Arapahoe Community College Affordable Arts Fair
For more than 50 years, the Arapahoe Community College Foundation has been advancing the mission of the Littleton college by providing financial assistance and opportunities to students, encouraging public support for the institution, and strengthening the teaching, learning, and cultural environment of the college and community.
A standalone not for profit, the Foundation has the ability to work directly with college administration, staff, students, and numerous community partners. This translates to more than $4million dollars being distributed annually, including more than $1million dollars going to students in the form of scholarships in the last fiscal year. One of the ways the foundation generates revenue for these scholarships is through the foundation’s annual Affordable Arts Fair.
Currently ranked in the top 25 arts festivals in the country (out of more than 600), ACC’s Affordable Arts Fair is held on the Sunday before Labor Day weekend. Featuring 160+ artists from across the country of various mediums including 2 and 3-D mixed media, painting, clay and ceramics, cloth, furniture, glass, jewelry, metal, photography, sculpture, and wood. There are thousands of pieces of art to select from and every single piece is priced at $150 or less.
Now in its thirteenth year, the attendance and attention of this show grows every year. Last year, more than 8,000 people attended, some lining up as many as four hours before the show started. Attendees are known to come from as far away as Texas, Idaho, and even Massachusetts. But fear not, for those who are more passive fans of the arts, there is truly here something for every taste and budget. A true family event there is plenty of art for those not interested in getting up with the sun, in fact, many artists hold back some of their best pieces for an 11:00 special. Food and ice cream trucks offer a way to cool off from August temperatures and the lawn at ACC offers plenty of shade trees to relax under in-between rounds of art browsing.
Be sure to take advantage of this amazing Littleton tradition, bring your family and explore, even if you don’t plan to purchase any art. The fair takes place on Sunday, August 25th on the west lawn (along Santa Fe) at Arapahoe Community College from 9:00am – 3:00pm. Tickets are $12.00 and can be purchased at the door or online at www.AffordableArtsFestival.com
(this blog post has been updated from an article that first appeared in Southwest Littleton Living Magazine, published by Best Version Media, in August 2023)