Salem Art Fair returns to Bush’s Pasture Park for its 75th year on Friday, Sept. 13.
The fair, held this year for the first time in September, features close to 200 musicians, performers and visual artists. Among them are glass workers, photographers, painters and wood carvers.
The fair runs Sept. 13-15.
It’s put on by the Salem Art Association and is a showcase of support for artists from within the Salem community and far beyond. The art association invites artists from all over the country and prioritizes featuring new artists on the rise.
Along with the countless displays of artwork, the fair includes food vendors and a dedicated children’s stage with activities and shows throughout the day.
Seventy-five years ago, the Salem Art Fair was much smaller in size and featured fewer types of art.
“The attraction for me has always been the art,” fair volunteer Jane Cummins-Fidler said. Since 1972, Cummins-Fidler has missed only two or three art fairs. In the 1980s, she started volunteering at the fair in earnest. She returns every year out of a deep love of art. “I’ve always been enthralled by imagination and creativity,” she said.
Her family has been going to the art fair for four generations. Cummins-Fidler remembers when her granddaughter turned 18, she was thrilled to finally be old enough to volunteer at the fair.
Cummins-Fidler is a volunteer for Gallery Guides, a group of art association members who give tours in the Bush Barn Art Center.
“In years gone by, I volunteered for many booths,” Cummins-Fidler said, including food booths and nonprofit organizations. Her favorite way to volunteer is “booth sitting” — watching an artist or vendor’s booth so they can take a break, walk around or eat.
“As long as I can, I’ll volunteer booth sitting,” Cummins-Fidler said. After visiting art fairs in other parts of the U.S., she said she’s never found another one that takes the care Salem’s art association does to organize a fair to support the community.
Matthew Boulay, executive director of the Salem Art Association, said that the community’s dedication to the fair is what sustains it over the years. Art lovers and collectors outside of Salem travel hours to visit the fair.
The fair has stood “the test of time,” he said.
Since the fair has been a part of the community for so long, the art association uses feedback to keep the fair in tune with artists, vendors and attendees. That’s why, for the first time in its history, the Salem Art Fair is in September.
The Art Fair moved out from under the shade of Bush Park’s oak trees in 2022 in an effort to preserve the historic trees’ roots. The resulting event, held in the park’s pasture, had less shade and lots of people complained about the heat. In a 2023 survey, the Salem Art Association got around 600 responses, most of which pleaded for the fair to be in September instead of July.
Other than new dates for the fair there will be new booths and events.
The fair will have a wine garden this year, featuring six vineyards from around Oregon. Boulay said the wine garden was added due to people’s increased interest in pairing wine and art.
The wine garden will be next to the beer garden. A map of the fair is available online.
Another new event is a 16-minute laser and drone light show, which will take place on the main stage Thursday and Friday night. The show, made up of 75 drones, will start at the last two songs of the final main stage performer. A list of the main stage performers is available online.
Advance fair tickets are $11.68 for adults, $9.60 for seniors 55+ and veterans, $6.49 for teens and free for children 12 and under. Admission is free for Oregon Trail Card holders or Oregon Health Plan members.
The fair has an opening party on Thursday, Sept. 12, which includes a performance by jazz singer Halie Loren and dinner from La Jitana, a Lebanese restaurant. Tickets for opening night are separate from fair tickets and cost $35 for art association members and artists and $40 for the general public.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
