Celebrity chef will dish at Brandywine Festival of the Arts - (Aug. 21, 2024)
Robbie Jester among diverse food options at post-Labor Day event
There’s more to the Brandywine Festival of the Arts than some 250 vendors displaying their unique paintings, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry and woodwork.
The annual event has become an attractive venue for al fresco dining and this year will feature Robbie Jester, one of Delaware’s best known celebrity chefs. Jester, renowned for his television appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Netflix’ Pressure Cooker, Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped is bringing his mobile In Jest Events and Catering to the festival for the first time. He will be sering his famous original barecue at the popular end of summer celebration on Sept. 7 and 8 in Wilmington’s Brandywine Park.
Jester will be just one of 14 vendors setting up in the festival’s food court. Home Grown Café and Copperfield Kettle Corn, two festival perennials, will return, and so will HyPoint Farms with its wide variety of ice cream flavors in cones and cups. Three other Wilmington-area favorites – BrewHaHa beverages, Fusco’s Water Ice and Donut NV – will also be there.
“People are coming to the festival for more than just the art,” says Barry Schlecker, the event’s organizer for the last 14 years. “With food that appeals to every taste, as well as music and children’s activities, the event is becoming a fine way to spend most of the day.”
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will be held Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
The festival’s presenting sponsor is the WSFS Foundation. Other sponsors include the New Castle County and City of Wilmington governments and Ourisman Tri-State Subaru.
For more information on the festival, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
Robbie Jester among diverse food options at post-Labor Day event
There’s more to the Brandywine Festival of the Arts than some 250 vendors displaying their unique paintings, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry and woodwork.
The annual event has become an attractive venue for al fresco dining and this year will feature Robbie Jester, one of Delaware’s best known celebrity chefs. Jester, renowned for his television appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Netflix’ Pressure Cooker, Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped is bringing his mobile In Jest Events and Catering to the festival for the first time. He will be sering his famous original barecue at the popular end of summer celebration on Sept. 7 and 8 in Wilmington’s Brandywine Park.
Jester will be just one of 14 vendors setting up in the festival’s food court. Home Grown Café and Copperfield Kettle Corn, two festival perennials, will return, and so will HyPoint Farms with its wide variety of ice cream flavors in cones and cups. Three other Wilmington-area favorites – BrewHaHa beverages, Fusco’s Water Ice and Donut NV – will also be there.
“People are coming to the festival for more than just the art,” says Barry Schlecker, the event’s organizer for the last 14 years. “With food that appeals to every taste, as well as music and children’s activities, the event is becoming a fine way to spend most of the day.”
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will be held Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
The festival’s presenting sponsor is the WSFS Foundation. Other sponsors include the New Castle County and City of Wilmington governments and Ourisman Tri-State Subaru.
For more information on the festival, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
‘Fairy Potter’ featured at Brandywine Festival of the Arts
Sue Ann Cox’s whimsical stoneware a big attraction at end of summer event
Sue Ann Cox says she was always fascinated by pottery and flowers, but she had to work her way through three career changes before becoming “The Fairy Potter.”
On Sept. 7-8, her whimsical white clay stoneware creations will be front and center at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, where she has been designated this year’s featured artist at the popular post-Labor Day show.
Despite her lifelong interest, Cox, a McKean High School graduate, Widener University business student and Pike Creek resident, hadn’t planned a career in pottery. In fact, it took nearly three decades to get there.
First came a stint with the DuPont Co., working in a call center and then in finance with its pharmaceutical division. Next she was able to achieve a lifelong dream when she opened the Wallflower Gift Boutique in Hockessin, where she showcased her work as a floral wreath designer and represented Delaware artisans and artists. Retail furniture sales and management came next.
While working in furniture retail, Cox rekindled her love of pottery, taking classes at the Center for the Creative Arts in Yorklyn. She started experimenting with clay, hand building rather than using a potter’s wheel.
“I took to it right away, I knew I had to do this,” she said. Then came what she calls “a moment of clarity, of divine intervention.” While shaping a birdhouse, she imagined something totally different. “It was a fairy house, but don’t ask me how I knew it.”
