172 artists from all over the country are coming to St. Joseph this weekend for the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff, and that includes artists from right here in Southwest Michigan.
Tom Freier is based in Benton Harbor and has taken part in the show about five times now. He tells us it’s an exciting time and a great chance to showcase the sculptures he makes out of vintage and antique items. His favorite thing about the fair is just getting to meet some of the thousands of people who walk by.
“Seeing people that come into my booth and they look at my sculptures and everybody smiles,” Freier said. “If you’re somebody in your 70s and 80s, they recognize the pieces. But the little kids that come in, they look at it and go, ‘Oh, you know, that’s a dog. That’s a robot.’ They like looking at my stuff as well.”
Freier’s work includes robots made out of old machine parts and toy race cars made out of roller skates, for example. He knows other artists from all over look forward to the annual Krasl Art Fair.
“It’s one of the best in the country. I get a lot of a very positive feedback from the other artists that come to the show. They do quite well, especially for the Midwest.”
Freier says he does pretty well at the fair as well, estimating he sold about 12 pieces last year. Living in the area, he says a perk for him is getting to socialize with artists he knows and then going home to sleep in his own bed at the end of the day.
The 63rd annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff will be at Lake Bluff Park this Saturday and Sunday. Everything kicks off Friday night with the Block Party, featuring music, food, and drinks.
