Art in Speed Park to present final art fair this weekend

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Aug. 23—SELLERSBURG — A Sellersburg art fair featuring artists from around the country will present its 30th and final event this weekend.

Art in Speed Park will take place this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Speed Park at 175 Indiana Ave. The event started 31 years ago, but last year's fair was canceled because of the pandemic.

Art in Speed Park Director Kim Johnson is one of the founders of the fine arts fair. She said the fair started as a small event with 12 artists, but it now features more than 100 artists from all over the country.

"It's been a great success, and it's only gotten better and better over the years," she said.

Johnson said the cement plant that owns Speed Park is ceasing operations in a few years, creating some uncertainty about the future of the park. She has also noticed that during the pandemic, many artists are not wanting to travel across the country as much for art fairs, and they are finding it easier to sell online.

"We just decided to retire the show at its peak and at its best so that your last memories of the art fair is that it is just an amazing show," she said. "It's important for us to retire the show when it's just fantastic."

The juried show includes art such as paintings, pottery, jewelry and sculptures, and it is known as a challenging show for artists to enter, Johnson said.

"I think more than anything it's bringing the fine arts to Southern Indiana and introducing artists from all over the nation to Southern Indiana and our little hometown," she said.

The event will feature food trucks, wine from Huber's Orchard & Winery, and beer from Donum Dei Brewery. Attendees can also enjoy live music performances throughout the event.

Art in Speed Park has brought the community together over the years, Johnson said.

"It's like a homecoming, so to speak," she said. "People look to it very much as a homecoming weekend, and it's something that for the rest of my life I'll be proud I helped facilitate."

Johnson said it is bittersweet to retire the show after so many years.

"I just feel so proud of what the community and the artists have all created together," she said. "I'm just immensely proud. I'm hoping that someone will start a new event in Sellersburg — something new and fresh and exciting."