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Karen DeGuine won the Arts Council Choice Awards Sunday at the Midwest Salute to the Arts show in Fairview Heights. Her work will be featured on next year's program and posters.

Karen DeGuine won the Arts Council Choice Awards. Her work will be featured on next year's program and posters.

Mike Barry of St. Charles, Missouri sells photography at the Midwest Salute to the Arts show in Fairview Heights Sunday. 

Buddy Shaw won an Award of Excellence for his unique home furnishings Sunday at the Midwest Salute to the Arts show in Fairview Heights. 

Artist-in-residence at ArtVillage Silas Coggeshall gives a live painting demonstration Sunday at the Midwest Salute to the Arts show in Fairview Heights. 

A trolley Cooling Station was provided by organizers to help with the heat and humidity. 

Ceramics, jewelry, paintings and more were available to purchase at the festival. 

Ceramics, jewelry, paintings and more were available to purchase at the festival.

Ceramics, jewelry, paintings and more were available to purchase at the festival.

Ceramics, jewelry, paintings and more were available to purchase at the festival.

Crowds flocked to the nationally recognized Midwest Salute to the Arts show in Fairview Heights this past weekend.

The 34th annual festival offered music, food trucks and, of course, artists in Moody Park. 

To counter the hot and humid weather, festival organizers provided free cold water and a trolley dubbed the “Cooling Station” where visitors could sit in air conditioning in between touring artist tents. 

“Last year we spread out and observed COVID protocol, but this year is basically back to normal,” said Sharon Kassing, director of Midwest Salute to the Arts.

Artists specializing in ceramics, painting, jewelry, photography and more came from all across the country to sell and compete in the art show. 

“This show always feels like coming home,” said furniture maker Buddy Shaw from New Bloomfield, Missouri. “The organizers are great, the community is friendly and it’s so nice being around fellow artists.” 

Shaw designs and builds furniture, sculptures and art for the home. His newest pieces, which premiered at the Midwest Salute show, are two custom-designed mid-century modern chairs with velvet-black legs and a maple seat with an antique finish. 

“I’m proud of these chairs. I wanted the finish to look like old naval maps so I used several coats of stain and milk paint to get the look,” said Shaw, who won the Award of Excellence for Fine Craft/Wood at the show. 

The Arts Council Choice Award was given to Karen DeGuire, whose work will be featured on posters and the cover of next year’s program. 

“I had to invent a way to describe my art. I call it laser art,” said Karen DeGuire.

DeGuire received an art degree in theatrical costumes and, after learning how to use lasers, decided to cut fabric corsets bodies using her new skill. It was a disaster, she said. 

“The fabrics kept catching on fire. I had a new skill and couldn’t do anything with it,” said DeGuire. “Then I decided to try making snowflakes for gifts. From there it branched to key chains, cutting boards and what I do now.” 

DeGuire makes intricate wood designs influenced by sacred geometry, nature and the classic children’s toy Spirograph. 

Coming from North Port, Florida, James Lassak makes functional ceramics for the kitchen. He did live demonstrations by grating garlic and jalapenos using his unique ceramic grater.

“About 10-15 years ago, these ceramic graters started showing up in Spain and Italy. My family decided to make some that are dishwasher-safe and handmade in the USA. I want people to save as much time in the kitchen as I do with these,” said Lassak. 

Besides artists, there was a creation station for children, live art demonstrations and information booths.

ArtVillage, LLC set up a booth to tell their plan to create a sculpture park and arts district at the intersection of Bunkum Road and Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights.

“We have two artists-in-residence who live at ArtVillage currently and have already installed several sculptures,” said executive director of ArtVillage David Kniepkamp. “Art changes the fabric of a community. We hope to be an art district not only for Fairview Heights but for all of the Metro East.”

A total of 23 awards amounting to over $17,000 were given to artists at the show.

For more information, visit https://midwestsalute.com/