St. Joseph, Mich. -
The 59th annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff (KAB) is coming in July, but the artist apply much sooner! Artists may submit their application until January 24, 2020 thru ZAPP -
https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=8031
. KAB is, once again, ranked as one of the top art fairs in the United States by Sunshine Artist Magazine, and one of the top 100 for artist sales by Art Fair SourceBook. KAB is a great opportunity for working artists to connect with passionate buyers in the heart of southwest Michigan. For more information, visit krasl.org/art-fair/artist-information. 200 artists will be selected to participate in the 2020 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff on July 11 & 12 in beautiful Lake Bluff Park, St. Joseph, Michigan.
For those who cannot wait until July,
Krasl Art Center (KAC) invites community members and prospective artists to observe the 2020 jury process
at KAB’s Jury Day, held for the second time on the Mendel Center Mainstage at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Be a part of the audience on Wednesday, February 19, between 9 AM - 5 PM as the panel of expert jurors review artist applications.
This event is free and open to the public.
KAC is excited to announce the professional panel of jurors who will score applicant submissions. Jurors play an important role in selecting works that elevate KAB to such heights. With more than 700 applicants for 2019’s fair, this process is no easy task! The panel reviews four images of each artists’ work and one of their booth. They score the grouping as a whole and these scores determine the final 200 invited artists. 2020 KAB jurors are
Bonnie Blandford
, Co-Director of the Garage Sale Art Fair in Kalamazoo, Michigan, jewelry artist, and art-fair veteran of 40+ years;
Laura Cutler
, a studio artist, co-owner of the Thaddeus C. Gallery in LaPorte, Indiana, and drawing and painting Associate faculty member at Indiana University South Bend;
John DeLapa
, a studio artist, KAC faculty member, and investor;
John Gutoskey
, an artist, designer, printmaker, collector, and owner of JG Studio and the A2 Print Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and
Justin Rothshank
, a studio potter working in Goshen, Indiana since 2009.
2020 Kral Art Fair on the Bluff Juror Biographies
Bonnie Blandford
Bonnie Blandford has juried art fairs since the mid 1980's all over the country. In addition to judging various exhibitions throughout the country. She has participated in juried art fairs for 40+ years as an artist, and run various art fairs over the years. For the last 15 years, she has co-directed the Garage Sale Art Fair in Kalamazoo, Michigan, making her an expert in all things art fair - from operations to participation to shopping. When not working for various art fairs, Blandford works in her metalsmith studio creating best-in-show quality jewelry.
Laura Cutler
Laura Cutler received her BFA from Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA with a concentration in Ceramic Sculpture. She received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art, New York, NY in Painting & Anatomy with an emphasis on both figurative and equine studies. She has taught painting, drawing and ceramics at numerous colleges including California State University, Northridge, CA, University of Laverne, Burbank, CA and Crossroads School for Arts and Science, Santa Monica, CA. She is currently an Associate Faculty member at IUSB, teaching painting and drawing. She has received numerous grants and awards for her work including an IAC Individual Artist Grant, the President’s Award at South Shore Arts Salon Show, Best of Show in Drawing at the Midwest Museum of American Art and the Hoosier Women Artists Award from the Lt. Governor of Indiana. She has co-owned the Thaddeus C. Gallery in La Porte since 2004 and serves on the La Porte City Council, the Regional Arts Council for Region One of the Indiana Arts Commission and the Visual Arts Council of La Porte. She is a partner with the City of La Porte on multiple public art projects including the Joyful Noise Musical Instrument Sculpture series and the Mural Project at Plaza 618 in historic downtown La Porte, Indiana.
John DeLapa
A Benton Harbor native, John Delapa is inspired by the historic artwork in places he has traveled. He has visited Turkey and had the pleasure of learning from various local craftsmen. He finds the asymmetrical curves and balance in nature a timeless and appealing style. John has taught wood carving at Krasl Art Center since 2011.
John Gutoskey
John Gutoskey is an artist, designer, printmaker, & collector living and working in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gutoskey earned his BFA in theater design with a minor in sculpture from Webster University in St. Louis. He earned his MFA from the University of Michigan’s School of Art & Design where he studied printmaking & installation art. He also completed a certificate in LGBTQ Studies. Early in his career, Gutoskey worked as a costume designer and specialist in costume crafts. He worked for productions in New York City and across the US in theater, opera, dance, film, and television. He taught classes in millinery, mask making, and fabric dyeing at the University of Michigan in the Department of Theater. Gutoskey shows his work across the US in galleries, museums, and art fairs, including the Detroit Institute of Art, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis Art Center, Kinsey Institute, Ella Sharp Museum, and in galleries in Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Toledo, & Ann Arbor. His series of monoprints honoring the victims from the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida in 2016, “PULSE Nightclub: 49 Elegies”, won the prize for Best Juried 2D at Artprize X 2018 and the Alpha Omega Award for Religious Art 2018. Gutoskey is the owner of JG Studio and the A2 Print Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Justin Rothshank
Justin Rothshank is a studio potter working in Goshen, Indiana since 2009. Rothshank’s ceramic work and writing is exhibited and published internationally, including articles in Ceramics Monthly, American Craft, Studio Potter, The Log Book, and several books. He is a presenter, panelist, visiting artist, and artist-in-residence at numerous universities, schools, conferences, and art centers throughout the United States and abroad. In 2012 Justin released an instructional DVD titled Ceramic Decals: New Ideas and Techniques, published by Ceramic Arts Daily. His functional and decorative ceramic ware is available for purchase in more than three dozen galleries and gift shops throughout the United States.
