Naomi Siegal’s wife calls her the “mayor” of the Women’s Art Festival. That’s because she’s been operating the fest, or taking on the formal role of “coordinator,” for over 20 years.
Created in 1992 to feature women’s voices in art amidst the face of inequality, the festival was held at the Spirit of the Lakes Church, a gay and lesbian church, for many years. Siegal originally joined the fest as a soap vendor before taking on the reins from Catherine Azora-Minda.
She says that the festival was founded by Sue Zieke in the spirit of the third-wave feminism movement of the ’90s. The fest even took on the name of “Wimmin’s Art Festival” for some years to avoid the inclusion of the word “men.”
“There’s so many ways in which women are still not afforded equality and equal access to things… having a place for women artists is still a useful way to afford accessibility,” Siegal says.
Accessibility is one of the main factors Siegal says makes this art festival different. “It’s not a juried art show, so it’s always accessible to people who are just starting out and aren’t experienced,” Siegal says. It was started as a grassroots space for women to gain experience in art.
This nurturing of smaller artists has grown so much that now the festival attracts full-time, professional artists from around the state. Pre-COVID-19, the festival reached over 130 vendors.
Now, Siegal has found a smaller venue for the Dec. 14 festival at St. Mary’s University Center. Vendors will range from ceramics, glass and woodwork to body care. Though this year’s cohort of vendors is smaller, at 70 vendors, Siegal says that the community is still strong.
“People really do want to support the local community,” she says. “It’s always been a nice day to get the Christmas spirit and be out in the community.” But the sense of community goes beyond festival goers. Siegal prides herself on having vendors that are helpful and supportive to one another. They often help each other set up and tear down their displays. This sense of togetherness is likely due to a lack of competitiveness.
“I call it a gentle curation process,” Siegal says. “It’s always been first come, first serve.” This provides a platform for smaller artists to be featured who might not be invited to art festivals otherwise. Siegal says she focuses on a balanced presentation of different types of art, only sometimes having to curate the jewelry section because it is so popular. “If I let in all the jewelry vendors that I wanted, the festival would be all jewelry,” she says.
As for this year’s 32nd annual event, Siegal is excited as ever. “There’s just a nice, community, supportive feel to it,” she says.
Dec. 14, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., St. Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave., Mpls.
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