After ten years, the Gordonston Art Fair returns with the theme 'locals for locals'

Last year, when a group of Gordonston residents realized it had been nearly ten years since their last neighborhood art show, a small team went to work searching for ways to bring it back.

This Saturday, the Gordonston Art Fair returns to Juliette Gordon Low Park with more than 40 local artists, live entertainment, food, beverages and more.

The fair’s theme is “locals for locals” and aims to re-connect seemingly hidden or unknown resident Gordonston artists with new customers as well as greater Savannah arts community.

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“We’re an active neighborhood,” intoned Gale Steves, one of the residents responsible for resuscitating the event. “We hold community meetings and regular dinner socials at the cottage in Juliette Gordon Low Park. That’s where many of us realized several talented artists live in our midst. We got the idea to revive the Gordonston Art Fair, last held in 2012, to celebrate the artists hidden in our neighborhood.”

Steves, who isn’t an artist but appreciates the arts and strong relationships art-focused activities can build, was familiar with the city’s “Weave a Dream Grant.”

The grant provides up to $5,000 matching funds to non-profits leading community-based projects seeking to “diversify and expand Savannah’s creative sector, inspire and engage youth, and increase appreciation and exposure to art and multiculturalism.”

Steves along with Gordonston resident and pottery artist, Deanne Christman-Resch, got to work recruiting neighbors for marketing materials, building a website and planning logistics for the fair. Since Juliette Gordon Low Park is conserved through Gordonston Park Preservation Association, the team had an established non-profit to partner with in applying for city funds.

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“Gale really was the inspiration. She got the ball rolling last year, and I joined midway through in crunching the numbers for the grant application,” said Christman-Resch. We had to show the value amount of in-kind donations from neighbors to come up with a funding figure to ask for from the city. That ended up being around $1,500, though really, every neighbor was generous with time and contributions. A website alone can hardly be made for less that $2,000.”

True to the artistic spirit, the Gordonston neighbors got creative in how they continued with planning for the art fair re-launch. After tackling imperatives of insurance, security and porta-potties, they asked local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troupes to assist with set up and take down and to be on hand during the event.

The Gordonston Art Fair has a little something for everyone, including a kids’ zone with face painting and range of interactive activities, multiple food trucks, live acoustic music and ribbon cutting ceremony in which Savannah City Councilwoman Linda Wilder Bryan inaugurates the event’s re-launch.

The art and some of the artists with Fiber Guild of the Savannahs will be on hand as well as an array of local potters, painters, photographers, jewelers, hat makers and more. Savannah’s Clay Spot will be in the mix with samples from and demonstrations about their community ceramic arts classes.

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“I’ve been a porcelain clay jeweler for 30 years, and for most of that time I made a living participating in the Ohio art show circuit,” emphasized Christman-Resch.

“Savannah really has very few art shows to sell work in, and we’re hoping that we can help change that, and the Gordonston Art fair will grow to be a reliable, top quality annual show. We’re also hoping our efforts will inspire more communities in Savannah to support local arts and artists with their take on a local art fair and market in their neighborhoods.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: Gordonston Art Fair; local artists work for sale