Park Point Art Fair: Artist shares the inspiration behind his craft

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) -- The Park Point Art Fair has been a staple in the community for five decades.

The event invites thousands to the lake side, opening up opportunities for artisans to showcase their work, and this year was no different.

Jonathan Walburg, an artist at the Park Point Art Fair, found his passion for pottery years ago.

“I have been doing pottery for about 20 years,” said Walburg, a resident of Bayfield. “I apprenticed under Richard Bresnahan at St. Johns Pottery in central Minnesota.”

Following his passion for pottery led him around the world, visiting places like Japan and Korea.

“Wherever I traveled they were all using local materials,” said Walburg. “I felt like I was buying a piece of that place and taking it home with me. I wanted to incorporate that into my work.”

For him, it was Lake Superior that sparked his inspiration.

Creating porcelain with crushed rock, sand, and clay he finds along the lake side.

“I have been working on Lake Superior-focused pottery for about 12 years now,” said Walburg.

Walburg’s love for the lake is what brought him to the Park Point Art Fair on Sunday.

Setting up his tent, Lake Superior Pottery, showcasing his pieces to thousands of visitors.

“For me, having a part of the lake in my pottery, being able to share that with people, people loving the area, and being able to take it home, is a real part of what I do,” said Walburg.

He wasn’t the only artisan sharing their passion.

Around 100 local vendors came out to show off their art, some even for the first time.

“We get a lot of young people who start out doing art fairs,” said Carla Tamburro, the Park Point Art Fair coordinator.

This year brought out a record number of new painters, sculptors, jewelers, and more.

“A lot of artists get their start in art fairs,” said Tamburro. “We have seen a lot of careers grow.”

Showing how impactful the annual art fair is for local artisans, as well as those who visit.

“People who come to the fair, the attendees and audience, they return on average eight times,” said Tamburro.

An event highlighting beautiful pieces of artwork and those who make them.

“When you come to events like this you get to meet the artist,” said Walburg. “You get to hear what they do, why they do it, where they do it, so you get even more of a connection with the pieces.”

Sunday was the final day of the art fair this year.

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