Soon Cox was creating fairy cottages in a variety of themes, each with a whimsical, free-spirited design. Combining her loves of nature and fairy lore with her expertise as a floral designer, she has shaped white clay into butterfly cottages, beach cottages, and ones celebrating cherry blossoms, dogwoods, sunflowers, lavender and others as well. They average 8 inches high, though some may be as much as 12 inches tall. Within each theme, each piece is different, thanks to subtle changes in ornamentation, shapes and glazing. Each house has battery-powered illumination, making them ideal for display outdoors in a garden or indoors on a shelf or tabletop.
Her cottages sell for $45 to $175. Fairy garden accessory pieces sell for $10 to $45.
“Each piece has an inspirational meaning – joy, love, beauty, grace,” Cox said.
She also creates seasonal items – pumpkin themes for autumn, Christmas trees and holiday cottages for winter. “The color palette can be very challenging,” she said.
As her fairy cottage portfolio grew, it caught the attention of the late Larry Anderson, a family friend and artist known for his paintings of Delaware scenes. “He told me, ‘this is amazing. I want you to do Brandywine,’” and introduced her to Barry Schlecker, producer of the Brandywine Festival of the Arts.
She first exhibited at the Brandywine Festival in 2016, and she has been back every year since.
She enjoys the setting, on the banks of the Brandywine, in Wilmington’s Brandywine Park, and appreciates the festival’s camaraderie even more. “It’s not corporate. It’s homegrown. The producers and the artists – we all make it work together. We look out for one another,” she said.
With some 250 artisans exhibiting their work, a wide selection of food, music and children’s activities, the festival brings back familiar faces every year to see her work, and plenty of newcomers too, Cox said.
This year, as the festival’s featured artist, Cox is preparing a special creation. She’s keeping the design a secret until the show, saying only that it will be a tribute to the Josephine Gardens and the Rose Garden, two of Brandywine Park’s signature attractions. It will be a limited edition – only a dozen items – and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to OperaDelaware, whose singers will be making musical presentations on both days of the festival.
The price? “Under $100, but not by much,” Cox said.
In 2021, during the Covid pandemic, Cox attempted to capitalize on her success by participating in the Philadelphia Wholesale Gift Show, a weeklong event focused on selling to gift shops and galleries. Her work drew acclaim there, she said, but the repetition involved in producing high volumes “was a nightmare,” she said.
The experience taught her that she prefers unique personal work over mass production. “My ‘fairy fans’ and the fairies in my garden are my inspiration. They tell me what they would like to see. They inspire me to expand into areas I might not have thought to do,” she said.
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will be held Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
The festival’s presenting sponsor is the WSFS Foundation. Other sponsors include the New Castle County and City of Wilmington governments and Ourisman Tri-State Subaru.
For more information on the festival, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts. To learn more about Sue Ann Cox, visit thefairypotter.com.
Contact: Larry Nagengast, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected] For immediate release (Aug. 1, 2024)
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 63rd year 2-day end of summer event features 250 artisans, food, music and fun for kids The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, will again feature some 250 artisans and crafters displaying and selling their works in scenic Brandywine Park on Sept. 7-8, the weekend after Labor Day. In addition to art works and food, the event features music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities. The artisans, coming from not only the mid-Atlantic states but also from New England, the South and the Midwest, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists. This year’s festival will feature Sue Ann Cox, billed as “the Fairy Potter.” A regular exhibitor at the festival since 2016, she is known for her whimsical stoneware floral cottages and fairy accents inspired by inspired by the 19th-century primer, “The Language of Flowers.” Just for this event, Cox is creating a dozen handcrafted cottages depicting her impressions of two of Brandywine Park’s most popular features, Josephine Gardens and the Rose Garden. Cox will donate a portion of the sales of these cottages donated to OperaDelaware, whose singers will be performing each day. For the second consecutive year, the festival has been sold out, with artists filling all available spaces in June, the earliest ever, according to Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010. The festival, held on the banks of the Brandywine on the weekend after Labor Day, attracts as many as 15,000 visitors, with some regulars returning to reconnect with their favored artists while others seek out the works of new exhibitors. The festival is the largest annual two-day outdoor event in Wilmington, Schlecker says. The event marks the transition from summer to fall and signals the start of the peak season for home redecorating and the early purchase of holiday gifts. The festival will feature a diverse range of food and snack options, including Asian fusion, vegetarian, BBQ, soul food, chicken, seafood, ice cream, water ice, kettle corn, caramel and honey treats. Other festival attractions include face-painting and other activities in the Kids Korner and animal rescue and shelter organizations offering pets for adoption. Also, Acme supermarkets will offer free flu shots and COVID-19 boosters to individuals with insurance cards who register in advance at https://www.acmemarkets.com/vaccinations/group-clinic/BFA. The festival’s presenting sponsor is the WSFS Foundation. Other sponsors include the New Castle County and City of Wilmington governments and Ourisman Tri-State Subaru. Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses. For more information, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
Contact: Larry Nagengast, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected] For immediate release (July 15, 2024)
Contact: Larry Nagengast, [email protected]
or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
For immediate release (July 28, 2023)
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 62nd year
250 artisans, 16 food vendors highlight popular 2-day end of summer event
With more than 250 artisans displaying and selling their works as well as 16 food and snack vendors, the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 9-10 for its largest show ever.
