HYDE PARK — More than 130 local painters, ceramicists, sculptors and more will show and sell their works at this year’s 57th Street Art Fair.
The free fair, which touts itself as the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest, runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
The fair is held on 57th Street from Kenwood to Woodlawn avenues, and on Kimbark Avenue from 56th to 57th streets.
This year marks the fair’s first in-person edition since the start of the pandemic, and booths will be spread further apart than usual to encourage physical distancing, organizers said.
The 2020 fair was canceled within the first month of the pandemic. Organizers initially said they were optimistic about holding an in-person fair in 2021, but they canceled those plans, saying they ran out of time to pull the event together as the city eased coronavirus restrictions.
Virtual exhibits, which include links to participating artists’ websites, have been held in lieu of the outdoor fair the past two years. A virtual fair was once again organized this year, alongside the in-person event.
For a fair map and a full list of participating artists, click here.
The 57th Street Art Fair coincides with the University of Chicago’s commencement weekend, so organizers recommend bicycling or taking public transit.
The art fair is four blocks west of the bus stops at 57th Street and Stony Island Avenue for CTA routes 2, 6, 15 and 28. It’s also two blocks south of the bus stops at 55th Street and Woodlawn Avenue for routes 55, 171 and 172.
The fair is roughly four blocks west of the 57th Street exit to the 55th-56th-57th Street Metra station. Fares along the Metra Electric line, which includes the 55th-56th-57th stop, have been reduced by nearly half under the Fair Transit South Cook pilot program.
For a map of commencement-related street closures, as well as information about UChicago shuttles, parking lots and other university transportation information, click here.
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