Second Wicker Park Fine Art Fair Coming this Fall

Saturday, September 12, 2026

The much-loved triangle of public land known as Wicker Park, the neighborhood's namesake, is the site of the Wicker Park Fine Art Fair. Chicago is rife with weekend art and craft festivals during the summer months, but the Wicker Park Fine Art Fair stands apart.

How It Started
The WPFAF springs from a series of art classes organized by the Wicker Park Garden Club and instructor Maria Mariottini called the Garden as Inspiration (2020-present). The classes have proven extremely popular and have led to an exciting level of interest in the gardens, artmaking, and the camaraderie from participating in both. A natural next step was a major event highlighting art and its relationship with the Wicker Park community and gardens. The gardens date back to 1988 and have served as artistic inspiration before now.

An iteration of the art fair was held in 2004. Two years before then, master gardener Douglas Wood volunteered with the Wicker Park Garden Club to expand the gardens to its current 10,000 square feet, and in so doing he took on fund-raising projects that also included his other artistic interests. As a choreographer in lowa City and Chicago for 23 years, Wood had created dozens of performances in collaboration with visual artists, poets, composers, playwrights, and film makers. In 2004, he started the Garden as Gallery, Stage, and Forum, a weekend event that combined performing and visual artists situated among the gardens. It was a huge success.

Wood had the help of Maria Mariottini, an artist in many disciplines who was one of the founding members of the Bucktown Arts Fest. Mariottini knew the importance of bringing quality art directly into a neighborhood to foster a sense of community.

While getting her BFA at The School of the Art Institute she had worked with Judy Chicago on her Dinner Party installation, a moment when she observed the joy of the social aspect of art. This was in contrast to her young brassy hairy who teachers. When Mariottini was considering her capstone project for her MFA in adult art education in 2020, she contacted Wood to propose a collaboration with the Wicker Park Garden Club. She is now the instructor of the art classes in the park, and she directs the Wicker Park Fine Art Fair.

The event runs with the gracious help of volunteers from the Wicker Park Garden Club and the park’s advisory council.

Year One
In its first year, the call for artists drew over 100 applications, and the jury accepted 33 in a range of disciplines. A number of Chicago art professionals were invited to give feedback to their favorite artists with Curator’s Choice designations.

Artist booths were situated naturally along the walking path and under the grove of shady trees along Schiller Street with plenty of room between booths. And there’s room for more. The fair committee is committed to showcasing quality artwork in this unique setting and is able to expand the footprint of the fair if needed.

Wicker Park is situated in a popular and dense Chicago neighborhood and receives much foot traffic. The day of the first fair, September 6, 2025, was no different. The park was full of visitors all day, with steady sales reported by many artists.