In addition to art works and food, the event features music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The artisans, coming from not only the mid-Atlantic states but also from New England, Virginia, Florida and the Midwest, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists.
This year’s festival will feature Edwin Lester, a self-taught artist who brings a very sophisticated and technically advanced style of realism to his figurative and atmospheric paintings. The Philadelphia native has exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation. His painting, “Worn But Not Out,” is on the cover of the 2023 U.S. Civil Rights Trail Travel Guide.
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the completion of the Interstate 95 reconstruction project through Wilmington have made the festival more attractive to artisans this year, will all vendor spaces reserved by mid-June, the earliest ever, according to Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
The festival, held on the banks of the Brandywine on the weekend after Labor Day, attracts as many as 15,000 visitors, with some regulars returning to reconnect with their favored artists while others seek out the works of new exhibitors, Schlecker says. The event is timed not only to mark the transition from summer to fall but also to signal peak season for home redecorating and the early purchase of holiday gifts.
Schlecker says the festival team has put added emphasis this year on expanding and diversifying food and snack options. This year’s offerings include Asian fusion, vegetarian, BBQ, soul food, chicken, seafood, ice cream, water ice, kettle corn, caramel and honey treats.
Musicians from OperaDelaware will perform on Saturday and Sunday. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner. Animal rescue organizations will be on hand to describe pet adoption procedures.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
For immediate release (July 28, 2023)
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 62nd year
250 artisans, 16 food vendors highlight popular 2-day end of summer event
With more than 250 artisans displaying and selling their works as well as 16 food and snack vendors, the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 9-10 for its largest show ever.
In addition to art works and food, the event features music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The artisans, coming from not only the mid-Atlantic states but also from New England, Virginia, Florida and the Midwest, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists.
This year’s festival will feature Edwin Lester, a self-taught artist who brings a very sophisticated and technically advanced style of realism to his figurative and atmospheric paintings. The Philadelphia native has exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation. His painting, “Worn But Not Out,” is on the cover of the 2023 U.S. Civil Rights Trail Travel Guide.
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the completion of the Interstate 95 reconstruction project through Wilmington have made the festival more attractive to artisans this year, will all vendor spaces reserved by mid-June, the earliest ever, according to Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
The festival, held on the banks of the Brandywine on the weekend after Labor Day, attracts as many as 15,000 visitors, with some regulars returning to reconnect with their favored artists while others seek out the works of new exhibitors, Schlecker says. The event is timed not only to mark the transition from summer to fall but also to signal peak season for home redecorating and the early purchase of holiday gifts.
Schlecker says the festival team has put added emphasis this year on expanding and diversifying food and snack options. This year’s offerings include Asian fusion, vegetarian, BBQ, soul food, chicken, seafood, ice cream, water ice, kettle corn, caramel and honey treats.
Musicians from OperaDelaware will perform on Saturday and Sunday. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner. Animal rescue organizations will be on hand to describe pet adoption procedures.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
Thank you to all our 2022 Artists, Food and Snack Vendors, Sponors, and Non-profits! We appreciate you!!!
