Every fourth weekend of July for the past 60 years has seen the Eagle Rock Art Guild set up their Sidewalk Art Festival, displaying original pieces of art they worked hard to produce.
“Because art’s fundamental purpose is to interact with the public, it has to be seen or exhibited in order for anyone to get anything from it, including the artists themselves,” said Kamber Weninger, the art guild’s president.
Several categories of art will be on display, ranging from painting to photography, from glasswork to ceramics, but no matter the category, the guild only accepts original art work to be on display.
Weninger explained the reason behind the focus on original works is that anyone can take manufactured beads and string them together to make a necklace, but there are those who make everything themselves, something that takes considerably more time and effort.
“Every little bit has to be made by them, so we try to keep the focus on the fine artists rather than the craft artists,” she said.
Anyone is welcome to display and sell their artwork at the show after registering with the guild for booth space. Weninger said the guild is a group of people with similar interests there to learn from one another, and at both the event and in the guild they see everyone from professional to amateur artists.
“Our mission is to promote visual fine arts within the Idaho Falls region through education, community service and cultural programming,” Weninger said.
One of the ways the guild does this is through the Helen Aupperle Scholarship, which is awarded to a high school senior in the art program. Artists participating in the festival are encouraged to donate a small piece of art to be raffled off to raise funds for the high school student scholarship.
Those who attend the show will not only have the chance to participate in the raffle and view and purchase original artwork, but also enjoy the entertainment and vendors that will accompany the show.
“It’s a weekend event for anybody and it’s free to the public,” Weninger said.
For more information on the Sidewalk Art Fesitval, please visit eaglerockartguildida.ipage.com.