85 artists from 14 states to participate in this year’s Autumn & Art

Cecilia Labora takes a holistic approach to creating her jewelry.

The Kansas City, Missouri, artist, not only makes her own glass beads but also designs them into wearable art — earrings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets.

“There are artists who just make beads but they don’t make the jewelry. They just sell the beads. And then there are designers who just buy beads and design jewelry. For me, I have to do both. I just love taking it from the beginning to the end, from melting a rod of glass to having somebody put on the jewelry. “

Labora is the featured artist in the upcoming Autumn and Art show, an outdoor fine art show and sale event produced by Wichita Festivals Inc. In its 13th year, Autumn and Art takes place Friday-Sunday, Sept. 16-18, at its usual location on the Bradley Fair Parkway, just east of the Bradley Fair retail complex at 21st and Rock Road. It’s free to attend.

A juried art show, meaning artists were screened and selected by art experts, Autumn and Art will feature 85 artists from 14 states this year, a number in line with the event’s pre-COVID days.

Last year about 55 artists participated when the in-person event returned after a COVID hiatus in 2020 and being an online event in 2021. This year’s show features a range of works in 12 art media. A second set of jurors visits the show to determine winners of the cash prizes totaling $7,000 based on the artist’s on-site artwork, presence and booth, according to WFI officials.

Two other pre-COVID activities have also returned this year: lawn games and live entertainment featuring music and dance acts, including Wasamara’ Trio, Bill Koch Dance, Joshua Davis, Charlie Wilks, Eric Shumaker and Scott Fowler.

Another change is the location of the Friday evening patron party, a ticketed event where guests enjoy food by YaYa’s Eurobistro, Bella Luna and Newport Grill; beverages; activities like wine and whiskey pulls; live entertainment by Wasamara’ Trio; and swag bags. The party will happen along Wilson Estates Parkway this year.

“It is a beautiful tree-lined space that is going to be far more intimate and shaded — a stark contrast to the open parking lot the event was previously hosted on,” said Jenny Venn, the director of marketing and communication for Wichita Festivals.

Patrons also get the perks of reserved parking and complimentary beverages during the entire weekend. Patron party tickets are $150 per person. Tickets may be purchased online at autumnandart.com, in-person at the Wichita Festivals office, 444 E. William, or at Grate Fill, a store in Bradley Fair.

As the Autumn and Art featured artist, Labora’s booth will be easy to spot with a large banner signifying her honor.

Growing up in Mexico City, Labora always loved creating, whether it was making holiday ornaments out of Styrofoam balls and seed beads, designing a simple beaded ring that her mother wore with pride or taking a class with her aunt, a well-known miniatures artist. But pursuing a career in art wasn’t something she thought possible.

“In Mexico, going to college to study art was just not a thing,” said Labora in a phone interview after participating in a show in Colorado.

Instead, she went to college to study the sciences, first oceanography and then chemistry. However, her class schedule at Humbolt, a California State polytechnic campus, was always about half-full of art classes. Before finishing her degree, she took a friend up on the offer to ride with her to Kansas City, where the friend had a new job.

Labora never left. She got into the travel industry, met and married her husband, had kids, but she kept creating. For a while, she primarily did pastel painting.

Inspired by a jewelry maker who had been set up next to Labora’s booth at an art show, Labora got into jewelry making, buying commercial beads and stones to make her designs in about 2000. A friend suggested she learn to make the beads herself, so in 2003, Labora started taking bead-making classes. Before she decided to invest in setting up a studio, she rented what’s called “torch time” in a St. Joseph, Missouri, studio. After three sessions, she knew this was her calling.

Since she produces glasswork on a small scale, her equipment is fairly small scale as well. She works primarily with an oxygen-propane-run table-top torch and different metal rods, whose use is dictated by which of the three techniques she uses to create different styles of beads.

While she finds creating beads and designing jewelry fulfilling, her work becomes more meaningful when she sees a customer find the piece that suits them.

“I’ve made some wonderful friendships with my customers,” Labora said.

Some of those friends are likely in the Wichita area, considering this is her 11th year participating in Autumn and Art. Labora tends to participate in about a dozen shows a year from as far north as Minnesota and as far south as Texas.

Autumn & Art 2022

What: an outdoor fine art show and sale event produced by Wichita Festivals Inc.

When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16; 10 am.-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18

Where: Bradley Fair Parkway, just east of the Bradley Fair retail complex at 21st and Rock Road

Cost: Free. Tickets for the patron party are $150 per person. The party is from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, and includes gourmet food and beverages and live entertainment. It is being held in a new location this year — along the Wilson Estates Parkway. Patrons also get reserved parking and complimentary beverages the entire weekend. Tickets may be purchased online at autumnandart.com, in-person at the Wichita Festivals office, 444 E. William, or at Grate Fill, a store in Bradley Fair.

More information: autumnandart.com