Twenty-five local artists will display and sell their work at Sammamish City Hall on the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12, as part of the 2008 Sammamish Art Fair. “The city is hoping to be able to make this a much-anticipated annual event that basically gives the community the chance to be exposed to all of the art available in the city of Sammamish,” said Jamie McKay, Sammamish resident, artist and co-chair of the art fair. “They’re really trying to expose the citizens of Sammamish to culture and bring art more into focus.” The annual event is organized by the city, the Sammamish Arts Commission and 4-Culture, and will feature original paintings, various glass arts, ceramics, jewelry, mixed-media, encaustic art, woodcarving, textile art and many other works. This year’s fair is only the second formal event. In prior years it was an art walk and an art tour, said McKay, who does glass bead-making and flameworking called kiln casting. About half of the artists who will display and sell work are returning from previous years, McKay said. Other spots were filled with artists from Sammamish and surrounding areas. “We have some artists who have shown locally, nationally and internationally, and other artists who are just breaking out,” she said. “It’s a good event for the artists to see other artists, and the community to see what kind of art local residents are producing.” A majority of the art will be for sale, with only a few pieces that are just for exhibition. “We’ve tried to make it where it’s not just a gallery show,” McKay said. The prices will range from $20 to hundreds of dollars. “There will be great ideas for holiday shopping,” she said. “We hope people will come out and take a look and be interested in making some purchases.” The Sammamish Art Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Admission is free. Refreshments and music will also be provided. Music will include performances by “Junk Chimes” on Saturday, Oct. 11. Junk Chimes’ performances are sponsored by the Sammamish Arts Commission and 4-Culture. Wendy Giroux can be reached at wgiroux@reporternewspapers.com or 391-0363, ext. 5050.

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