FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 30, 2012) — Kentucky’s finest art, craft, literature, music and artisan food will return to the Lexington Convention Center in March 2013 for Kentucky Crafted: The Market, the Kentucky Arts Council’s signature arts event for wholesale buyers and the general public.
The annual award-winning wholesale-retail marketplace drew a crowd of more than 10,000 people in its four-day stint in Lexington earlier this year. Visitors spent more than $750,000 at The Market that featured 115 Kentucky Crafted artists in addition to 59 vendors from Kentucky and surrounding states.
The 2013 event will be March 1-3, at the Lexington Convention Center, 430 W. Vine St., Lexington.
“Amenities available in and around the Lexington Center provide the perfect setting for artists and visitors alike to have an excellent Market experience,” said Lori Meadows, arts council executive director. “Few states in the nation produce a show like The Market that generates interest and income for artists. We are proud to continue our tradition of supporting Kentucky’s finest artisans whose work represents the highest caliber among artists in the state.”
[pullquote_left]”We are proud to continue our tradition of supporting Kentucky’s finest artisans whose work represents the highest caliber among artists in the state.” — Lori Meadows, arts council executive director[/pullquote_left]
A long-standing tradition of excellence is how Kentucky Crafted: The Market earns accolades year after year. It has been ranked No. 1 in Top 10 Fairs and Festivals in the country four times by AmericanStyle magazine. In addition, it has been named a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 event for 14 years and has already received the designation for 2013.
Offerings include paintings from abstracts to pastoral landscapes, craft from contemporary glass and over-the-top ceramics to jewelry, brooms and baskets, books from modern short stories to poetry printed on a letterpress, and delicacies from tequila-and-lime-flavored marshmallows to creamed pull candy. The days will also be filled with live performances of blues, bluegrass, jazz and everything in between on the Kentucky Stage.
The first day of The Market is a wholesale trade show day, open exclusively to qualified business owners who sell products in retail venues. The wholesale day acts as an economic generator for Kentucky, annually attracting 500 to 600 buyers from 15 to 20 states.
Doors open to the public on March 2 and 3, offering visitors an opportunity to purchase new work before it hits store shelves or is installed on gallery walls.
Kentucky Crafted: The Market is produced by the Kentucky Arts Council.
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