My First Summer Art Show – Alley Art Fest in Aurora, Illinois

My first summer art show was Alley Art Fest in Aurora in 2016, with my very first art show ever being only a few months before that.  Since then, and thanks to the support of Marissa Amoni and many other people, my art career has grown significantly! It was Alley Art Fest where I met Brian Failing, the Director of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, who commissioned me to make posters for the gift shop.  I also met the owner of the Yetee Warehouse where I painted a mural.  Of course I met all of the amazing Aurora artists too and so many art-loving Aurorans.  For the last 2 years I even sponsored the Kids’ Art Area and will again this year.  

Unfortunately, the organizer is stepping down and I’m not sure anyone else is organized or motivated enough to step in.  This local art festival will be sorely missed by the artists and the community. This event is something I look forward to every year and I know that is the same for many other artists.  It’s a celebration of art in Aurora.  The community comes out to support local artists, there is an air of excitement and joy.  Marissa Amoni is a top notch organizer and makes sure there are plenty of activities, live music, good food trucks and more to make it an unforgettable event.    

Alley Art Fest is a Unique Gem for Local Artists

Alley Art Fest is a unique gem for a lot of reasons.  Here are the reasons Alley Art Fest is amazing for artists:

1. Many art shows are very expensive and hard to get into.  Instead of limiting the artists, Marissa just expanded the event area!
2. It’s FREE! Alley Art Fest is free to apply, has no booth fee, and free to attend which makes it very low risk for a new artist.  Artists just pay a percentage of their sales at the end of the fest and need to have weights on their tent for safety, of course. 
3. Low Cost for New Artists.  You don’t even need to buy an expensive display. I’ve even skipped the tent altogether some years and just brought a table display. 
4. Great for multi-proficient artists. Most art shows only allow you to bring one category of artwork.  For example, if you are a painter, but also like to make jewelry, you can only display one or the other.  A lot of artists I know don’t work this way.  They like to express themselves through multiple mediums.  I do mixed media art, watercolor pet portraits, paint murals and create mixed media collages. Alley Art Fest allowed me to test which products were popular and helped me to learn what to focus on in my business.  
5. Great community support!  The community comes out to support all of the local artists.  Each year it is one of the best attended art shows.
6. It’s a joyful, fun event!  Come to the last one and see for yourself the last weekend of August 2026!
7. The Kids’ Art Area is fun and unique, especially since I run it. Lol!  In 2024 I brought my puppet theater for the kids and last year I brought my mini art museum (which is 4′ tall) and the kids made mini artworks and sculptures. By the end of the fest there were artworks covering the museum inside and out.

2017 Poster Design

Each year, Marissa pays an artist to create an event poster.  In 2017 I created the Alley Art Fest event poster.  Since then, Marissa has been promoting my art, art classes and recommending me to be hired for larger projects like murals. 

I am so grateful for all of the people I have met at Alley Art Fest, Marissa Amoni, and for this joyful gathering in our art community.  Truly, I hope someone will step in and this important celebration of local artists will continue.