Brookside Art Fair is an event not just for the ‘artsy’ type. | by TAYLOR IRWIN

This past weekend marked yet another year for the Brookside Art Fair. The annual event caters to many different crowds, with events for kids of all ages to work for sale from many of Kansas City’s own artists. It’s the perfect excuse for a day to get out in search of the perfect gift, and with mother’s day just around the corner, it’s definitely something to be thinking about.

The Art Fair is something I look forward to every year. Even though the area down Wornall from sixty-third to Meyer Boulevard is packed with little to no elbow room, the event is always something I make a point to attend. With great food being prepared in booths from the nearby restaurants, the Kid’s craft tent, the photo booth, and the chance to meet your favorite artist, there’s always something to do.

While I weave my way in between strangers, my eyes are mostly in search of one thing I always find: my mother’s day gift. While the Art Fair is notorious for its expensive art, if you really look you can find the perfect gift for any occasion without cleaning out the pink piggy bank.

To me, it’s the goal of the trip, but not the perk. With all the activities, knocking the gift out of the way is just an added bonus.

Local artists are scattered all around the Fair showing off their art, and all are eager to display their work to anyone who will listen. Some are even demonstrating how they make their pieces.

In her booth on the ever cramped sixty-third street, local artist Kari Heybrock is making a sample piece in front of a crowd to exhibit how her popular glass hearts are made.

 ‘I always love it when people come to watch me,’ Heybrock said. ‘It makes me feel successful as an artist when people come to see how I make my work. It’s why I love showing at different art fairs.’

With artists littering the crowded streets, tables to make your own bracelets, free Kansas City Barbeque, and beautiful art and jewelry, what’s not to like about the Art Fair?

After much searching and digging, I find the perfect gift: a simple necklace with a green glass heart (made by Heybrock) for my mother for this coming mother’s day. The Art Fair, to me, was worth the invasion of personal space. The art was beautiful, the food was good, and meeting artists was a highlight.

Call me Artsy Fartsy, but the Art Fair was the best part of my weekend.