Wilmington, DE: Immerse yourself in a weekend filled with hand-crafted works of art, all locally or regionally made by over 180 craftsmen and women, as well as four emerging artists. 

The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen celebrates its 5th anniversary as the Brandywine Valley’s largest premier fine craft fair! This beloved event returns on July 30 & 31 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Loyal art patrons and craft collectors from around the region descend on Wilmington, in search of invigorating contemporary and heritage fine crafts.

The 2011 fair features crafts made by hand from American craftsmen including furniture, clothing, jewelry, sculpture, and fine art. The Guild is known for uniting paramount craftsmen with craft-seeking customers. This event showcases a medley of refined and exceptional works. Precious gemstones set in hand-worked fine metals, blown glass, lathe-turned wood, and hand-carved marble are available alongside ornate functional ware. Beautifully woven and hand dyed designer clothing include all sizes of skirts, jackets, and scarves throughout the show. Fair hours are 10 am to 6 pm Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm Sunday.

"This fine craft fair brings together the beauty of contemporary craft with the richness of heritage craft techniques,' said Sherrie Boyer, executive director. "We put the very best craftsmen and their work together in one lovely space, and also invite emerging artists to participate. Live demonstrations by our experts make it all look so easy--yet each of our craftsmen has worked tens of thousands of hours to be this proficient. It's a wonderful way to both learn about craft, and bring the beauty of handmade into your home and life."

The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is based out of Pennsylvania, but its reach is national. It attracts members from 23 states. One such member is featured artist Peter Saenger, from Newark, Delaware. Saenger is a distinguished ceramicist who has been working with clay since 1970. He says of his porcelain work, "This work is an expression of optimism—a belief that the objects in our life can enrich us in many ways." His porcelain vessels and functional ware are supple, playful, and full of grace.

Another featured artist this year is Deena Ball. She is an accomplished landscape watercolorist, exhibitor, and teacher. She received a BA in Studio Art/ Art History from Colby College in Maine, going on to do her graduate work at Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She has participated in many juried and invitational exhibitions all over Pennsylvania. She is currently exhibiting at Hardcastle Gallery in Centreville, Delaware. Ball is also one of the demonstrating artists at this year’s show, where she will be performing preliminary drawings, colored pencil studies, and creating small finished works in watercolor on paper.

Beyond Ball’s featured demonstration, this year’s show offers 11 other demonstrations, where craftsmen and women display their techniques and reveal their artistic secrets! Some presentations will feature:

 Robert DeWitt Jr. uses traditional gouges, a mallet, and a drawknife to instruct on hand-hewn spoon and bowl-making techniques and maintenance.

 Chong Lim demonstrates how he creates his beautifully embossed papers. By pressing sheets of paper into hand-carved molds, he creates impressions and designs, which are then hand colored.

 Sandra Jean Coldren reveals how she creates her theorem paintings using tools from the past and present. Stencils and precise brushwork are used to produce a traditional painting, usually depicting a still life on cloth or velvet.

Other demonstrations include traditional and contemporary painting techniques, woodworking and stone carving, tatted lace jewelry, and working with porcelain. This educational component is a wonderful way for the audience and patron to take a "field trip" into the artist’s studio.

The emerging artists this year are comprised of two jewelers, a ceramicist, and a fiber artist specializing in knit clothing. The program is designed to provide the emerging artist with a first time experience at the Guild’s acclaimed shows. It also showcases the next generation of craft makers to the craft lovers and collectors in the region.

New this year, the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is adding an awards program to the Fine Craft Fair, in which their three benchmarks of excellence are critiqued as awards categories: excellence in craftsmanship, resolved design, and the exhibition of a unique voice or style. A standards committee, led by established ceramicist Kevin Lehman will be jurying the artists, and recognizing three who display proficiency and merit in each category. The winners will be announced on Sunday along with cash prizes. Also new this year is the Morning Make and Take program; a morning workshop where fair patrons can enroll to participate in hands-on demonstrations and workshops before the show opens. Upon conclusion, they will have a finished piece, made by them to take home.