Lincoln Roscoe Art & Craft Fair kicks off Chicago's street fest season
Brittany Walczak shows a reporter a book and an embroidery kit she bought from Stephanie Rohr during the Lincoln Roscoe Art and Craft Fair in Lake View, Saturday, May 18, 2024.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
At the Lincoln Roscoe Art & Craft Fair, patrons will see work from artists indulging their creativity outside of their day jobs.
There’s one architect who sketches people’s homes, another who designs digital collages — and an electrical engineer who creates ink pens from pine cones, pressed pennies and playing cards.
That artist, Mark Dreyer, even taught his wife, Donna Dreyer, how to make the pens when she’s not working as an administrative assistant.
“Engineers have to be precise all day,” said Donna, 57, of Aurora, who was selling the pens at the fourth annual event, which kicked off Saturday in Lake View to usher in Chicago’s summer art festival season. “He was like, ‘I’ve got all of these ideas spinning around in my head. I want to create something.’”
Stretching across Lincoln Avenue between Roscoe and School Streets, the free Lincoln Roscoe Art & Craft Fair continues Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is hosted by Special Service Area 27, an arm of the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Amdur Productions. Patrons can enjoy live music, food, beer from Bitter Pops, a Kid's Art Zone and art and crafts from more than 75 artists.
Last year, the event drew 7,500 attendees over the weekend, according to Alyssa Lombardo, events and managing director for the chamber.
The goal of the fair is to support local artists and businesses while fostering community in the area — especially along Lincoln Avenue, Lombardo said.
“Lake View/Roscoe Village is such a vibrant area, but I think a lot of our other corridor areas get a bit more attention,” Lombardo said. “We really want to make sure that Lincoln Avenue is getting some love, too. We have so many amazing businesses over there, and the area around it is surprisingly pretty residential. So, it’s just taking advantage of the location and making sure that we’re catering to [residents'] needs and giving them something to get excited about, too. … It’s really cool to have such a central gathering place in the neighborhood.”
Lake View resident William Walden said he attends the fair each year with his kids, Ari, 6, who enjoys looking at the art and jewelry, and Jordan, 9, who comes for the churros.
“I think it raises the awareness about the local vendors and the local artistic community, as well as the small businesses that wouldn’t necessarily get visibility,” said Walden, 41. “It’s great to bring people from other parts of the city.”
Among the patrons from other neighborhoods was Brittany Walczak, 34, and A.J. Lacourse, 37, of Buena Park.
“I try not to buy too much because I want it all,” said Walczak, who purchased a cross-stitching book and pattern from one of her favorite vendors, Stephanie Rohr.
The event also draws out-of-towners, including Allie Santistevan, 20, and Fenner Lamm, 26, who traveled from St. Louis to attend the Megan Thee Stallion concert at the United Center on Friday night.
“If I see a craft fair, I’m going to go,” said Lamm. “I just love handmade things. I make things myself, so I love to give my money to small businesses."
Among the vendors were plenty of visual artists, including architect Keith Brown, 54, of Canaryville, who creates digital collages under the name Takako Konishi.
“Doing [traditional] art shows is great, but nobody buys," he said. "What I like about these fairs is they bring all these people to you. So, it’s just more exposure, and you get a chance to actually sell."
Another visual artist, Ryan Chester, was selling his book, "Chicago Reflected," which includes a fold-out of his 11-foot sketch of the Chicago River.
The ink drawing is a smaller version of his original, 55-foot depiction on a single roll of paper, which took him a year to complete.
An architect by trade, Chester, 44, of Roscoe Village, also allows customers to commission sketches of their houses.
He praised the art fair for getting people outside and socializing.
"I just think it’s a great way to enjoy the summer," he said.
