September 28 – 29, 2024

Saturday: 10-5   |  Sunday: 10-4

NEW THIS YEAR! ALL PEORIA ART GUILD MEMBERS MAY ENTER THE FAIR AT 9AM ON SATURDAY!

It's our 62nd anniversary for bringing original art to central Illinois and we want you to be a part of the celebration! As one of the oldest art organizations in the country, the Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair is nationally recognized. We offer affordable hotel rates, convenient parking, and 500+ volunteers. This is the Peoria Art Guild's major fundraising event of the year. All proceeds benefit the Art Guild's community outreach and programming. Thank You to all of our Sponsors for all they do to support this event!

Meet our 2024 Poster Artist

Our 2024 Fine Art Fair poster artist is Ernie Benton.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, I have been actively involved in artistic activities since early childhood. I am a self-taught artist who started making sketches with pencil and charcoal at a very young age. I consider myself a contemporary artist, and through the years I have worked to develop a unique and distinctive artistic style producing several notable pieces, some by special request for individuals, and for public and private events. I have competed in and won many awards in local, regional and national competitions, for numerous juried shows and exhibitions, building a solid reputation as a well-respected artist.

For me, art is essential to the human experience.A basic understanding and appreciation of the arts serves to broaden character and deepen the connections with those in our social circles(A Passion for Jazz!). I like to use my art as an opportunity to inform, educate, and ignite the interest of art lovers and students. The paintings I create depict the sounds, flavor, and vibrations of life and I hope that in some authentic way to generate an opportunity for communication and understanding.

My mediums of choice are acrylics and pastels, and my palette is a mixture of earth tones, cool pastels, and vivid primary colors that focus on styles, texture, and form. Of my creative process, I am inspired by passion, beauty, and the abstracts and intangibles of music, thought, form and shape. My work mostly revolves around the interplay of shapes and color, and the interaction between the abstract and the figure. Many of my pieces are evocative of the great Picasso in geometry and form, yet display a truly distinctive approach. I have recently ventured into the "Wearable Art" arena with Le Galeriste clothing designers and manufacturer to bring selected paintings to the fashion industry.

My wife and I now reside in North Texas where I am actively involved in local art organizations, juried exhibitions, public art projects, and participate in selective Juried Fine Art Festivals throughout the country. My paintings are collected and displayed in fine homes and private collections across the United States including California, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington DC., and in the collection of Northlake College in Irving, Texas, and my painting, Quaker Town, commissioned by the City of Denton TX Public Art Project, which hangs in the Denton Texas City Hall.

Find Out More

Artists

Showcasing 130 nationally recognized artists who love Peoria!  Original works of art will include jewelry, painting, ceramics, photography, digital art, printmaking, mixed media, metal, glass, wood, sculpture, fiber, leather, and wearable fiber.

I BUY ART: Supporting the arts in Peoria

Again this year, we are proud to promote the I BUY ART Campaign which is exclusive to the Fine Art Fair in Peoria. The campaign was launched to reinforce a philosophy that the best way to support the arts is to buy art. “We are thrilled to encourage this initiative that promotes Peoria as a community that supports its artists. This will enhance our Fine Art Fair and our city as a supportive art community that welcomes our guests and artists to come back another time and explore more of what Peoria has to offer.”, said Shannon Cox Co-Director of the Fine Art Fair. This year’s collector buttons are navy blue and can be obtained from the artists when you purchase their work.

OSF Community Mural

If you think the kids are the only ones having fun, the interactive Community Mural is designed for adults. It takes hundreds of people to participate in this fun, hands-on activity — and everyone attending the fair can watch as the mural literally comes together tile-by-tile over this three-day event. It's free, it's fun and it's Peoria's nod to last years Best of Show Award Winner, Carrie Pearce.

Kids Art Festival - More Information to come!

KIDS ARE FREE!

Food & Beverages

Exceptional palate-pleasers from some of Peoria's favorites will be available from:

COMING SOON

• Beer, Wine, and Water Tents

Water, and beer will be available to purchase at several locations throughout the fair. New this year and sponsored by CEFCU, we are inviting Mackinaw Valley Winery, Hidden Hills Winery ans Spoon River Junction Winery to the Fair. Each winery will be sampling some of their best wines by CEFU Stage. If you like what you try, you can purchase a glass at the wine kiosk so you can enjoy while you shop at the Fair.

Peoria Art Guild Information

The best volunteers on the planet will answer all your questions about the Fine Art Fair, locating a specific artist, or directions to the Kids Art Festival. They can also tell you about upcoming special events. A fundraising raffle will also be at the PAG tent with current works from participating artists.  And don't miss the official Fine Art Fair commemorative poster and T-shirts.  They are a great, affordable way to support the Fine Art Fair.

T-shirts $25 (adult sizes only)