CHESTER COUNTY PRESS...8/15/22 written by Steve Hoffman
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 10 and 11 with 240 artisans displaying and selling their works, plus food, music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The vendors, including 40 who are exhibiting at the festival for the first time, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists. One must-see exhibitor is watercolorist Beth Palser of Chester County, who has been named the featured artist for the 2022 festival.
Palser, who has received more than 50 awards, including some from national organizations, during her career, describes her work, characterized by hard-edged brush strokes, as “graphic realism.”
The festival is popular with both artists and patrons, said Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
All booth spaces for artists were filled by July, the earliest ever, Schlecker said. Artists enjoy the venue, on the banks of the Brandywine, as well as the event’s camaraderie and the knowledgeable patrons who visit each year.
The festival attracts up to 15,000 visitors over the weekend, with some reconnecting with favored artists and others seeking out new vendors, Schlecker said. Its timing, the weekend after Labor Day, signals the end of summer and, for many, the start of a season devoted to refreshing their homes and purchasing holiday gifts.
More than a dozen food vendors will be offering delectable edibles including chicken, BBQ, soul food, cinnamon buns, kettle corn, ice cream and water ice.
Singers from OperaDelaware will perform. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner.
Three animal rescue organizations – the Brandywine Valley SPCA, Delaware Humane Association and Angel's Retreat – will describe pet adoption procedures. Each organization will award a cost-free adoption of an adult rescue dog to a qualifying family at the end of the festival.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com.
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 10 and 11 with 240 artisans displaying and selling their works, plus food, music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The vendors, including 40 who are exhibiting at the festival for the first time, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists. One must-see exhibitor is watercolorist Beth Palser of Chester County, who has been named the featured artist for the 2022 festival.
Palser, who has received more than 50 awards, including some from national organizations, during her career, describes her work, characterized by hard-edged brush strokes, as “graphic realism.”
The festival is popular with both artists and patrons, said Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
All booth spaces for artists were filled by July, the earliest ever, Schlecker said. Artists enjoy the venue, on the banks of the Brandywine, as well as the event’s camaraderie and the knowledgeable patrons who visit each year.
The festival attracts up to 15,000 visitors over the weekend, with some reconnecting with favored artists and others seeking out new vendors, Schlecker said. Its timing, the weekend after Labor Day, signals the end of summer and, for many, the start of a season devoted to refreshing their homes and purchasing holiday gifts.
More than a dozen food vendors will be offering delectable edibles including chicken, BBQ, soul food, cinnamon buns, kettle corn, ice cream and water ice.
Singers from OperaDelaware will perform. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner.
Three animal rescue organizations – the Brandywine Valley SPCA, Delaware Humane Association and Angel's Retreat – will describe pet adoption procedures. Each organization will award a cost-free adoption of an adult rescue dog to a qualifying family at the end of the festival.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com.
Contact: Larry Nagengast, [email protected]
or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
For immediate release (updated Aug. 12, 2022)
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 61st year
240 artisans, food vendors highlight popular 2-day end of summer event
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 10-11 with some 240 artisans displaying and selling their works, plus food, music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The vendors, including 40 who are exhibiting at the festival for the first time, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists. One must-see exhibitor is watercolorist Beth Palser of Chester County, Pennsylvania, who has been named the featured artist for the 2022 festival.
Palser, who has received more than 50 awards, including some from national organizations, during her career, describes her work, characterized by hard-edged brush strokes, as “graphic realism.”
The festival is popular with both artists and patrons, says Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
All booth spaces for artists were filled by July, the earliest ever, Schlecker says. Artists enjoy the venue, on the banks of the Brandywine, as well as the event’s camaraderie and the knowledgeable patrons who visit each year.
The festival attracts up to 15,000 visitors over the weekend, with some reconnecting with favored artists and others seeking out new vendors, Schlecker says. Its timing, the weekend after Labor Day, signals the end of summer and, for many, the start of a season devoted to refreshing their homes and purchasing holiday gifts.
More than a dozen food vendors will be offering delectable edibles including chicken, BBQ, soul food, cinnamon buns, kettle corn, ice cream and water ice.
Singers from OperaDelaware will perform. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner.
