CONTACT: Beau Haddock
Toll Free
(888) 592-7238 (KY CRAFT)
Ext. 4817

Frankfort, Ky.-- Billed as the 'Cultural Showcase of Kentucky's Finest', the 20th anniversary of Kentucky's handcrafted gift market opens March 2 at the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center, South Wing A, Louisville. The Market features over 270 exhibitors of contemporary and traditional crafts, 2-dimensional visual art, books, musical recordings, and food products, along with children's craft activities and cultural entertainment.

Over 160 craft exhibitors, all juried participants of the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, will include many perennial favorites, forty-seven veteran exhibitors who have participated extensively, between 10 and 20 years, over the Market's history.

Of these forty-seven veterans, seven members have exhibited every year for 20 years. The seven Kentucky artisans craft businesses honored are as follows: David Appalachian Crafts, (Ruth A. Iwanski), David, KY; Churchill Weavers Inc, (Lila & Richard Bellando), Berea; Wildlife Woodcarvings, (Tim Hall), Ravenna; Appalachian Crafts, (Mary & Robin Reed), Irvine; Red Bird Mission Crafts, (Craig Dial), Beverly; Pottery Rowe, (Melvin Rowe), Louisville; Kentucky Hills Industries, (Marlene Hamblin), Pine Knot.

New to the Market are eleven first-time participants who will exhibit and sell works in metal, wood, glass, fiber, and ceramics. Thirty 2-D visual artists, nearly half of whom are new to The Market, will offer watercolor, photography, batik, pen and ink, paintings on silk, mixed media, and printmaking.

Eleven musical acts from the Kentucky Arts Council's Performing Arts On Tour Directory 2002-03 and the Kentucky Folklife Program's Tour of Kentucky Folk Music will perform on the Kentucky Cultural Stage throughout the weekend.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Pride of Kentucky exhibitors will provide food demonstrations, and look for leading Kentucky authors on stage with host Bill Goodman for the KET Book Club presentations.

The New Product Showcase will feature the Kentucky Collection; a kiosk showcasing Kentucky-made products sold in selected stores throughout the state.

An exciting exhibition titled "Kentucky Folk Artists Salute the Great American Spirit", premiers this year. Former Kentucky First Lady Phyllis George collaborated with the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead and sponsor, Woodford Reserve, to bring this patriotic project to the public. The works in this exhibit reflect Kentucky folk artists' soulful responses to the September 11th tragedy.

Market visitors will enjoy live demonstrations by craft artists, from fiber art to wheel-thrown pottery. Also new this year, the Kentucky Ballet Theatre will conduct a unique workshop in the children's activities area on Saturday.

In addition to offering the best of Kentucky, The Market will again include craftspeople from several surrounding states' craft organizations.

New sponsors for The 2002 Market include Brown Forman Inc., NPC (National Processing Company), and the Kentucky Retail Federation. This year's media sponsors are WHAS-TV, WFPK Public Radio, and Metro Traffic Radio.

The award winning magazine, Arts Across Kentucky, has published the Official Market Program in its current issue, which includes an article on the history of the event titled, "20 Years of the Best in Kentucky Crafts", by writer and weaver, Philis Alvic. Also featured is a guest editorial titled, "Art Works for Kentucky", by Trish Salerno, Executive Director of Arts Kentucky.

The general public is invited to attend Kentucky Crafted: The Market, 2002, Saturday, March 2, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, South Wing A, Louisville. General admission for adults is $6.00 and $3.00 for children 6-12; children under six are admitted free.

Trade Days, (not open to the general public) are Thursday, February 28, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., and Friday March 1, from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. A limited number of wheelchairs will be available upon request. Shuttle service is provided from the fairground parking areas to the front of South Wing A. An additional entrance is at the rear of South Wing A. Visit the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program web site: www.kycraft.org, for the official program guide and a $1.00-off admission coupon.

The Market attracts buyers from all over the United States, both wholesale and retail. This event has won the Top 20 Events Award for 2002 from the Southeast Tourism Society for the eighth year and is ranked among the best shows in the country by readers of Sunshine Artist magazine, one of America's premier show and festival guides.

"Last year's Market saw crowds of 14,000, with nearly 500 retail shops attending. Kentucky still holds the distinction of being one of the few states in the country to sponsor a wholesale/ retail show for its craft businesses. The Market serves as a major sales outlet for Kentucky businesses and generates 2 to 3 million dollars in sales, annually," said Fran Redmon, Kentucky Craft Marketing Program Director.

The Market is produced by the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, a state agency in the Kentucky Arts Council, Education, Arts & Humanities Cabinet, Commonwealth of Kentucky. For more information, call 888 KY CRAFT (592-7238), ext. 4801. Or visit our site at www.kycraft.org.

###

Since 1981, the Craft Marketing Program's mission is to develop the state's craft industry, support and empower Kentucky artisans and craftspeople, create an economically viable environment for craft entrepreneurs, preserve the state's craft traditions, stimulate and support product development, and generate public awareness, public support and public/private partnerships. The Program provides assistance to Kentucky residents, individuals, or groups wanting to develop as craft professionals through economic opportunities and training, to other outside entities (e.g., craft retailers, craft and art organizations, community and government agencies), and the general public.