61st Annual Gold Coast Art Fair Returns to Chicago’s Grant Park

The “Granddaddy of American Art Festivals” returns to Chicago’s glorious Grant Park on Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th. Celebrating its 61st year, the award-winning Gold Coast Art Fair welcomes 300 juried artists from around the world. Festival attendees will find exceptional artwork at all price points (from $25 to $25,000) in a variety of mediums including painting, ceramics, fiber, jewelry, sculpture, and more!

“The Gold Coast Art Fair is one of Chicago’s most popular summer fests,” said Amy Amdur, president of Amdur Productions and producer of the Gold Coast Art Fair. “The art is truly spectacular and the setting, right in the heart of downtown Chicago just steps from the lakefront, is breathtaking,” she adds. “Hundreds of thousands of people travel from all over the country to experience the Gold Coast Art Fair, meet the artists, and purchase magnificent one-of-a-kind pieces.”

In addition to incredible artwork and on-site artist demonstrations all weekend long, attendees will also enjoy live music, fabulous food and drinks, and interactive activities for kids and adults including spin art and a giant graffiti wall. Food vendors at this year’s Gold Coast Art Fair include Magic Circle Crepes, Buckeye Wraps, Hey Brothers Ice Cream, Popcorn Jester, and Taco Factory. Live entertainment will be found on three stages featuring Chicago favorites Cirrus Falcon, Check With Lucy, and singer/songwriters Robbie Gold, Brian Allison, and Live Wire to name a few.

For those wishing to express their inner artist, this is the place to be! Bottle & Bottega will host several “pop-up” events during the Gold Coast Art Fair featuring step-by-step painting parties led by a variety of artists. The $20 fee to participate includes all paint supplies and aprons, instruction, and a 10” x 10” take-home canvas. A full schedule and images of the art being painted during each class can be found on the Amdur Productions website. Reservations are recommended.

For those wanting to be part of the art, folks can step right into a famous painting and take a free selfie! Visit the Amdur Productions’ ArtZipper booth where a special “green” screen will be in place for attendees to be part of such world-renowned pieces as Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte, Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Whistler’s Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, and several others.

Also new this year is Amdur’s Landmarks Photo Contest. Amateur photographers of all ages who live and/or work in Chicago are invited to submit photos of the Windy City that are meaningful to them. Photos can be an object, a place or a distinguishing part of Chicago’s landscape or structure. The significance can be aesthetic, historical, cultural or personal. Photos must be submitted at least one week prior to the start of the art fest via email to landmarks@amdurproductions.com. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive gift certificates to purchase art at ArtZipper.com. For more details, visit https://tinyurl.com/ydxp4stw.

The Gold Coast Art Fair takes place from 10 am to 6 pm both Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th. The entrance fee is $5 per person. Children 13 and under are free. For the very first time, valet parking will be available at the corner of Columbus and Monroe Streets. The fair is also easily accessible via public transportation.

As an added bonus, everyone is invited to rise and shine to participate in the “Art of Yoga,” a free yoga class on Saturday morning from 9 to 10 am at the Gold Coast Art Fair’s Oasis A. Registration begins at 8:30 am. Participants should bring their own mats and are encouraged to wear their brightest, most “artsy” yoga attire.

For more information about the Gold Coast Art Fair or about Amdur Productions, please call (847) 926-4300 or email info@amdurproductions.com. Visit Amdur Productions online at amdurproductions.com, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

About Amdur Productions

For 35 years the Highland Park, Illinois-based Amdur Productions, a nationally acclaimed arts festival production company, has organized and directed many of the country’s most prestigious juried art festivals. Shows produced by Amdur include many in the Chicago area, such as the Gold Coast Art Fair, the Port Clinton Art Festival, Millennium Art Festival, Artfest Michigan Avenue, the West Loop Art Fest, and in Milwaukee, the Third Ward Art Festival. Many Amdur Productions’ events are rated in Sunshine Artist Magazine’s “Top 100 Best Fine Art & Design Shows” and Art Fair Calendar’s “Best Art Fairs.”