Three animal rescue organizations – the Brandywine Valley SPCA, Delaware Humane Association and Angel's Retreat – will describe pet adoption procedures. Each organization will award a cost-free adoption of an adult rescue dog to a qualifying family at the end of the festival.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com.
or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
For immediate release (updated Aug. 12, 2022)
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 61st year
240 artisans, food vendors highlight popular 2-day end of summer event
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 10-11 with some 240 artisans displaying and selling their works, plus food, music, children's activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The vendors, including 40 who are exhibiting at the festival for the first time, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists. One must-see exhibitor is watercolorist Beth Palser of Chester County, Pennsylvania, who has been named the featured artist for the 2022 festival.
Palser, who has received more than 50 awards, including some from national organizations, during her career, describes her work, characterized by hard-edged brush strokes, as “graphic realism.”
The festival is popular with both artists and patrons, says Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
All booth spaces for artists were filled by July, the earliest ever, Schlecker says. Artists enjoy the venue, on the banks of the Brandywine, as well as the event’s camaraderie and the knowledgeable patrons who visit each year.
The festival attracts up to 15,000 visitors over the weekend, with some reconnecting with favored artists and others seeking out new vendors, Schlecker says. Its timing, the weekend after Labor Day, signals the end of summer and, for many, the start of a season devoted to refreshing their homes and purchasing holiday gifts.
More than a dozen food vendors will be offering delectable edibles including chicken, BBQ, soul food, cinnamon buns, kettle corn, ice cream and water ice.
Singers from OperaDelaware will perform. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner.
Three animal rescue organizations – the Brandywine Valley SPCA, Delaware Humane Association and Angel's Retreat – will describe pet adoption procedures. Each organization will award a cost-free adoption of an adult rescue dog to a qualifying family at the end of the festival.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com.
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ACME will be providing FREE Flu and Covid Boosters to all attendees.
To pre-register click the appropriate link: Flu: https://kordinator.mhealthcoach.net/vcl/BFAflu Covid Boosters: https://kordinator.mhealthcoach.net/vcl/BFAcovid |
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Best of Delaware Ghandhi Hurwitz was nominated for Best of Delaware People and Media Lanscape Photographer! Congrats to Gandhi. Visit his work this fall at booth C-3!
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Delaware Division of the Arts Announces 2022 Individual Artist Fellowship Awardees...Congrats to Maia Palmer, Visual Arts: Works on Paper. Maia will be showcasing her art this fall at booth E-7!
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September 2021
Pure Barre is popping up this weekend! On Saturday, September 11th at 10:15am and Sunday, September 12th at 10:15am Pure Barre Greenville will be hosting classes at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts. We would love for you to join us for one or both days for a FREE POP-UP CLASS!
Pop-Up Class Details:
Pure Barre
3801 Kennett Pike, Building E, Suite 209 | Greenville, DE 19807 US
302.691.3618 | [email protected]
Pure Barre is popping up this weekend! On Saturday, September 11th at 10:15am and Sunday, September 12th at 10:15am Pure Barre Greenville will be hosting classes at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts. We would love for you to join us for one or both days for a FREE POP-UP CLASS!
Pop-Up Class Details:
- These are FREE PURE BARRE CLASSES taught by Emma on Saturday and Amanda on Sunday. There is a $5 entry fee to get into the Festival and that fee will cover your entry for both days. The classes will take place outdoors at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts (think barre-less barre)
- The classes start at 10:15am on September 11th and 12th (there is a modified schedule in the studio for the 11th and 12th)
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to park, find us, and get set up
- Please bring a yoga mat and a bottle of water
- Everyone that attends will be entered to win a $50 studio gift card; bring a friend and your friend will receive 3 free classes to use at the studio!
- To sign up, click on the pop up class that is listed on the app, and email [email protected] if you would like us to add a friend!
- The festival is located at Brandywine Park / Josephine Gardens / 1001 North Park Drive
Wilmington, Delaware 19802. We will be located next to the children's tent. - After class, stay and enjoy all the festival has to offer:
- artists exhibiting one of a kind work in a wide variety of style's/price ranges
- live music
- children's tent
- great selection of local food vendors
- craft beer and wine
- for more info visit: brandywinearts.com
Pure Barre
3801 Kennett Pike, Building E, Suite 209 | Greenville, DE 19807 US
302.691.3618 | [email protected]
For immediate release
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 60th anniversary
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, will return Sept. 11-12 to Brandywine Park in Wilmington for its 60th anniversary year.
