Bruce Museum gets Crafty this Weekend

It looks like the weather will be cooperating this weekend for the Bruce Museum’s 26th Annual Outdoor Crafts Festival, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This nationally recognized event happens rain or shine, but it’s always more fun when the sun is shining. Thousands of people attend, and for good reason.

Over 80 exhibitors from all over the country will be setting up their booths on the Bruce Museum grounds at 1 Museum Dr. in Greenwich, showing their remarkable talents and crafts. You’ll see superb examples of ceramics, jewelry, wood, wearable and decorative fiber, metalwork, leather, paper arts and glass, and all the items shows are available for purchase. There are also plenty of fun and educational activities for children, and live music both days. You get all that, plus free entrance to the Bruce Museum exhibition galleries, all for the price of admission.

“New exhibitors along with some previous favorites are featured this year, which is especially strong in the fiber category,” said Festival Director Sue Brown Gordon. “Examples of fine and artistic wearable creations range from handwoven chenille to hand-painted silk. Pottery is also strong, with over twelve ceramic artists exhibiting figurative sculpture, decorative teapots, and elaborate raku-fired wall pieces. Turned wood, metal garden sculpture, and the brightly colored, blown glass exhibited will provide something unique for every taste and collecting budget.”

Exhibiting artists are encouraged to demonstrate and educate throughout the weekend event, and free hands-on crafts projects are offered in the Museum’s Education Workshop. In addition to presenting a wide price range, many exhibitors offer discounts for Bruce Museum members.

Live entertainment both days includes music from the band "Ubuntu" from Saratoga Springs, NY, performing a variety of acoustic folk-rock compositions, with crowd participation, on the main stage from noon to 4 p.m. Also performing are guitarists Ed Wright and Anna Lisa Ewald playing in separate shows on the grounds of the Museum each day. The SoNo Guitar School gives a student recital at 11 a.m. in Lecture Gallery on Saturday, May 21.

A great time should be had by all. So, come to the Bruce Museum’s 26th Annual Outdoor Crafts Festival this weekend. We’re located at 1 Museum Drive, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Please park on Museum Drive and Steamboat Road or in the Island Beach Parking lot near exit 3 off I-95. And remember, the Museum is a short walk from MetroNorth’s Greenwich railroad station, if you want to come by train. Admission is $8 and free for children under five. Bruce Museum members are also free. Visit www.brucemuseum.org, or call (203) 869-0376.