About Us

The MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts – hosted annually by the Art Festival Association – offers a free, family-friendly community arts event that has provided art appreciation, live entertainment, children’s art education activities and enjoyment for the past 18 years.

This free festival in the City of St. Charles, held on North Main Street in the Historic District, appeals to artists and visitors of all ages – from individuals to families, to those who appreciate art to the serious art collector, as well as aspiring artists and working arts professionals.

The MOSAICS Festival draws from across the St. Louis metropolitan region and surrounding states. The festival is also accessible to individuals of all abilities.

Nearly 120 juried artists exhibit, sell their art, and compete for cash prize awards.

About the MOSAICS Art Festival Association

Established in 1992, the MOSAICS Art Festival Association was established to create and foster diversity and vitality of the arts and to broaden the availability, education, participation and appreciation of the arts throughout the community through the formulation of the annual MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts, typically held the second weekend of September each year.

The MOSAICS Art Festival Association presents a professional exhibition to showcase the local, regional and national artists, while also stimulating and educating the St. Louis area community. The MOSAICS Art Festival has an interesting diversity of artwork produced by a mix of emerging, mid-career and established artists in all media.

The MOSAICS Art Festival Association is unique in its approach to educating children and adults in how art can enhance their lives, the annual Festival event. To the community, our program offers cultural advantages and great places for families to live, learn, and play, free of charge.

The Arts Festival Association concentrates on high quality art, education, and community involvement opportunities which are free of charge to the general public. The festival continues to build as a major arts festival and is a registered not-for-profit 501 c (3) status organization with the State of Missouri.

Event Information

Several blocks of North Main Streetin Historic St. Charles will play host to more than 75,000 people at the 19^th Annual MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts on September 13-15, 2013.

This free Arts Festival is a family-friendly weekend event, with activities for everyone including fantastic art, great entertainment and the opportunity for children to create their own artwork.

The MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts runs from 4:00 to 9:00 pm on Friday, September 13th; 11:00 am to 9:00 pm on Saturday, September 14th; and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, September 15th. The three-day festival includes:

• Nearly 120 juried and invited artists from across the state, region and country will exhibit, discuss, and sell artwork.  Paintings, sculptures, photography, glass, jewelry, metal and woodworking are just a sample of the media represented.  More than $5,000 in cash prizes is awarded to participating artists.
• A Performance Stage will showcase a variety of musical and performing artists from across the region, offering both traditional favorites and eclectic arrangements.
• Children’s Village, located on the 300 block ofNorth Main Street in Historic St. Charles, will provide Hands-On Art experiences for children of all ages.  Children will work with adults to create their own unique memento of the Festival.
• Mentor Me Exhibition – Mentor Me is a program recognizing regional art teachers, students and school districts for their arts programming and the exhibition includes artwork from both students and their teachers.  The Governor of Missouri has supported and recognized theMentor Me program for the past 14 years, and participating students and teachers all receive a Certificate of Participation signed by Governor Jay Nixon.

The Mentor Me Exhibition is located in the Foundry Art Centre, located at 520 North Main Center, just off ofHistoric Main Street.

• Blank Canvas Studios is partnering with MOSAICS Art Festival Association for the 2012 Festival event, and will participate with an artist’s display located near the Children’s Village area.

Blank Canvas Studio is an art-based day program associated with Resources for Human Development-Missouri (RHD-Missouri), which has been providing services to people with developmental disabilities in theSt. Louismetro area since May 2008.

The goal of Blank Canvas Studio is to provide individuals labeled developmentally disabled with the tools and materials to create art and the supports to define themselves as artists. Each artist is given opportunities to creatively express themselves through many mediums – painting, sculpting, graphic design, illustration and drawing, photography and video, music, etc.

Entertainment

The Annual MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts showcases a variety of performing artists from across the region, offering musical entertainment for all audiences.

If you or your group is interested in performing at the 2013 MOSAICS Festival, please use the form on the Contact page to tell us.

Featured artists from the 2012 MOSAICS Festival

Lewis & Clark Fife and Drum Corps

The Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps was formed in 1992 as part of an effort by the community of St. Charles, Missouri, to honor Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark…and the Corps of Discovery…who spent five days in St. Charles in May 1804 making final preparations for their expedition across the Louisiana Territory.