Featuring about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography, the festival is a signature change-of-seasons activity, marking the transition from summer to fall in the park’s Josephine Gardens, one of Wilmington’s most scenic settings.
Started in 1961 as a one-day art event with two-dimensional art and a bull roast in downtown Wilmington, the festival has grown to earn recognition as one of the best in the region and one of the top 100 in the country. It regularly draws up to 15,000 visitors, with its children’s activities, music, a food court and local food vendors, including beer and wine, plus pet adoption opportunities, providing more than just art for folks of all ages to enjoy. The festival is also pet-friendly, with leashed, well-behaved dogs always welcome.
Participating artists span the generations too. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at the festival for more than 20 years. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the festival or who have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010.
“The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker says. “And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.”
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are always welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds.
For updates and more information, visit www.brandywinearts.com/
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns for 60th anniversary
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, will return Sept. 11-12 to Brandywine Park in Wilmington for its 60th anniversary year.
Featuring about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography, the festival is a signature change-of-seasons activity, marking the transition from summer to fall in the park’s Josephine Gardens, one of Wilmington’s most scenic settings.
Started in 1961 as a one-day art event with two-dimensional art and a bull roast in downtown Wilmington, the festival has grown to earn recognition as one of the best in the region and one of the top 100 in the country. It regularly draws up to 15,000 visitors, with its children’s activities, music, a food court and local food vendors, including beer and wine, plus pet adoption opportunities, providing more than just art for folks of all ages to enjoy. The festival is also pet-friendly, with leashed, well-behaved dogs always welcome.
Participating artists span the generations too. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at the festival for more than 20 years. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the festival or who have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010.
“The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker says. “And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.”
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are always welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds.
For updates and more information, visit www.brandywinearts.com/
For immediate release
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
Booths available for Brandywine Festival of the Arts vendors
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, has booth space available for artists in all media.
The festival is returing Sept. 11-12 to Brandywine Park in Wilmington for its 60th anniversary year. The juried show typically features about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography.
Started in 1961, the festival has grown to earn recognition as one of the best in the region and one of the top 100 in the country.
Participating artists span the generations too. While some have exhibited at the festival for more than 20 years, emerging artists welcome the opportunity to gain exposure in front of as many as 15,000 visitors over the weekend.
“Some of the region’s finest artists have launched their careers at the festival,” says Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010. “It’s a great sales opportunity because many of our visitors think of the festival as the start of the holiday shopping season.”
Application forms, procedures and festival rules are available at www.brandywinearts.com/ . Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12.
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
Booths available for Brandywine Festival of the Arts vendors
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, has booth space available for artists in all media.
The festival is returing Sept. 11-12 to Brandywine Park in Wilmington for its 60th anniversary year. The juried show typically features about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography.
Started in 1961, the festival has grown to earn recognition as one of the best in the region and one of the top 100 in the country.
Participating artists span the generations too. While some have exhibited at the festival for more than 20 years, emerging artists welcome the opportunity to gain exposure in front of as many as 15,000 visitors over the weekend.
“Some of the region’s finest artists have launched their careers at the festival,” says Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010. “It’s a great sales opportunity because many of our visitors think of the festival as the start of the holiday shopping season.”
Application forms, procedures and festival rules are available at www.brandywinearts.com/ . Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12.
60 years and counting: Brandywine Festival of the Arts will have art you can see and taste Andre Lamar, Delaware News Journal
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will have 60 candles on its birthday cake this year and you’re invited (to pretend) to help blow them out from Sept. 11-12.
You’re not allowed to literally blow on the cake because that would be rude, since COVID-19 is still a thing. But it’s the thought that counts.
BFA is Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event and averages 15,000 guests annually. The festival features food vendors, too, because art is meant to be tasted, as well.
The event will feature work from about 200 artists across a variety of mediums such as photography, woodwork, fabric, painting, pottery, sculpture and jewelry.
The artists are also diverse in age. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at the festival for more than 20 years.
At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the fest or have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010.
Not to mention, BFA is a good opportunity to pick up interesting Christmas gifts you might not find at the mall or Amazon. Or you could come out and hoard some fresh art for yourself.
“The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker said.
“And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.”
