The PeaceWorks KC Local Art Fair 2024 was our 33rd art fair, depicted in the gallery below. This year, as I was hanging out at the PeaceWorks table and visiting with folks, I heard several times of the humble beginnings of this local art fair tradition. Carolyn MacDonald, a member of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, was one of the visitors who shared the story. At 83 years old, she walks with her walker 12 miles a day, and by her recollection, she has been to all 33 fairs. In the early years, they were held in the yard of Corva and Butch Murphy. As the number of artists grew, their neighbors let the fair spill into their yards.

This year we had 52 artists. We had painters and photographers, woodworkers and writers. I saw drawings, pottery, jewelry, knitting, candles, wire art, sculptures, and so much more. KC really showed its creativity, its passion, and its flare for fun.

I bought a gorgeous wooden bowl from Kent Mead of Peculiar Bowls (Kent was this year’s top seller, as he was last year), and a fabulous ink drawing of a turtle by Renee Wetzle. I picked up some beautiful photographs of a toad, a dragonfly, a horse, and a hummingbird, by Cindy Heller. As greeting cards, they will be fun to share with friends and family in the coming months. I stopped at Stitching Change to visit with Rakmi Shaiza and left with a fabulous bag. She took time to show me the intricate stitching, proving the exquisite quality of the bags made by refugees who empower themselves through their sewing.

Kristin McGill was here again this year. Her aromatherapy and herbal remedies are truly inspired. You can feel the love she puts into her art. Wandering through the fair, I found whimsical clay pieces and lovely earrings that were hard to pass on. I stopped at Melanie Bolden’s tent and I loved it all. My friend Ann, knowing my birthday was coming up, bought me a picture of the Earth cradled in a blanket of stars, lovely and inspiring! I could not resist a lovely hand-dyed chiffon scarf that perfectly matched the color of my new PeaceWorks KC t-shirt!

I stopped and visited with folks getting people registered to vote. Others were asking Missouri voters to oppose Amendment 7—it would quash ranked-choice voting statewide. I talked to Jon Shafer at the Penn Valley Quaker Meeting table and had fun watching David Bayard engage folks with his poetry and his craft across the walk from our PeaceWorks table. The social justice tablers included the Green Party in KC, Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House, and Missouri Jobs with Justice.

I heard about the amazing healing that was happening at the tent and circle of the Health Care Workers for Palestine and Al-Hadaf KC. They were sharing prayer and Peace. Heart, Healing and Creativity came together here in a powerful way to show support and care for those touched by the genocide in Gaza.
 
I left my mark on a peace pole (brought by Therese McKechnie) and a huge papier-mache “mushroom cloud” (made by Ann Suellentrop) for peace. I watched children and adults alike have fun throwing toy bombs into toilet seats hoisted to ladders at different heights, a game also constructed by Ann, a leader of both PeaceWorks KC and Physicians for Social Responsibility. Large sign-boards by the toilets denounced the atrocious waste of resources going into the military-industrial complex, especially here in KC where Honeywell makes parts for nuclear bombs and where business is, unfortunately, booming as the US ramps up for more war around the world.

By these measures, our fair was a huge success. Creativity and Community are the foundations of a peaceful world. This photo gallery, below, is a heartfelt Thank You for all these KC artists in 2024 and all those who have participated these last 33 years. Your creativity has powered our fundraiser and our mission to promote Peace. You all have kept us going! We are grateful to all of you! Thank you for sharing your art, your passion and your community, and for powering our work!

Please enjoy these pictures from this year’s fair by Jim Hannah (unless otherwise noted). Artists, use these as you wish, as our Thank You to you! 

—Kristin Scheer leads the PeaceWorks KC Communications Team. © 2024, Kristin Scheer, Jim Hannah, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.