St. James Court Art Show — No. 1 in Fine Art & Design
St. James Court Art Show hits a milestone this October, and event organizers are excited to celebrate it in person. The Louisville, Kentucky, show is one of the largest in the country with at least 650 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors.
“We are expecting it to be a big one for us,” Lauren Hendricks said of the upcoming event. “This is our 65th year.”
She is its marketing director/manager and said the planning process is still underway for this year’s show. For those who have attended the show in the past, most of it will look similar, she said. “But they will also recognize that some precautions were put in place,” Hendricks said, noting any state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines related to COVID-19 will be followed.
St. James Court Art Show consistently ranks as one of the top Fine Art and Design shows in the country. People travel from throughout the country to purchase handcrafted items directly from those who created them. It is the No. 1 Fine Art and Design Show in Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best for 2021.
“We were all very pleasantly surprised. The artists hold the art show at such a high regard,” Hendricks said.
Held annually on the first full weekend of October, the show exists to connect artists with art enthusiasts. The jurors present a total of $10,000 in awards to artists.
In addition to supporting artists, the show also gives back to the community. Hendricks said the nonprofit raises money to donate to schools, churches, and the St. James Court neighborhood. “The art show started on the court specifically to help St. James Court,” she said. “It was to benefit the neighborhood.”
More than 60 years later, its mission remains the same, with the art show welcoming new artists every year while also proud to have artists who have participated 40 years or more. “I think that says a lot about the art show,” Hendricks said.
She said the show features six sections and had up to 750 exhibitors some years. Last year was a different story for St. James Court Art Show and countless others throughout the country due to the pandemic and any mandates and shutdowns associated with it.
“Like all other events in 2020, we took some time to take a step back the first few months and figure out what would be the next, best move,” Hendricks said.
St. James Court Art Show looked at what other high-end shows in the country were doing. After numerous meetings, people started bringing ideas to the table. They saw other promoters move their events online and decided to work with Eventeny to host a 2020 virtual art show.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Hendricks said. They had never done an online show but knew artists were struggling. She said if they hosted an event, they wanted to do so in a way where artists could make money.
The artists accepted into the 2019 show were invited to participate, and between 150 and 200 artists did. “Overall, we considered it a success because our goal was to still have some type of awareness and sales to the St. James Court Art Show,” she said.
Artists appreciated the opportunity. “Of course, we heard, ‘We hope that 2021 is in person,’” Hendricks said. St. James Court Art Show is ready to welcome artists and patrons back this year.
St. James Court Art Show
Louisville, KY
St. James Court Art Show
stjamescourtartshow.com
Exhibitors: 650
Show Month: October
2022 Show Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 2
Estimated Attendance: 250,000
Years at Site: 64
Click on images to open gallery
Photos courtesy of St. James Art Show