Brandywine Festival Festival of the Arts will get underway at Brandywine Park (1001 N. Park Drive, Wilmington) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds. For more info, visit brandywinearts.com or call (302) 690-5555.
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will have 60 candles on its birthday cake this year and you’re invited (to pretend) to help blow them out from Sept. 11-12.
You’re not allowed to literally blow on the cake because that would be rude, since COVID-19 is still a thing. But it’s the thought that counts.
BFA is Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event and averages 15,000 guests annually. The festival features food vendors, too, because art is meant to be tasted, as well.
The event will feature work from about 200 artists across a variety of mediums such as photography, woodwork, fabric, painting, pottery, sculpture and jewelry.
The artists are also diverse in age. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at the festival for more than 20 years.
At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the fest or have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010.
Not to mention, BFA is a good opportunity to pick up interesting Christmas gifts you might not find at the mall or Amazon. Or you could come out and hoard some fresh art for yourself.
“The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker said.
“And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.”
Brandywine Festival Festival of the Arts will get underway at Brandywine Park (1001 N. Park Drive, Wilmington) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds. For more info, visit brandywinearts.com or call (302) 690-5555.
For immediate release (August 12, 2021)
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
60th anniversary arts fest to feature Sandy Askey-Adams
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns to Wilmington on Sept. 11-12
Painter Sandy Askey-Adams, who first exhibited at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts in 1982, will be the featured artist at this year’s 60th anniversary event, set for Sept. 11-12 in the Josephine Gardens of Wilmington’s Brandywine Park.
Adams, a resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who is well known for the warmth and serenity of her pastels, began exhibiting at the festival at a time when artists hung their work on snow fences. Now, thanks to the festival’s growth and her own popularity, she sets up a two-tent display each year.
“Besides being a fine artist, Sandy is a great example of a professional who has grown a tremendous following by exhibiting here,” says Barry Schlecker, producer of the Brandywine Festival of the Arts since 2010
Schlecker established the featured artist designation to salute artists who have contributed to the festival’s continued success. Previous honorees include painters Larry Anderson and Rick Phillips, jewelry maker Olga Ganoudis and visual artist Eric Zippe.
Askey-Adams, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, describes her work as “impressionistic realism,” saying she invites viewers to take a walk through nature with her landscapes, seascapes and other outdoor themes. She says her mother taught her the basics of art when she was 4 or 5 years old. “I guess she got tired of me drawing on the walls whenever I found a pencil or a crayon,” she recalls.
Askey-Adams has exhibited regionally and nationally, most recently in the Juried Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art League show at the Salmagundi Club in New York City earlier this year, but Brandywine remains one of her favorite places.
“I like the people who run the festival. They understand the artist, and the people who come to the festival appreciate the art. It’s a happy crowd,” Askey-Adams says.
“I see many of the same people year after year,” she says. “I’ve met people when they were getting married. I’ve watched their families grow up.”
The friends she has made at the festival often become regular buyers of her art, even calling her during the year to make purchases, she says.
For this year’s festival, Askey-Adams is offering a “buy one, win one” opportunity, with purhasers of her work receiving a chance to win another of her paintings, most likely one with a regional theme.
While she has enjoyed commercial success and has had her work featured in national art magazines and art book publications, Askey-Adams says making sales is not the primary motivation for her work. “I’m not painting to sell. I’m painting to help people see things they haven’t noticed before,” she says.
The festival, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, features about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors will be “emerging artists,” professionals who are new to the festival or who have exhibited for fewer than three years, Schlecker says.
The festival has become an iconic change-of-seasons activity, marking the transition from summer to fall in a scenic setting along the Brandywine. It regularly draws up to 15,000 visitors, with its children’s activities, a food court and local food vendors, including beer and wine, plus pet adoption opportunities, providing more than just art for folks of all ages to enjoy.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. A single admission of $5 is good for both days, so visitors can browse on Saturday and buy on Sunday. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are always welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds.
For updates and more information, visit www.brandywinearts.com/
Contact: Larry Nagengast, 302-373-5254, [email protected] or Barry Schlecker, 302-690-5555, [email protected]
60th anniversary arts fest to feature Sandy Askey-Adams
Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns to Wilmington on Sept. 11-12
Painter Sandy Askey-Adams, who first exhibited at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts in 1982, will be the featured artist at this year’s 60th anniversary event, set for Sept. 11-12 in the Josephine Gardens of Wilmington’s Brandywine Park.
