Art festival with 10,000 visitors moves to new Pierce County location, adds beer garden

Artists and art lovers are invited to Sehmel Homestead Park July 20 and 21 for this year’s summer art festival in Gig Harbor, hosted by the Peninsula Art League .

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

A free shuttle service will be available to take visitors from Gig Harbor High School at 5101 Rosedale St. and the Franciscan Health Medical Pavilion at 6401 Kimball Dr. to the festival entrance at the park. The hours of shuttle operation are 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission to the festival is free.

Visitors can walk through an art show exhibiting and selling pieces from 112 local artists , in mediums spanning painting, woodwork, pottery, jewelry, photography, glass and fiber arts and more. A Literary Corner will provide designated space for authors and illustrators. Another 34 artists who are members of the Peninsula Art League will have a separate showcase at the Volunteer Vern Pavilion, according to Peninsula Art League President Colette Smith.

There will also be live music from DJIceMike and other local musicians, and several food trucks — Kettle Korn, Millville Pizza, Kona Ice, Pink Gorilla, BBQ2U and Stacks Burgers. New this year is a beer garden with local brews from Gig Harbor Brewing and 7 Seas Brewing and a food drive in partnership with Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor , which visitors can participate in by dropping off non-perishable food items at the Kiwanis Tent by the Volunteer Vern Pavilion.

Kids can enjoy creative activities at the Kids’ Corner and play on the newly resurfaced playground .

A new partnership with PenMet Parks and space considerations were part of the decision to move the festival from its previous spot on Judson Street in downtown Gig Harbor, according to Smith. She said that holding the festival downtown created issues with parking and traffic, and the park has more room for food trucks, a live music set-up and other offerings.

The Peninsula Art League is a nonprofit that seeks to promote engagement between artists and the community.

Peninsula Art League head of communications and marketing Bill Wachtler said that the board expects around 10,000 to 12,000 people to attend the festival this year. Based on PenMet Parks’ estimate that 7,000 visitors came to the park for a cider festival , Wachtler said the board feels confident that the new location will have enough capacity split over two days for art festival visitors.

The Peninsula Art League announced their partnership with PenMet Parks in April, according to a press release . The release said the partnership will allow the Peninsula Art League to increase their offerings at PenMet Parks locations such as Sehmel in exchange for providing volunteer help at art-related events hosted by PenMet Parks and artwork for the new Community Recreation Center and other facilities.

Moving out of downtown

Gig Harbor mayor Tracie Markley wrote in an email that the festival has taken place downtown for many years and the city is aware that some residents and downtown businesses are disappointed about the new location. The city will continue to work with local partners including the Gig Harbor Waterfront Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce to put on downtown events, she wrote.

“The city wishes the Summer Arts Festival continued success and would welcome the event back downtown should that ever be an option,” Markley wrote.

Smith said that the move is a positive one for the community and reflects necessary business considerations to expand the festival.

Since admission is free for the public, the event brings in revenue for the Peninsula Art League primarily through the fees that artists pay to exhibit their work at the fair, according to Wachtler.

Proceeds from the event help support different art-related causes, including $12,000 in student scholarships. Smith said that the Peninsula Art League works with the established scholarship committees at Gig Harbor, Peninsula, Henderson Bay and South Kitsap High Schools to support students pursuing further education in visual arts. The money made from this year’s festival will go to scholarship recipients in the next academic year, according to Smith.

Income from the event will also support arts-related programming in Gig Harbor and scholarships up to $300 for Peninsula Art League members who submit requests for help attending arts-related workshops.

There is also a student poster contest , which culminates in the top winner’s design printed on posters to be handed out at the festival and cash prizes for the top three winners. This year’s poster will feature an illustration from first place winner Sarah Hurn , a student at Peninsula High School.