Prairie Arts Center to host over 50 regional artists at 2024 Stillwater Arts Festival

Friday, April 5, 2024

Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu

On April 19 and 20, the Prairie Arts Center will welcome dozens of fine artists, vendors, musicians and food trucks to the annual Stillwater Arts Festival.

With support from the City of Stillwater, the Arts and Humanities Council of Stillwater and Visit Stillwater, the arts festival is slated to be an “exciting event for art enthusiasts of all ages,” said Meghan Brasuell, general manager of the Prairie Arts Center.

“This year we’ll be featuring over 50 regional artists with a wide range of media, including ceramics, glass, fiber arts, metals, jewelry, photography, painting and drawing,” Brasuell said. “Festival artists are coming from the Midwest, South and Southwestern United States, including Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Indiana and Oklahoma.”

The festival will also include an exhibition of children’s art titled “TERRITORY” that was created and curated by art students from the Prairie Art Center’s Art Academy, Stillwater Middle School and Lincoln Academy.

“‘TERRITORY’ takes its inspiration from the work of Icelandic artist Hrienn Fridfrinnsson, specifically Fridfrinnsson’s 2017 installation Hulduklettur, which is translated as ‘concealing rock’ or ‘hidden cliff,’” Brasuell said. “In this work of art, Fridfrinnsson used a cardboard box to activate and challenge his audience to reconsider what they think they know. Stillwater students similarly created works of art using cardboard boxes for the exhibition.”

Along with the opportunity to view and buy art, festivalgoers can expect live music from artists including Steelwind, Morgan and Val Gladden, Functional Polly and Ciioer Kahler Duo. Art activities, including printmaking tote bags, raku pottery firing and paper marbling will also be open to all.

Adjacent to the Prairie Arts Center is the Stillwater Public Library, which will be holding its annual Friends of the Library Book Sale the same weekend. 

The Stillwater Arts Festival will take place from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 19, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at 1001 S. Duck St. in Stillwater. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Prairie Arts Center has operated as a partnership between Oklahoma State University and the City of Stillwater since 2017. The center is committed to promoting and supporting the arts in the Stillwater community and beyond. The Stillwater Arts Festival is just one of the many events and programs offered by the center throughout the year.

For more information, visit the Prairie Arts Center website.