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Always free to the public, the American Artisan Festival is visited by more than 25,000 people each year. In addition to presenting the best in contemporary American handcrafts and fine art, fair goers also enjoy live music by some of Nashville's most talented musicians, free children's art booths for kids of all ages, and more than fifteen artisanal food and drink vendors including beer, wine and craft cocktails. 

I want to start by saying that I'm grateful for the opportunity to rebuild and relaunch the festival that I spent my entire life celebrating in Centennial Park. Along with my two sisters and my father Alan, my mother Nancy Saturn built The American Artisan Festival as a family business. I only missed the event one year when I was traveling abroad but otherwise, I was always there working either booth sitting for artists, or helping my mother check people in, and eventually helping her layout and manage the show. I loved doing it from the beginning and of course I loved working with my mother to create it. It has always been a family business in that sense. 

But beyond the countless memories and moments I have shared in doing that work, the best part was that the community of artists also became my family, and I learned what it means to share the love of art with the community and to support artists. I learned about your process and your passion for developing it. I learned from my mother Nancy also how important it was to create access and a space to connect to artists so our Nashville community could understand and appreciate the pure joy of collecting contemporary art--whether decorative or functional. 

Over the years I myself came to appreciate that you can drink your coffee in a mug made by hand that feels good to the touch, or watch the light shine on a blown glass ornament on your Christmas tree, or sit on your porch and bask in in the sounds of a soulful wind chime on a rainy day--as I have my whole life in my own home. 

All of this is to say that 43 years later, I still love the mission and I'm so honored to have the opportunity to work with you as we rebuild this show with love and commitment following the path of my mother's soul. 

Now, I will take that forward with a renewed sense of passion. I have relocated with my family to Nashville after almost 20 years living in New York City with the goal to bring this show to a new level of importance and quality and I can't wait to introduce the new Nashville to this incredible event. I do hope you will join me this year as we pioneer a new-old show, and I thank you in advance for your support.