The 2021 74th Annual 57th Street Art Fair will happen, rain or shine, despite the COVID pandemic.

Our current plan features a robust virtual fair with hopes of producing a safe in-person event on June 5-6, if the City of Chicago determines it is safe to issue the special event permits that would allow this.

We are actively monitoring the situation for any changes to the city’s permit policy, and are currently working on plans for a physical fair with a modified footprint that considers booth spacing, traffic flow, visitor access, and any resulting impact on the neighbors and local businesses within our usual footprint of 57th Street between Kenwood and Woodlawn Avenues, and on Kimbark Avenue between 57th and 56th Streets.

Our decision to hold the 2021 57th Street Art Fair with or without a physical fair is based on our belief that, while a virtual fair will never be able to replace ‘the real deal,’ we can at least provide our artists some publicity and connect them with potential buyers through the virtual event should a physical event not be possible.

We envision the 2021 Virtual Fair as a fully interactive online art fair where artists will be able to promote and sell their original artwork via the 57th St. Art Fair website cultivated by our team. Shoppers will be able to browse artists by category, click on an artist to see more images and their bio, and will be directed via a hyperlink to access the Artists’ personal website and/or email address for queries and purchasing.

We are currently building our virtual event, and the anticipated launch date for the 2021 Virtual Fair will be early April.

Please check for the 2021 Virtual Fair tab on our website, and our social media platforms of Instagram and Facebook— linked at the top right corner— for features such as “Meet the Artist,” Gift Guides, Artist Demonstrations from their Studio, and Video Interviews.

ARTIST APPLICATION