St. James Court Art Show

I wore a fuzzy white sweater, one arm hooked into Isaac's flannel plaid shirt. In my other hand I clutched a warm paper cup of pumpkin chai tea, its spicy sweet scent irresistable. The morning's chill was locked into place by a layer of puffy grey overhead, teasing us with drizzles and hints of sunshine. And around us, a winding maze of artisans, all sorts, displaying their creations. These sensations registered and I recognized. "This is my idea of a perfect outing."

Whenever someone hears that we only recently moved to Louisville, oftentimes they are quick to make suggestions of places we should visit or events we should check out. For the past few weeks, one name has popped up in conversations again and again - "St. James". This weekend we finally had the chance to experience what everyone has been talking about, and it really was a treat.

The St. James Court Art Show started back in the 1950's as a fundraiser, and in the years since has expanded to become the charming and winding market we visited. Today their website says the event draws over 300,000 attendees to see the works of over 700 artists.

The event takes place in Old Louisville, an area south of the heart of downtown Louisville. We had to park several blocks away from the event, which gave us the opportunity to get a feel for the area. This was our first time walking around in Old Louisville, and we were immediately struck by the character of the buildings.

Old Louisville was the place to live if you were well-off in this area at the end of the 19th century. Since that time, it seems like the neighborhood has suffered a bit from age, but is now quite healed and hip through efforts of gentrification. The website for the art show says that Old Louisville is the third largest historical preservation district and neighborhood in the US, and it is the largest featuring almost entirely Victorian architecture. It even details what sub-genres of Victorian architecture you can see here in their robust glory: Romanesque, Queen Anne, Italianate. What that meant for us is as we walked to, from and around the art show, our admiration was equally split between the artisans' works and the proud homes standing behind.

I mean, look below. What catches your eye?

The metal dinosaur sculpture is very impressive, but that storybook house towering above is totally stealing the show.


































We walked around, Isaac forming a route that seemed the most practical to let us comfortably flow by each and every vendor. Sometimes there were wide spaces with artisans on either sides, other times narrow one-way walkways flanked by booths on one side, and charming homes on the other.

 

For the locals that live in these homes, it seemed like the art show was the perfect excuse for a party. Many fronts porches and patios were filled with people relaxing, and looking through windows we saw children thumping and women floating around with glasses of white wine.

Below was the moment when we emerged from one of the narrow walkways, into this junction of several different pathways, and Isaac realized that we would have to reevaluate his plan of attack. The St. James Court Art Show is quite a beast. His expression was funny - what had seemed like a laidback morning outing now looked dangerously similar to an all-day affair.

One booth caught our eye because of its fun, game-like constructs, and also because the artist was from South Carolina. Just as we were admiring his cheery, interactive pieces, some committee members showed up and gave Jeffrey Kennedy a ribbon for Best of Show. You can check out more of his creations here on his website.

There's a little something for everyone - pens, wood-working, leather goods and visual art featuring famous innovators like Tesla and Henry Ford caught Isaac's attention. I savored the opportunity to be able to meet and talk with the artists in person, several whom I recognized by their works which I've seen for sale in art shops around town and back in Columbia.

In the end, we didn't buy anything outside of some delicious tea and food. But, like I said in the beginning, this was the ideal way to spend a morning. I collected a handful of business cards from my favorite booths, and enjoyed learning more about them all online after we arrived home.

The DIY/craftster inside of me can't help but feel a bit jealous seeing all of these artists proudly displaying their creations. Maybe one day I'll work up the courage and motivation to join the art show as an artist. The hardest part for me would be choosing just one type of thing to make.