Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Announces the 2020 Virtual Art Fair on the Square

Saturday, July 11

Sunday, July 12

mmoca.org/artfair2020 (Live starting July 11)

Art Fair on the Square Facebook event

MADISON, WI — The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is going online this year with the 2020 Virtual Art Fair on the Square, a two-day event where visitors can shop for art and fine craft from artists in Madison and around the country, support MMoCA with online donations, and purchase the official 2020 Virtual Art Fair on the Square T-shirt, caps, and more.

The Virtual Art Fair goes live on the same weekend that the actual event was to take place, and visitors can browse dozens of artists’ virtual booths, enjoy music by local performers, watch videos of visitors’ memories of Art Fairs gone by, download kids’ art activities, and buy fun Art Fair merchandise directly from Wildwood Productions.

Late this spring, the museum made the difficult decision to cancel the actual 2020 Art Fair on the Square, due to the coronavirus. This beloved event is one of the largest outdoor art fairs in the Midwest. Typically the fair attracts 200,000 visitors to Madison’s Capitol Square, features some 500 artists, and is supported by 400 MMoCA volunteers.

“This is a challenging time for many people, including artists that earn a good part of their living from selling work at art fairs. Though I do feel that we made the right decision to cancel the fair for public safety, I am also glad that we can still offer artists an opportunity to sell online while raising funds to help support the museum.” said Annik Dupaty, MMoCA Director of Events and Volunteers.

Through Art Fair on the Square, MMoCA has helped thousands of professional artists sell and promote their work, and that remains a goal of this year’s event. Art Fair on the Square is also the museum’s largest annual fundraiser, supporting MMoCA’s free admission policy, as well as free art programs and exhibitions year-round. Any donations made during the virtual event are very much appreciated and will help sustain the museum during these difficult times.

This year, the Virtual Art Fair on the Square website will showcase the work of over 400 artists who were originally juried into the live event. The artists will be offering fine art and craft, original photography, jewelry, and much more. Many of the artists who are selling their work on the Virtual Art Fair on the Square webpages will also be featured in posts on MMoCA’s Art Fair on the Square Facebook event page, and buyers can purchase their work either by following a direct link to the artist’s website or by calling the artist’s studio.

For those who look forward to buying the official Art Fair on the Square T-shirt each year, Wildwood Productions will still be offering both collectible and practical merchandise, including the official Virtual Art Fair shirt, caps, and just for 2020, a safety mask.

Participation in Art Fair on the Square is highly competitive, with approximately one-in-four applicants accepted through a jury process. Anyone over the age of 18 may apply to participate on Zapplication.org mid-November through early March each year. This year’s selected artists hail from over 40 different US states, including 14 up-and-coming emerging artists and a range of returning award-winning artists from 2019.

Sponsors and Contributors

To date, generous support for the 2020 Virtual Art Fair on the Square has been provided by The Hooper Foundation, Findorff Builders, Big Dreamers United, DoubleTree by Hilton Madison; and media sponsors Madison Magazine, Isthmus Publishing Company, and WKOW TV. Wildwood Productions is the event’s exclusive provider of official T-shirts and other fair merchandise; and Artist & Craftsman Supply generously contributed to the Kids Area art projects.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.