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Arts & Entertainment

Don't Miss the 45th Annual Edina Art Fair

The highly anticipated event at 50th & France runs Friday through Sunday.

Kicking off the outdoor art fair season, the Edina Art Fair celebrates its 45th anniversary this weekend. 

Nearly 350 artists will display and sell their work at , with over half hailing from Minnesota and others from as far away as Hawaii and Israel. The show is juried by a six person panel made up of three art professionals and three artists. 

This year’s featured artist is Jay Steinke. Calling himself a classical landscape photographer, Steinke said he seeks out the beauty and emotion in the natural world.  

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“I am really honored to have been selected [as the featured artist] from among 340 artists,” Steinke said. “It is not something one expects, so it is a great perk and I'm excited about it.”

In addition to art of nearly all mediums, the Edina Art Fair will feature two food courts, live music, cooking demonstrations and a fashion show.

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Bring along the little ones to this free family-friendly event. Julie Boehm, associate director of the 50th & France Business Association, said there are more kids activities than usual this year, such as the Kids Art Zone with face painting and a sand art workshop, as well as a Jackson Pollock painting activity, a performance by the Teddy Bear Band and a puppet show.

A lucky few guests will also be able to take home some Edina Art Fair memorabilia in the form of a shoulder bag. Jeff and Gail Greengard of the eco-friendly accessory line Drive-By Bags—returning for its third year at the Edina Art Fair—have taken last year’s Edina Art Fair banners and turned them into stylish bags and totes.

There are just 10 bags and fewer than 10 totes made from the banners, though, so if you’re coveting this design it’s best to get there early. Jeff Greengard did tell us, however, that he plans to space out the items and have a few available each day. The bags will sell for $45 and the totes for $25. 

If you’re too late to nab an Edina Art Fair creation, Drive-By Bags will of course have other designs available as well. The one-of-a-kind, fashionable items are made from recycled vinyl billboards that would otherwise go to waste. 

“It’s us or the dumpster,” Greengard said. 

The Edina Art Fair draws some 90,000-100,000 visitors each year, and this year should be no different. The event will go on rain or shine, though the organizers and artists are naturally hoping for plenty of shine. The Edina Art Fair has toughed it out through some less than ideal weather in previous years, but Boehm said the outlook is good this year. 

“As of now it says sunny skies, so hopefully it stays that way,” she said. “You just have to stay positive.”

And if the onset of road construction season has you wary about driving and parking at the Fair, don’t worry. In addition to the free parking ramps at 50th & France, Edina Art Fair visitors can park at Southdale Center and catch a free shuttle to the event. The shuttle will run every half-hour, beginning one hour before the Fair and ending one hour after. 

If You Go What: When: Friday, June 3–Sunday, June 5; 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday Where: 50th Street and France Avenue, Edina  Cost: Free
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