When I get inundated with information about an art fair, especially in a really small town I need to stop and take a look. Probably about 20 years ago some artists traveling through the Midwest discovered Hannibal, on the Mississippi, and started buying property and renovating schools, jails and other promising properties into homes and studios.
Recently they held an art fair and I received links about it even from the San Francisco Chronicle and this A.P. link from Atlanta:
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Nancy Lee Kaufman was prominent in the arts scene in chic Santa Fe, N.M., and later made her woven art along the ocean near San Diego. So how did she end up living in a previously condemned house near the railroad tracks in small-town Missouri? The short answer: By choice.
This June 7, 2012, photo shows items woven by artist Nancy Lee Kaufman in her shop in Hannibal, Mo. Kaufman moved from Santa Fe., N.M. to Hannibal after hearing other artists talk about living in the riverfront town known mostly for its favorite son, Mark Twain. (AP Photo/The Courier-Post, Mary Lou Montgomery)Other artists began telling Kaufman about the burgeoning arts community in Hannibal, a Mississippi River town of 18,000 known mostly for favorite son Mark Twain. When she visited in 2005 she happened upon a once-gorgeous old downtown home overlooking the Mississippi River, an early 19th century building in such disrepair....This June 7, 2012, photo shows artist Nancy Lee Kaufman in her shop in Hannibal, Mo. Kaufman moved from Santa Fe., N.M., to Hannibal after hearing other artists talk about living in the riverfront town known mostly for its favorite son, Mark Twain. (AP Photo/The Courier-Post, Mary Lou Montgomery)This June 7, 2012, photo shows artist Steve Ayers in his shop in Hannibal, Mo. When Ayers opened his pottery shop in 1985 he was about the only artist in the riverfront town known mostly for its favorite son, Mark Twain. Twain still is the main draw for the half-million tourists who visit Hannibal each year, but now they get a bonus: A growing number of artists, many of national and international repute. (AP Photo/The Courier-Post, Mary Lou Montgomery)
Here is the link to the story from the Associated Press:
http://www.ajc.com/travel/artists-community-grows-in-1454650.html
and more about their art fair:
http://www.hannibal.net/education/x1383310780/Art-Fair-bringing-together-artists-customers
and more:
http://www.hannibal.net/features/x1215199878/Artists-enjoy-Hannibal-show-plan-to-return
Someone is doing a great job of promoting this town. I know a bunch of these people, including Steve Ayers. This is such a fine example of artists who are saving a town. Good job folks!
Does anyone have any other input on this or know of other places that are great places for artists to live?
