Wichita’s largest fine arts festival is back. Here’s what to know about the free event

Amy Geiszler-Jones
·3 min read

Autumn & Art, Wichita’s biggest fine arts festival, is marking a milestone this weekend: the free-to-attend outdoor event is turning 15.

Set up along Bradley Fair Parkway, just east of Bradley Fair shopping center near 21st Street and Rock Road, Autumn & Art will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“Autumn Day on the Rio Grande” by Stephen Smith of Oklahoma, the featured artist for this year’s Autumn & Art fine-art show and sale. A poster of the painting will be available for purchase at The Frame Shop and at the festival.
“Autumn Day on the Rio Grande” by Stephen Smith of Oklahoma, the featured artist for this year’s Autumn & Art fine-art show and sale. A poster of the painting will be available for purchase at The Frame Shop and at the festival.

Festival-goers can see and buy artwork in various mediums, including paintings, ceramics, glass, fiber, photography, metalwork, jewelry and 2D and 3D mixed media. This year’s Autumn & Art features more than 90 artists from 17 states, who were selected by a panel to participate, according to a news release from Wichita Festivals. John Hernandez from Oklahoma is this year’s featured artist. Hernandez works in a very unique medium, transforming gourds into works of art using dyes and pine needle stitched rims.

Tickets to the opening night patron party are $125 and include food from Il Vicino, Newport Grill and The Belmont/Larcher’s Market, specialty wines and spirits, a coffee bar, and wine and whiskey pulls. Sterling Gray will provide live music, while the artist collective BrickMob will do a live art painting.

Autumn & Art is produced by Wichita Festivals and was created as a fall community event to go with the long-running River Festival held earlier in the year. It was modeled after al fresco art festivals held in other cities, including Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis.

Things to do at Autumn & Art festival in Wichita

Besides checking out the art, here are other things to do at the festival.

  • Play over-sized lawn games, including giant Jenga and Connect Four.

  • Enjoy live musical acts performing on a stage set up near the west entrance of Wilson Estates Parkway. Along with Sterling Gray, other performers scheduled are Trevor Stewart, the WSU Jazz Duo, Charlie Wilks, William Flynn and Eric Shumacher. For a complete schedule, visit autumnandart.com/events.

  • Watch artist demos and create your own art at Artie’s Creation Station. Both activities are set up at the south entrance of the parkway.

  • Imbibe on bloody Marys at a build-your-own station from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Three other bar vendors selling adult and other beverages are set up along the parkway.

  • Chill out in a tented lounge area, where you can charge devices and catch college football on Saturday and NFL games on Sunday.

Autumn & Art

What: An outdoor, juried fine-art show and sale, with live music, artist demos and other activities produced by Wichita Festivals

When: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 13-15; hours are 6-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Bradley Fair Parkway, just east of the Bradley Fair shopping center at Rock Road and 21st Street North

Tickets, cost: free to attend; tickets for the exclusive opening-night party are $125 patron passes and are available through noon Friday at (316) 267-2817 or online through Eventbrite. Limited patron party tickets will be available at the door.

More information: 316-267-2817 or autumnandart.com

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