After 18 years, the popular Cherrywood Art Fair will have its last run this weekend, announced representatives of Chula League, the community non-profit which produce the holiday arts market.
This year’s fair — which is Dec. 7 and 8 — will be the last.
Held at Maplewood Elementary School, the Cherrywood Art Fair is one of the more popular of Austin’s holiday arts market.
[su_pullquote]Cherrywood Art Fair
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7 & 8
3808 Maplewood Ave.
chulaleague.org/cherrywood-art-fair
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Chula League representatives said in a public release that the art fair’s success relied on “sponsorships and volunteerism both of which have declined over the years.”
“As the East Austin community and the city’s demographics have shifted, so too have the challenges and opportunities for producing a large-scale free two-day event,” the release said.
Chula League representatives also announced that in addition to sunsetting the art fair, it will pause its other programming beginning in March 2020, namely its Little Artist BIG ARTIST program, which provides art mentorships for East Austin elementary school students. Since 2007, the program has paired professional artists with fifth and sixth-grade students to offer one-on-one arts mentorships.
To date, Chula League has endowed more than $135,000 in grants, services and programming to East Austin schools from funds generated through Cherrywood Art Fair and Little Artist BIG ARTIST auction proceeds.
Organizers estimate that the Cherrywood Art Fair has showcased about 1,200 artists and drawn more than 100,000 visitors in its 18-year run.
