For one weekend every September, the heart of downtown Wausau doesn’t just host an art show; it becomes a living, breathing gallery. From the lively music and dance performances echoing off the 400 Block stage to the smell of fresh-made crepes and kettle corn drifting down Third Street, the Wausau Festival of Arts is a full-sensory experience. Drawing over 120 top-tier artists from as far away as Hawaii, the festival is a massive, volunteer-driven effort that temporarily transforms our city streets into a vibrant hub of culture and community.
This year, the festival returns Sept. 12-13 for two days of art-filled adventure with more than 100 artists from across the country showcasing and selling their work. Visitors can explore a wide variety of art, including fiber, pottery, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, glass and more — making it a one‑of‑a‑kind fine arts and shopping experience at the start of Wisconsin’s autumn season.
The Wausau Festival of Arts isn’t just like any other arts and crafts show, it’s a juried art show, meaning it’s a competitive exhibition where an artist’s submissions must be reviewed and approved by a panel of judges before being accepted into the display.
“The jury consists of usually art professors, local art teachers or students in art and people that are just community-minded and want to be involved,” said Wendy Hanneman, festival president. “We look at the artwork that’s submitted and narrow it down to the best 120 submissions.”
The submissions pour in every year, as artists from across the U.S. submit their work to the Wausau festival.
“That’s the advantage of having it in September. If we had a February art show, we would never get anybody from Florida coming,” Hanneman said. “The majority of them, I would say, are from the Midwest, but we got a piece of artwork from someone that came from Hawaii one year.”
But it’s not just about casting a wide net to find interesting art to display — talented local artists are showcased at Wausau Festival of Arts every year, too.
In fact, the festival’s Emerging Artist program picks one Central Wisconsin youth artist to highlight every year. Through this program, the student is given the opportunity to experience what life as a working artist is like. They get a booth at the festival, where they can display, sell and demonstrate their artwork.
There are plenty of success stories that have come through this program, Hanneman said, like scratchboard artist Melissa Helene, who grew up in Stevens Point and was once named the festival’s Emerging Artist.
“She now exhibits at major galleries in New York and all over the country,” Hanneman said.
“Being an Emerging Artist was a great jumping off point for me,” Helene said. “The artists at the festival bring their entire display with them, in addition to the artwork. The festival provides some of the structural elements for the Emerging Artists and that is incredibly helpful when just starting to show artwork at events like the FOA. I was able to talk with patrons, as well as other artists, to get feedback on my work and start to figure out if selling at art festivals made sense for me.”
The festival also serves to cultivate artistic interest in younger kids. The Young Collectors program, which initially drew Hanneman to first volunteering at the festival in 1993, gives kids the opportunity to start their own collections and develop their artistic taste. Each year, most displaying artists “donate” some of their pieces to the Young Collectors tent, where kids ages 12 and under can purchase art at a very steep discount.
“The idea is to get young kids interested in art and letting them pick out something that they would really like and we price it at kid prices,” Hanneman said. “They are really nice pieces of art that would normally be $10, but they sell it for a buck or two. We try to discourage parents from joining their kids in the booth, because we want them to pick out something that they like.”
The Young Collectors area doesn’t open until 11 a.m. on Saturday, and kids are always waiting outside to get the early picks.
“The kids are lined up to come in. I’ve got little kids who buy their Christmas presents for their families there every year,” Hanneman said. “It’s really interesting to watch these kids.”
While most festivals have food trucks, the Wausau Festival of Arts deliberately shines a spotlight on local nonprofits, which serve as the festival’s food vendors, making it a massive fundraising weekend for a whole host of good causes.
Food vendors this year include Elk’s Lodge 248, the Popcorn Wagon (which donates its proceeds to Junior Achievement), the Rib Mountain Lions Club, St. Mary’s cheese curd stand, Trinity Lutheran Church and School and the Wausau West French Club crepe stand.
The festival also makes use of the 400 Block stage, which is packed with entertainment both days, such as the Central Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble, Sweet Reverie Trio, Wild Trillium, Riley Glavin, Dave’s Band, Paul Imholdt, Walden Jazz Project, Center Stage and Cool Hat.
It’s a festival that draws on all the best downtown has to offer. Across the 400 Block, the Center for the Visual Arts will have expanded gallery hours with classes and outdoor demonstrations (including pottery throwing and chain carving).
For Hanneman and the dedicated volunteer board, orchestrating this massive, multi-block event takes nearly a year of planning, but seeing the community come together makes the logistical hurdles worthwhile.
“It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year,” Hanneman said, noting that she wouldn’t have stayed involved for over 30 years if it weren’t such a special event.
Whether you are a serious fine arts collector, a music lover or just a local looking for a crepe for a good cause, the Wausau Festival of Arts promises a weekend where everyone can find something to celebrate.
The Wausau Festival of Arts is Sept. 12-13 in downtown Wausau from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit wausaufoa.org.
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