4 MORE: Summerfair
As part of our year-end issue, we are revisiting Cincinnati People stories from throughout 2021.
We checked in with Jayne Utter, the managing director of Summerfair about the return of the in-person arts festival.
The original interview from May is below.
What’s been the biggest surprise to you in 2021?
The best, biggest surprise was how huge the response to Summerfair 2021 was. We had one of the largest crowds in years. Most every artist had record sales. The food court was booming. Everyone was courteous and respectful of personal space.
The worst biggest surprise was/is how slow our return to normalcy has been. Slowly we are building up confidence to get back to our old ways. And, yes, artists are applying for the 2022 event.
What’s changed since we last spoke?
I am back working at our office and gallery space. I think we all learned how to connect via the internet and social media. Some of our exhibitions had to go virtual and they worked so well our plan is to do both virtual and in-person versions.
The one thing that didn’t change for us was we were still able to be true to our mission. We distributed over $80,000 to the arts in Greater Cincinnati, which we do each year.
What did you learn about Cincinnati?
Cincinnati is an art-loving community. We love our one of a kind art to wear, display, enjoy and give to others. Our artists were truly missed. Gosh, we were truly missed. Plus the fact that we are a non-profit that gives back to the arts community draws a lot of interest. Through our our annual three-day fair, we have given back to our local artists for 54 years!
What are you looking forward to most in 2022?
Getting all of our awards and exhibitions back on track and in person. At this time, we are a little backed up with some that were postponed. January and February of 2022 are booked solid with our Emerging Artists Exhibition (college-art students) and Summerfair Select (a tri-annual exhibition for working artists who have received our AIA awards). We will also vote in our Summerfair 2022 Poster winner! It will debut April 7 at Highgrain Brewing Co. in Silverton.
And personally, I want to take a vacation and get back out in the world!
What started as a small art fair’s salute to the opening of Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park has grown into one of the oldest continuous art fairs in the country. Summerfair returns to Coney Island for its 54th year June 4, 5 and 6 with 274 juried artists set to exhibit.
Jayne Utter talks with Betsy Ross about all of the great art visitors will experience.