way that they really haven’t been able to in the past, and the artists reported amazing sales this year too,” Bizoe said.
Bizoe says they could count the number of visitors thanks to the ticketing system.
“We are estimating that 13,700 people came. This is the first time we’ve been able to measure our actual guest count in Lake Bluff Park in the fair’s history. Typically, this is a free event where we don’t have gates or anything so we can accurately measure how many people have come.”
Bizoe says the artists have reported strong sales, although the numbers won’t be known for some months when a survey is complete. While there were some naysayers on social media when the Krasl announced some of this year’s changes, he tells us the feedback Krasl got at the event was almost entirely positive. The cost of presenting the fair, around $130,000 per year, is paid for by artists’ fees and business sponsorships. Artists keep 100% of their sale proceeds. Bizoe says admission income this year raised $62,000, making the fair a true fundraiser for Krasl. He felt it was great to be back in person and talking with artists again.
