Mother’s Day is this weekend, which means one thing for Lakeland art lovers: It’s time for Mayfaire-by-the-Lake. Created in 1971 as a small crafts fair on the lawn of the Lakeland Public Library, Mayfaire has become one of the most prestigious outdoor fine arts festivals in Florida.
The event, which is free to attend, will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday along the shores of Lake Morton. It is presented by Citizens Bank & Trust and The Ruthvens and organized by the Polk Museum of Art.
“Mayfaire weekend is one of the most special times of the year and one of the most awaited events of the season,” said Alex Rich, executive director of the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. “The festival truly offers something for everyone, including art in all types of media, of course, but also with great concessions, a beautiful setting on Lake Morton, and an amazing added incentive to come to the museum, a block away, to see our blockbuster Rockwell/Wyeth: Icons of Americana exhibition for free.”
There are several new features for the festival’s 52nd year, including a DJ playing music on the library lawn, allowing festival goers a chance to bust a move or belt out a tune while they peruse the wide variety of artwork.
“This is a good opportunity to purchase artwork by skilled artisans … It brings together families for a Mother’s Day outing and celebrates the arts,” said one of the coordinators, Joy Williams. The other coordinator is Leslie Norman.
This year, there will be 149 artists from nine states. Their booths will feature a variety of media including clay, fiber, oil and acrylic, watercolor, photography, jewelry, pottery, sculpture and woodworking. They will be competing for $17,000 in award money:
- Best of show, $5,000.
- Two awards of excellence, $2,000 each.
- Four awards of distinction, $1,000 each.
- Six merit awards, $500 each.
- Five honorable mention awards, $200 each.
“We’re expecting 40 new artists from around the country,” Williams said. The participating artists are coming from as far away as New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
View a larger version of the map.
View the participating artists.
The artists were invited to participate after being evaluated by a five-member jury in March. Organizers said there were more than 230 applications this year.
“It depends on the quality of the artwork and they have to have a professional booth image,” explained Williams, who added the artists pay $400 for a booth fee.
What’s new this year
Instead of having local groups perform on the library lawn, there will be a DJ playing top 40 hits throughout the festival. DJ Jason Brown of Brown Sounds will provide the entertainment.
“We’re looking forward to having some curated background music,” Williams said.
The Kids Zone will be located on the library lawn and available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Children of all ages and abilities can make a handprint cactus, ice cream dot paintings, mixed-media buttons and a string-painted Mother’s Day card.
And across the way, for the third year in a row, will be Kids Collect.
“Kids Collect is returning this year. This tent is where kids ages 6-14 can purchase artwork donated by Mayfaire artists for a nominal price. All proceeds will benefit the Polk Museum of Art’s Summer Camp Scholarship program,” Williams said. “It helps children create their own art collection and develop their eye for art.”
Featured artist and poster
Oil and acrylic artist Heather Nagy is the featured artist this year. Known for her award-winning impressionist landscape and city scenes, her goal is to help people “shift their focus and find hope.” Based in Orlando, this is her second year participating in the festival, according to organizers.
“She specializes in doing landscapes and cityscapes in these very vivid colors that really appealed to us. Her sky paintings are really eye-catching. We thought that she would be able to capture the feel of Mayfaire,” explained Williams, adding that Nagy has some new artwork that she’ll be showcasing at this year’s Mayfaire.
Nagy grew up in Michigan and has a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from Western Michigan University. She traveled for a year around Asia before moving to Orlando in 2000 to pursue a job as a graphic designer, according to her website. She kept that job until 2018, when she decided to pursue being a professional artist full time.
“I work from photographic reference and enjoy creating pieces with bold colors and a loose realism. I seek to find beauty wherever I am,” Nagy said on her website.
Her artwork is in collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. Nagy will be located in booth 92 across from the library.
Here is Nagy’s poster for Mayfaire 2024:
Mayfaire judge
The 2024 Mayfaire judge is Lakeland native Jessica Kay Ruhle. She is the director of the Yellowstone Arts Museum in Billings, Montana. There, she has focused on increasing access by eliminating admission costs, expanding programming and reopening the museum’s artist-in-residency program.
Before running the Yellowstone Arts Museum, Ruhle was the director of education at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in North Carolina. She was the North Carolina Art Education Association’s 2014 and 2018 North Carolina Museum Educator of the Year, according to the Mayfaire website. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Davidson College and a master’s degree in museum education from George Washington University.
Growing up in Lakeland, Ruhle frequented the Polk Museum of Art with her grandmother, Gerrye West, who was a docent there. She attended summer camps at the museum throughout her elementary and middle school years.
“Jessica Ruhle has been on my list of potential judges for a few years. I love that she is not merely very experienced as a museum director but also that she hails from Lakeland originally. What a homecoming!” Rich said.
Parking
If you can’t find parking on the side streets near Lake Morton, parking is available at Florida Southern College on Frank Lloyd Wright Way. Shuttles will pick up guests and take them to the festival. Directions to the festival from Tampa and Orlando can be found on the festival’s website.
Citrus Connection Squeeze eight-passenger golf carts will also take festival-goers from downtown parking lots to the Mayfaire site. The shuttles will operate both days of the festival, according to Citrus Connection Executive Director Tom Phillips.
Food
Organizers encourage attendees to support the food trucks on site, as a portion of the sales will benefit the Polk Museum of Art. The trucks can be found throughout the show.
According to the festival website, food will include tacos and burritos from Chief’s Cantina, Heavenly Soft Pretzels, specialty smash burgers from 1 Up Burgers, Middle Eastern street food from Kebablicious, Sub Zero Italian Ice, kettle corn and lemonade from Spontaneous Consumption, gourmet snacks from Dee’s Nuts, chicken tenders from The Chicks’ Coop, ice cream from Chief’s Chill Out, and surf and turf from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. The festival partners with the Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally to curate food selections.
Getting around
Organizers encourage guests to walk around the lake and view all of the artwork. If you need assistance, Mayferry shuttles will be running throughout the show, organizers said. There will also be two wheelchair-accessible golf carts for anyone in a wheelchair who needs them. The event is also stroller-friendly.
Organizers encourage people to leave electric powered bikes and scooters at home. Due to the heat, it is also advised to avoid bringing pets.
Mayfaire 5K
The Lakeland Runners Club will host its 45th Annual Mayfaire 5K on May 11. The run will begin at 7 p.m. on Main Street near the Amtrak Train Station and Lake Mirror and end on the Francis Langford Promenade.
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