Much like fifers and drummers for the past five centuries, The Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps is comprised of young people between the ages of 10 and 18. Their uniforms are patterned after those worn by U.S. Army 1st Infantry field musicians of 1804-1810: coats of red wool trimmed in blue; round hats adorned with black bear fur, white deer tails (which replaced the earlier feather plumes that were increasingly difficult to find on the frontier), and a black leather cockade with an eagle badge. The flag bearers are dressed identical to the musicians, but with opposite colors – blue coats with red facings – since they were part of the infantry line units. They carry the 15-star “Star Spangled Banner”, our nation’s flag from 1795-1818.

Misty Mountain Bluegrass

Misty Mountain was formed in 2011. It is made up of five very seasoned bluegrass musicians from central Missouri – Dennis Strothcamp sings lead and plays mandolin, Chris Valley sings and plays bass, JR Walther plays banjo and Donna Rehagen sings and plays fiddle. Darrell Jones plays acoustic guitar.

Misty Mountain Bluegrass consists of members of the former WindyRidge Bluegrass band. They play traditional bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and old country. They all play for their love of music. The band realizes the talents that they have are, God gifted talents, and they love to share them. They have fun when they are performing and hope the audience has fun also.

The Blanchette Trio

The unique sound of Trio Blanchette was born in the city of St. Charles, when violinist Alison Rolf, clarinetist Mary Bryant, and pianist Nancy Schaaf brought their rich musical experience together for a truly delightful collaboration. Named after St. Charles founder Louis Blanchette, Trio Blanchette is certainly a hometown favorite of St. Charles, but has no less been entertaining listeners throughout the whole metropolitan St. Louis area with their versatile styling of classical favorites, memorable melodies, the best of Broadway and toe-tapping jazz.

The Buckhannon Brothers

The Buckhannon brothers perform old-time traditional instrumental music featuring the guitar, mandolin and string bass.
The group plays in St. Louis as well as around east central Missouri and southern Illinois for square and line dances. They also teach and call old-time square dances.

The Buckhannon Brothers regularly perform at old-time national music festivals, and have been instrumental (pun intended) in several projects dedicated to the preservation of old-time string band music, such as field recordings produced by the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts (University of Missouri at Columbia archives). Their talents as old-time musicians have been preserved for posterity on recordings archived in the Library of Congress and their recordings have been used as authentic auditory complements to two historical documentaries!

Concord Hill Boys

The band known as the Concord Hill Boys – with Rod Adelson, George McVicker, and Ed Drone – regularly “tear it up” in the St. Charles area, with their unique style and intricate take on classic, old-time instrumental music featuring banjo picking, string bass, and rhythm guitar.

Submissions

Call to Entry is now open for the 2013 MOSAICS Festival.

Artist Mediums – The annual MOSAICS Festival for the Arts is limited to 120 juried artists in varied media including painting, clay, sculpture, photography, print making, pastels, drawing, wood, jewelry, metalwork, glass, art to wear and mixed media.

Event Promotion – The MOSAICS Festival is promoted to the art-buying public via newspapers, radio, television, billboards, signage and social media across theSt. Louis metropolitan area.

Prizes – $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to participating artists.

Fees – Jury fees are $30, and Booth fees are $295 for a single booth. Corner and double booths are also available.

Amenities – Artist amenities include booth sitting, cold water delivered to booths, complimentary Artist Reception on Friday evening, complimentary Artist Breakfast on Sunday morning, a variety of restaurants within the festival area, and security provided both day and night.

The annual MOSAICS Festival is operated and managed by a dedicated group of volunteers providing continuity, constant improvement and a congenial atmosphere.

Where/How to Apply – Apply online via ZAPPlication.com

If you have questions or need assistance, email MOSAICS with your name, phone number and question(s) – mosaicsartfest@gmail.com.

Proceeds from the annual MOSAICS Missouri Festival for the Arts provides support to youth art activities including the Mentor Me Program and Exhibition, hosted by the Foundry Art Centre, which is located within one block of the MOSAICS Festival.

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