08/12/2019
Fine Art Show & Sale
Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua is pleased to again host Arts at the Gardens, one of the Finger Lakes’ premier fine art festivals, on August 17 and 18. This annual fundraiser for the park is in its 19th year and has announced its lineup of artists and activities. The event runs each day from 10 am – 5 pm and admission is $10 for adults and children under 12 are free with on-site parking and shuttle service.
This year’s show features over 100 artists from across the region and beyond with their art spread across a myriad of media types such as jewelry, painting, glass, fiber arts, ceramics, and more with something sure to catch everyone’s eye.
The Arts at the Gardens show is set amidst Sonnenberg’s South Lawn and Arboretum and this show offers something that no other art and craft show this season can offer, admission to one of the region’s most iconic attractions, Sonnenberg Gardens. Along with the art show and sale, guests will have access to the entire 50-acre Sonnenberg estate with its nine historic gardens, 40-room Victorian mansion, and antique greenhouses. Garden and art lovers will enjoy the estate that Mary Clark Thompson, one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, designed over 100 years ago. She created the gardens to feature works of art and innovative designs for the Gilded Age such as the first privately owned Japanese garden in North America.
New for 2019 the festival will feature glass blowing demonstrations by Devan Cole of the Hot Glass Academy and guided educational walks covering a variety of topics on the art and architecture of the estate by Sonnenberg staff. Full details and schedules on the website.
No festival would be complete without food, drink, and music and this one is no exception. Food as well as beer and wine will be available for purchase. Local musicians Connie Fredericks-Malone and Miche’ Fambro will play at the Wine and Beer Garden Stage – see website for music schedule. And a Silent Auction will also be held featuring works of the show’s artisans with winners announced at the end of the show.
While Sonnenberg operates as a state park, it is an independent non-profit organization responsible for generating its own funding for operations and preservation. Sonnenberg relies on visitor admissions, memberships, events, donations, gift and wine sales and grants to preserve public access to the estate. Arts at the Gardens is the Park’s major annual fundraiser.
About Arts at the Gardens
Arts at the Gardens is an outdoor, two-day juried fine art and fine craft exhibition, show and sale held on the grounds of Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, in Canandaigua. The 50-acre estate and botanical gardens creates an exceptional setting for this Finger Lakes’ annual display of over 100 fine artisans and makers, performers, and food and wine vendors. The festival creates a unique environment for residents, families, and tourists to view, collect, and enjoy exceptional arts and culture. The show and sale supports the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park. For more information visit: http://www.sonnenberg.org/aatg.
Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park is one of America’s longest surviving estates from the Victorian Era. The elegant Queen Anne-style mansion was built in 1887 in Canandaigua by New York City financier Frederick Ferris Thompson, and his wife, Mary Clark Thompson, as a summer home. Between 1901 and 1920, the widowed Mrs. Thompson created the nine formal gardens as a tribute to the places she and Frederick had traveled to or had always wanted to visit. The grounds are open to the public from May 1 through October 31 each year. Sonnenberg is a non-profit organization dependent upon the support of members, sponsors, and its dedicated corps of volunteers. For more information, contact Marketing Director Kimberly Burkard or Executive Director David Hutchings at 585-394-4922.
