Artists’ Market 2010

AthFest is more than just outdoor music.  There are many other activities and components that make up the festival.   One of the major attractions at AthFest is our outdoor Artist Market.  People come year after year to browse, shop, and simply appreciate many different types of visual arts.  The Artist Market is made up of a huge variety of talented local and regional artists.  We have painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, fabric designers, jewelers, and more.   

It's not widely known, but the AthFest Artist Market is juried, meaning not everyone gets in.  We are limited to the number and type of artists that we can accept due to our layout.  But fortunately for us, and for the festival-goers, this means that every artist is hand picked for the style and quality of their art.  AthFest is also a judged festival.  Every year a panel of qualified judges hands out over $1000 in prizes to the best of the artists.  The Artist Market is judged based on creativity, presentation, originality, and the overall quality of their work. 

This year's judges were Phillip Goulding and Simone Wilson.  Phillip is from Farmington, GA.  He is a renowned sculptor with an MFA from the University of Georgia.  His current project is the collaborative Farmington Depot Gallery located in the old train depot just off 441 in Farmington.  Simone is originally from Atlanta and lived in Athens for many years, but now lives and works in Asheville, NC.  She is the founder of Pleasant Hugh Studio there, and is an accomplished painter; she also works in 2D and 3D with found objects.

The winners in this year's AthFest Artist Market were from many different mediums. 

• Best in Show: Josh Fesken (Mixed Media and Sculpture)
• Second Place: Comusina Celan (Painting)
• Honorable Mentions:  Robbie Smith of BlackSmith Guitars (Sculpture/Musical Instruments), Chris "CHUB" Hubbard (Folk Art / Mixed Media), Yvonne Miller (Painting/Mixed Media), Mary Moses (Painting), and Eviji and Inga of 100% Cool Designs (Fabric Design).

Thanks to all the artists, judges, and the wonderful crowd that we had this year.  We hope you will come out and see us in June of 2011.  Some of your favorites will surely return, and there will be a fresh new group of talented individuals to appreciate.

For more information about the art side of AthFest, use the Contact Us forms.