Annual Firefly Art Fair to feature 95 artists, display of old appliances and tools

The 24th annual Firefly Art Fair, featuring 95 artists and a display of old-time tools and kitchen appliances, will be held Aug. 7 – 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, at the Wauwatosa Historical Society’s Kneeland-Walker House and Victorian garden headquarters, 7406 Hillcrest Drive, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Admission is $4 for adults; children 12 and younger are admitted free.

Firefly artists work in a wide variety of media including paint, pottery, ceramics, glass, basketry, jewelry, fiber art, mosaics, leather, photography, pen and ink, concrete sculpture, metal and wood. The juried show’s reputation draws talent from across the Midwest.

Among the local talent will be jewelers Christine O’Keefe and Karen Radtke, photographer Kelly Frost, ceramic artist Cheryl Grimm, oil painter Kriste Sankey and sculpture artist Japh Komassa. Back by popular demand are watercolor artist Todd Kursel, photographer Ian Pritchard and pen and ink artist Stan Piepenburg.

Admission price includes tours of the Victorian Kneeland-Walker House featuring an exhibit of “Tools for Cooks and Carpenters”. View an assortment of early electric toasters, coffee pots, waffle irons and other mainstays of today’s kitchens. Visitors can also see carpenter and contractor tools from 1900 – 1950, including wood planes, saws, wrenches, chisels, awls and calipers.

The two-day event includes a silent auction with items donated by many of the participating artists. Refreshments will be for sale, including ever-popular homemade pies, root-beer floats, baked potatoes and various grilled sandwiches and wraps.

Hart Park Senior Center’s Music from the Hart singers and instrumentalists is among the groups scheduled to provide free, live entertainment on Saturday afternoon.

Proceeds of the art fair help support the local historical society’s preservation and education activities.

Major Firefly Art Fair support provided by Sendik’s on 86th and North Avenue, Leff’s Lucky Town, Cranky Al’s and Bradley Industries.

Visit www.wauwatosahistoricalsociety.org for more information.

The Wauwatosa Historical Society is a qualified, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization established in 1977 to preserve and disseminate materials related to the history of Wauwatosa, Wis. Headquartered at the Kneeland-Walker House and Victorian Gardens, the WHS has more than 800 individual and business members.

The society provides and actively supports community preservation through archival storage and research, artifact displays, educational programs and special events.

The WHS also manages the Little Red Store, Wauwatosa’s oldest surviving commercial building, under special lease agreement with the city. Located in the heart of the historic village area, the Little Red Store now serves as a visitors’ welcome center and community meeting site.

For more information, call 414-774-8672 or visit www.wauwatosahistoricalsociety.org.