Art to the heart of downtown Wilmette

Artists and art lovers united Saturday and Sunday in downtown Wilmette for the debut of the Wilmette Art Fair.

About 100 artists filled booths lined up and down Central and Wilmette avenues, showing off everything from paintings and prints to jewelry and ceramics — all of which was for sale.

Guests could get in on the creativity with face painting and a live painting class, as live music provided a soundtrack for the two-day event.

The Village of Wilmette developed the art fair on the heels of recent successful community events, such as 2022’s block party for the town’s 150th anniversary.

The village tagged in Amdur Productions to manage the event. Amdur, of Highland Park, also runs the Glencoe Festival of Art, Northbrook Art in the Park, Port Clinton Art Festival (Highland Park) and others in the area.

Admission to the event was free, while vendors and local restaurants provided the weekend’s fare.

Organizers previously told The Record they hope the Wilmette Art Fair becomes an annual affair.

“We received a lot of good feedback around events in the community, whether it’s Music on the Green or the block party, which was a huge success,” said Village Manager Mike Braiman in January. “There was demand for some more events like this that we want to put on for community pride and continuing the vibrancy we have going.”

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