On Sunday, Nov. 3, 1985 a crafts festival launched with 30 booths on Lincoln Road Mall. It was the first of seven Sundays sponsored by the South Florida Art Center (SFAC) happening from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Visitors got to hear live music, engage with clowns and mimes and were able to visit studio spaces that were open to the public during the festival hours.
Ellie Schneiderman, SFAC director, wanted the festival to turn into a recurrent/permanent event designed to bring artists and buyers to the mall. “It is a multi-purpose thing. We are trying to develop an art district and the way to do that is to create an environment where you have as many artists here as possible and to have interaction and feedback.” Scheiderman said. The main goal was to make the mall attractive to the public and turn it into a marketplace where the arts could create a steady stream of tourists and buyers interested in the SFAC art pieces.
Were you around in 1985? Did you participate in the crafts festival? Let us know.
