Jan Marion was recently selected to a panel of judges to jury two of Amdur Productions’ outdoor summer art fairs. The first, North Shore Festival of Art in Skokie, Illinois, took place over the weekend of July 25-26. Located at Westfield Old Orchard, this festival realized its second year of success, catering to a discriminating clientele of collectors and patrons of the arts on Chicago’s North Shore. Carefully juried, the festival brought a diversity of paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, fiber, wood, glass and mixed media to the public.
Appointment to this committee of judges is highly complimentary to Marion, as festival coordinator Amy Amdur’s professional reputation of hosting top-notch, seamlessly-executed outdoor art fairs warrants careful selection from a host of esteemed panel nominees. Marion, in an effort to better understand some of the motivations behind the artists’ works, took the initiative to speak directly with the artists, learning where they derived their inspirations and how they perfected techniques, which, as Marion knows, is not always evident from merely viewing the works. “I saw a very high caliber of design in the artists’ bodies of work,” said Marion, “this event showcased some truly talented individuals and I feel privileged to have played such a key role in its undertaking.”
Marion will also serve on the panel judging the Art at The Glen outdoor art festival at The Glen Town Center in Glenview, Illinois the weekend of August 8-9. The Art at The Glen exceeded all expectations at its 2004 debut, and has since flooded the streets annually with thousands of buyers, yielding top sales of the season for many of its participating artists. This solid foundation has brought the festival into its sixth year, now ranking among the top 10 shows in the U.S. and setting what some artists consider “the gold standard” for outdoor summer art fairs.
