MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – The 44th annual Lubeznik Arts Festival in Michigan City, Ind. will showcase over 80 artists who work in a variety of media on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central).
The festival draws all ages from the Northwest Indiana region, Southwest Michigan and beyond to Lubeznik Center for the Arts' (LCA) grounds and galleries at 101 W. 2nd Street.
Festival-goers can enjoy fine arts and crafts from artists from across the U.S., indoor exhibits by contemporary artists, family activities, live demos, beer and wine, local food vendors and much more.
Come Saturday, August 15 to get first pick of the wonderful art on display. Admission on Saturday is $5, but is free for LCA members, children 16 and under, active military and veterans. On Sunday, August 16, admission is free to everyone thanks to the generous sponsorship of McDonalds of LaPorte County for Free Family Day. LCA expects this year’s attendance will top more than 3,000 visitors over the course of the two-day festival.
On Saturday from 12-2 p.m., the Illinois Lace Making Guild will be onsite in LCA's Hyndman Gallery holding an interactive lace weaving demonstration. On Sunday from 12-2 p.m. Tom Rossbauer will be demonstrating and performing live music on the dulcimer.
Contemporary artists Dalton Brown, Richton Guy Thomas and Alex Velázquez Brightbillwill be exhibiting in the NIPSCO Art Education Studios.
Free parking will be available in the lot just south of LCA. The parking entrance is on Rotary Way, just North of Highway 12 and West of City Hall. While we love pets, only service animals are permitted.
While you are at the festival, view the exhibition, "Kindred Spirits: Margaret Wharton and Betsy Odom" on display inside LCA. This exhibition brings together these two celebrated Chicago sculptors separated by nearly forty years in age, yet strikingly aligned in spirit. Born in Virginia and Mississippi respectively, both artists arrived in Chicago carrying sensibilities shaped by Southern histories of making, repair and resourcefulness. Across generations, they share a fascination with everyday objects — chairs, sporting equipment, shoes — and with the gendered meanings attached to them. Through humor, exaggeration and meticulous craft, Wharton and Odom render the familiar delightfully unusable, transforming sculpture into a space where labor becomes play and expectations around gender, sexuality and function are pointedly, comically and wittingly undone.
Proceeds from the festival help support LCA, providing the community with free access to compelling exhibitions and programs. LCA fosters community through meaningful cultural experiences. Folks interested in volunteer opportunities at the festival can contact Zoe Kolosci at ZKolosci@LubeznikCenter.org.
LCA would like to thank our premier sponsors McDonald’s of LaPorte County, Hoosier Lottery, NIPSCO/NiSource and Visit Michigan City La Porte. Other sponsors include Bulk Equipment Co., 1st Source Bank, Current Electric, Family Express, Indiana Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Shoreline Brewery, South Shore Arts, South Shore CVA, South Shore Line, Stranco, The Times Media Company and WIMS/WHFB for generously sponsoring the Lubeznik Arts Festival.