St. James Court Art Show

For the past 52 years on the first weekend of October Kentuckians from far and wide have flocked to Old Louisville for one of the most unique and beautiful art shows in the country.

Held in the historic St. James Court there are stories in the buildings and the surroundings. Old Louisville is a historic preservation district and neighborhood in central Louisville. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architecture. It is also unique in that a majority of its structures are made of brick, and the neighborhood contains the highest concentration of residential homes with stained glass windows in the U.S. Many of the buildings are in the Victorian-era styles of Romanesque, Queen Anne, Italianate, among others.

In the 1870s, Old Louisville was originally built as a suburb of Louisville. According to historian Young E. Allison, 260 homes valued at a total of $1.6 million were constructed in Old Louisville from 1883 to 1886 making Old Louisville home to some of Louisville’s wealthiest residents. In its peak in the late 19th century, Old Louisville was the center of Louisville’s social life. The area was initially called the Southern Extension and the name Old Louisville did not come into use until the 1960s when revitalization efforts and gentrification began. Old Louisville is currently home to a diverse population with a high concentration of young professionals, students, and artisans.

The St. James Court Art Show was voted best art show in the nation in an annual survey of artists by the trade journal Sunshine Artist in 2003, 2004 and 2006. There are nearly 750 exhibitors and more than 300,000 attendees. I went to St. James in 2005 when still lived in Louisville. I was pregnant with the girls and Kristi watched my boys. I found various Christmas presents for family members and loved the variety of things that could be found. I am always amazed at peoples creativity and talent- none of which I possess. That is why I appreciate it so much. Since it was Kristi's last year I knew I needed to drive up and spend the morning with her while the boys were at school. You can't have a fair or art show here in Kentucky without Funnel Cakes.I was happy to be joined with my girly girls. They are my constant companions. I love it!KaitlynBrynn (She even left her pigtails in since I said we would be seeing Kristi. That's true love!)The girlsTodd was able to sneak away from the VA and join in the fun. He was our official group photog and took their girls to the park when they needed a break. Thanks Todd!Beautiful AnnaDarling KateI found out from Traci that she and Melissa were going too. So we happily met up and had fun shopping together.This is the BEST story of the day. We headed down the booths on St. James and Kristi saw these wooden hats on display. Another girl put a top hat one on and had her picture taken. Kristi insisted we do the same. She grabbed two hats, tossed Todd our cameras and we posed. She noted how light the hats were and how intricate and fragile hers was. Just after the cameras clicked the artisan who had hand carved the hats was at Kristi's side kindly taking the hat from her. Kristi noted how delicate it was and the lady said, "Yes!" in a sort of panicked tone. As the woman replaced the hat on the stand I glanced down and saw the price tag: $5,000!! Oh my. So glad it was handed back in one piece!Melissa guided us to this amazing vintage type jewelry shop. This was my favorite booth by far. All of the dresses were made of strange materials. It had Project Runway written all over it. This designer should try out for the show.The skirt is made form shingles.RulersGorgeous hand blown glassThis fellow had such a creative take on art. These flowers are made from spoons.This yard stake is made from knifes and a golf club.And this is crafted from a shovel and water shut off valves.There also is beauty to be found in the architecture and the surroundings.I love the fountain in the middle of the court.This is the home where Todd and Kristi lived for a year before they had kids. They occupied the top floor. It was incredible they could get anything up that crazy tight and narrow staircase!After finding a few Christmas presents for family, I knew I was running out of time. I had to be back to Lexington by 2:45 PM for school pick up. Kristi did what Kristi does best- dash through crowds at a record speed while pushing the girls so I could get home on time. I really do love her and the fun nut she is. Thanks to Traci, Melissa, Todd, my sweet angel baby girls and Kristi for an amazing morning. I only wish we could do it again next week!