10th Annual Art Show & Sale – Shaw Nature Reserve – St. Louis, MO

You may never look at forks the same way again after seeing what St. Louis jewelry artist Don Kelly can do with them. He bends and molds the tines from vintage and orphaned forks into one-of-a-kind rings and pendants.

“Without the use of heat, I ‘cold form’ this material into simple clean lines that typically enfold natural stones. Semi-precious accent stones add balance,” said Kelly.

“I love transforming something old into something new. But even more, when using a customer’s family piece of sterling, I love creating something meaningful that a daughter or granddaughter can wear.”

Kelly is one of more than 20 artists who will be showing his work at the 10th annual Art Show and Sale at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit Nov. 7-8.

A boutique show of St. Louis area artists, the event celebrates high quality, handcrafted original art created by local and regional Midwestern artists, said Petra Haynes, St. Albans, who has organized the show the last several years.

Her husband, painter Bryan Haynes, is one of the featured artists.

The show was conceived by a small group of local artists and for the first couple of years was held at St. Albans, said Haynes. The show was later relocated to the Dana Brown Overnight Education Center on the grounds of Shaw Nature Reserve.

Dana Brown, which includes four historic log cabins and a timber frame barn, is the perfect venue, said Haynes. The buildings, which were reconstructed on the grounds at Shaw Nature Reserve to serve as an overnight center and meeting area, are surrounded by trees, wetlands and meadows lending a very natural setting to these handmade items.

“It’s just a really beautiful setting,” said Haynes. “It really reflects what we are trying to do in terms of promoting our local area and our region. The beauty that can be found within that area. That is very much reflected in the venue.”

Because of the venue, the size of the show is limited, said Haynes. There is only enough space for around 20 artists.

That makes the quality of work being offered that much more important, she said.

“We like the intimacy of (the venue),” Haynes noted. “We’re able, because it’s so small, to offer special perks to the artists. For one thing, they have a bathroom facility in each building. We offer free refreshments and snacks.

“The second day of the show we always have an artists meeting to get feedback from the previous day, find out about potential problems and things we can do better. Everyone has a voice in trying to make it better,” she remarked.

High-Quality Art

Although the Art Show and Sale has only been around for 10 years, it has made a name for itself among local artisans. Haynes said she has a waiting list of artists who would like to be invited to participate, should a spot ever open up.

“We have a very low turnover of artists. Most book for the next year at the current show. We have very few openings,” said Haynes.

Usually it’s only if there is a prior commitment that an artist doesn’t come back. For example, one year an artist was going to be on maternity leave.

“Whenever we do have an opening, I try very hard to replace that artist with another that is the same type, a fiber artist for a fiber artist,” said Haynes. “To keep the quality high, we continue to strive to elevate the quality.”

All of the items being sold at the show are handmade by the artists.

“We actually have a committee that juries the artists, and we do have criteria that have to be met. The items have to be handcrafted, original, unique,” said Haynes. “It might surprise people that in a semi-rural area that you can put together an event, a small show, with this level of quality. It’s a really good mix and high level of quality.

This year’s exhibitors include Bryan Haynes, Carole Behrer, Elaine Taylor, Helen McCallie, Don Kelly, Matt Donovan, Josephine Jacobsmeyer, Steve Morris, Janet Dittrich, Jon Biscan, Libby Leuchtmann, Charity Fedde, Jan Trager, Irene Denton and Doris Malone, John Dawson, Bill Duncan, Joey Los, Nancy Clark, Patrick Cerutti and Phyllis Schulte.

The items being exhibited will include paintings, glass, pottery, jewelry, fibers, wearable art, wood carvings, sculpture, photography, theorems, Scherenschnitte, and basketry.

The variety of items being sold includes a wide range of price points, said Haynes.

“There are beautifully carved handcrafted Christmas ornaments that are maybe $15 to $20 up to sculpture for $1,000 and everything in between. There is something at every price point,” she remarked.

Shop, Eat, Hike

There is no admission charge to attend the show and sale, and there will be free coffee, tea and hot chocolate, as well as some sweet treats.

Lunches will be available for purchase from Labadie Market, and there are picnic tables set up where people can eat.

“People can come out to hike and enjoy the grounds as part of the day too,” Haynes noted. “I think it is the ultimate combination. You can hike, walk around to see the Reserve . . . shop for Christmas. It’s just a really great way to spend the day.”

Some of the artists, depending on their medium, are able to demonstrate their craft at the show. The basket weavers, for example, do work when they are not busy, and the fiber artists may bring along work.

Not everyone does work that can be done on site.

Artist-Driven Show

The show is not sponsored by Shaw Nature Reserve, Haynes noted.

“It is completely artist-driven. We rent the venue,” she said.

The artists in turn have always made a donation to the Dana Brown Overnight Education Center, and last year they established the Miriam Krone Memorial Fund.

“She was one of our founding members, one of our artists. She passed away a couple of years ago,” said Haynes.

To see more of the artwork that will be featured at the sale and to read about the artists, people can visit the show’s page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/artattheshawnature reserve.

If You Go . . .

The show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

From Interstate 44, take exit 253, Gray Summit, and turn south. Facing the Phillips 66, turn left (away from the main entrance of Shaw Nature Reserve), then take the first right onto Old Gray Summit Road for 1.5 miles to stone pillars and sign for Dana Brown, Adlyne Freund and Shaw Nature Reserve. Follow the signs for art show parking.