The first Salem Art Fair sponsored by the Salem Art Association was celebrated in 1949. The first Art Fairs in Salem were celebrated at Willson Park, near the Capitol Building before they were held at Bush’s Pasture Park. However, before SAA’s Art Fair there was an annual Salem Art Fair held in November from the late 1930s through the early 1940s. These were held at the Salem community Art Center and this Art Center was funded by the federal government through the Federal Art Project which was a New Deal program established in 1935 which funded the visual Arts in the United States. It was one of five projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and was the largest of the New Deal Art projects.
The 76th annual Salem Art Fair’s opening night is on September 11th at Bush’s Pasture Park and the Fair will be running from September 12th-14th. For tickets and more information please visit salemartfair.org
