Midwest Fire Fest

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courtesy Midwest Fire Fest

Action at a past Midwest Fire Fest.

Action at a past Midwest Fire Fest.

This summer festival celebrates art created with heat (think ceramics and metalwork), featuring 21 exhibiting artists; eight of the artists will demonstrate their technique during the weekend. There’s also multiple fire performances by the Fire Tribe, and also music by Ritt & Wilder Deitz, Wurk and others. This annual event hosted by the Clay Collective and Cambridge Arts Council is moving up a month this year from its usual July spot in the summer schedule. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on June 8 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 9; find the full schedule below and updates at midwestfirefest.com.

media release: This year’s summer festival season lights up with a spark at the Midwest Fire Fest, now scheduled for an earlier, cooler start on June 8 and 9. Founded in 2016, the art festival had traditionally been held at the end of July, but event organizers permanently moved the date earlier when temperatures are typically milder.

June 8 (10am - 10pm) & June 9 (10am - 4pm), Westside Park, Cambridge, Wisconsin

Saturday: Sculpture firing and Q&A with Anne Pärtna 11:30 am, pottery pit firing by Ric Lamore noon, Fire Tribe fire performances 12:30, 3:15, 7 and 8:45 pm, Rockonsin finalist 1 p.m., Wild Heathens 2:15 p.m., Ritt & Wilder Deitz 3:30 p.m. Automatic Lover 5 pm, Wurk 8 pm, sculpture reveal 9 pm.

Sunday: Fire Tribe 11:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m., pottery pit firing by Ric Lamore noon, Michael King noon, sculpture firing/Q&A with artist TBA 12:30 pm, Val Signal 1 pm.

Midwest Fire Fest’s one-of-a-kind offerings allow attendees to celebrate the elemental power of fire with a dynamic weekend full of creativity, community, food, music, and unforgettable experiences. Held in the heart of Cambridge, Wisconsin, this year’s festival promises more excitement for attendees as well as the Cambridge community.

"We believe the arts are a crucial economic development driver for our community," says Laurie Director, director of Midwest Fire Fest and the Cambridge Arts Council which presents the festival along with The Clay Collective. “Many Cambridge area businesses have experienced more traffic and sales during the Fest in the past, and we’re hoping this year’s date change and additions helps them even more.”

One notable addition this year is the return of the 1,000 pound hot iron pour. “The Wisconsin Crew,” a group led by UW-Whitewater art department staff and former students will melt hundreds of pounds of iron at the event, and cast the liquid metal into beautiful molds they’ve created. They’ll also offer the public a chance to make molds and create their own unique metal art, for a fee.

Twenty-one artists from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina will be showing, five of them for their first time at Midwest Fire Fest. Attendees are invited to shop, learn, and get involved in one of the eight different demonstrations put on by select artists.

This year, attendees will also witness the unveiling of a magnificent seven-foot sculpture crafted by sculptor Anne Pärtna of Seagrove, North Carolina, which has been called the handmade pottery capital of the United States. She has created and collaborated on numerous other large scale projects in North Carolina and Denmark for over 10 years, and operates Blue hen Pottery with her husband. 

Throughout the weekend, attendees will also see fire dancer performances, six bands, eight food trucks, and the big bonfiring reveal, an experience like no other. A six-foot clay sculpture weighing over 1,000 pounds that will be constructed on site and fired for six days at 1,000 degrees in a custom-made twelve-foot kiln before Fire Fest will be revealed at 9:00pm Saturday night for just 10 minutes. The reveal has been a huge crowd pleaser in years past, as volunteers toss sawdust onto the sculpture, causing fire to dramatically shoot up into the air.

"The experiences we offer at Midwest Fire Fest are truly one-of-a-kind," adds Mark Skudlarek of Cambridge Wood Fired Pottery, a co-founder and creative director of the event. "So we're inviting everyone to join us for a weekend that promises to be not just fun, but a ‘can’t miss’ event with all kinds of unforgettable experiences.“

In the lead-up prior to the event, Midwest Fire Fest is also promoting Cambridge-area businesses via the “Fire, Food & Fun Tour.” The tour will feature food and drink items from Cambridge-area establishments that are created by flame, fire, smoke or have a hot and spicy kick. 

For updates on performers, artists, and activities, follow the Midwest Fire Fest Facebook page.

Midwest Fire Fest is presented by the Cambridge Arts Council and The Clay Collective, with a mission to celebrate and cultivate the arts in Cambridge and the surrounding area. Through events like the Midwest Fire Fest, they aim to bring the community together and showcase the transformative power of art.

 MidwestFireFest.com

CambridgeWiArts.org