The Polk Museum of Art’s MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake returns to Downtown Lakeland May 13-14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
This juried art show is held annually along the shores of downtown Lakeland’s Lake Morton on Mother’s Day weekend. This year marks its 46th anniversary.
New to the show this year is an Adaptive Services Oasis located in the Junior League Sorosis Building courtyard to improve event accessibility for people of all abilities. This will be staffed by volunteers who will provide assistance with communication, shuttle transport and information regarding reaching accessible entry points designed for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
Visitors also will notice elevated food options that pair well with viewing and purchasing fine art.
The show features 160 artists from across the country. About 65,000 visitors from throughout Central Florida attend the weekend festival.
Art available for purchase includes a variety of media, from jewelers and clay artists, to painters and sculptors. There truly is something for everyone.
Mayfaire also features talent by organizations from throughout Polk County with live performances throughout the weekend on the library lawn, food vendors, a hands-on children’s art tent and a kids zone that includes activities such as bounce houses and a rock climbing wall.
Included during the weekend of activities is Mayfaire Saturday Night, a free concert at the Frances Langford Promenade at Lake Mirror, as well as the MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire 5K Road Race presented annually by the Lakeland Runners Club.
Free parking and shuttle service is available, and free shuttles also run around Lake Morton and to the museum during the festival.
Mayfaire organizers select an artist’s work to serve as the event’s poster and T-shirt design each year, and this year’s design is by Waldo artist Natacha Monnalisa. She describes her artistic style as “abstract reality,” a blend of surrealism, realism, and abstract designs that convey feelings and ideas in a whimsical and fantasy-like manner. Her Mayfaire cover art is named, “Nesting in Lakeland.”
Sunshine Artist magazine ranked the MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake fine arts show 20th out of the top 200 art shows in the country in 2016.
This signature event is one of the museum’s oldest traditions, and it has come a long way since its debut as a crafts fair on the front lawn of the Lakeland Public Library.
Visit www.polkmuseumofart.org for more information.
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