Adams, a resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who is well known for the warmth and serenity of her pastels, began exhibiting at the festival at a time when artists hung their work on snow fences. Now, thanks to the festival’s growth and her own popularity, she sets up a two-tent display each year.
“Besides being a fine artist, Sandy is a great example of a professional who has grown a tremendous following by exhibiting here,” says Barry Schlecker, producer of the Brandywine Festival of the Arts since 2010
Schlecker established the featured artist designation to salute artists who have contributed to the festival’s continued success. Previous honorees include painters Larry Anderson and Rick Phillips, jewelry maker Olga Ganoudis and visual artist Eric Zippe.
Askey-Adams, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, describes her work as “impressionistic realism,” saying she invites viewers to take a walk through nature with her landscapes, seascapes and other outdoor themes. She says her mother taught her the basics of art when she was 4 or 5 years old. “I guess she got tired of me drawing on the walls whenever I found a pencil or a crayon,” she recalls.
Askey-Adams has exhibited regionally and nationally, most recently in the Juried Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art League show at the Salmagundi Club in New York City earlier this year, but Brandywine remains one of her favorite places.
“I like the people who run the festival. They understand the artist, and the people who come to the festival appreciate the art. It’s a happy crowd,” Askey-Adams says.
“I see many of the same people year after year,” she says. “I’ve met people when they were getting married. I’ve watched their families grow up.”
The friends she has made at the festival often become regular buyers of her art, even calling her during the year to make purchases, she says.
For this year’s festival, Askey-Adams is offering a “buy one, win one” opportunity, with purhasers of her work receiving a chance to win another of her paintings, most likely one with a regional theme.
While she has enjoyed commercial success and has had her work featured in national art magazines and art book publications, Askey-Adams says making sales is not the primary motivation for her work. “I’m not painting to sell. I’m painting to help people see things they haven’t noticed before,” she says.
The festival, Delaware’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, features about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors will be “emerging artists,” professionals who are new to the festival or who have exhibited for fewer than three years, Schlecker says.
The festival has become an iconic change-of-seasons activity, marking the transition from summer to fall in a scenic setting along the Brandywine. It regularly draws up to 15,000 visitors, with its children’s activities, a food court and local food vendors, including beer and wine, plus pet adoption opportunities, providing more than just art for folks of all ages to enjoy.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. A single admission of $5 is good for both days, so visitors can browse on Saturday and buy on Sunday. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are always welcome. Parking will be available at Salesianum School and Abessinio Stadium, with shuttle buses transporting visitors to the festival grounds.
For updates and more information, visit www.brandywinearts.com/
News from around our 50 statesFrom USA TODAY Network and wire reports: Delaware
Wilmington: The state’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, returns next month, celebrating its 60th birthday. The festival, which averages 15,000 guests annually, is scheduled for Sept. 11-12 and will feature work from about 200 artists across a variety of mediums such as photography, woodwork, fabric, painting, pottery, sculpture and jewelry. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at BFA for more than 20 years. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the fest or have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010. “The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker said. “And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.” The event at Brandywine Park will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
Wilmington: The state’s largest two-day outdoor cultural event, the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, returns next month, celebrating its 60th birthday. The festival, which averages 15,000 guests annually, is scheduled for Sept. 11-12 and will feature work from about 200 artists across a variety of mediums such as photography, woodwork, fabric, painting, pottery, sculpture and jewelry. This year’s featured artist, painter Sandy Askey-Adams, has been exhibiting at BFA for more than 20 years. At least 30 of this year’s exhibitors are emerging artists – young professionals who are new to the fest or have exhibited for fewer than three years, according to Barry Schlecker, proprietor of Barry’s Events and producer of the festival since 2010. “The festival offers a great opportunity to fill your home – or your yard or your jewelry box – with a tremendous selection of original art,” Schlecker said. “And our two-day admission policy means you can browse on Saturday and come back Sunday to make your final selections, all for one low price.” The event at Brandywine Park will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for both days; children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Dogs on leashes are welcome.