A new art festival is coming to Valparaiso.

The inaugural Valparaiso Art Festival is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 29 to 30 in downtown Valparaiso at Indiana Avenue and Lafayette Street.

Amy Amdur is the president and owner of Amdur Productions, a Highland Park, Illinois,-based company that produces art shows in the Chicago area. This is the company’s first show in Northwest Indiana. It’s a new state for them but one they know well, she said.

“One of our team (members) lives in Valparaiso and I’ve been spending a lot of time in Indiana because my daughter just graduated from the University of Indiana Bloomington,” she said. “So we started thinking about Valparaiso.”

A year or so ago, she and her vice president, Lindsey Dickinson, drove around the town and liked what they saw. They stopped in at Valparaiso Events and a conversation turned into a discussion, that became a possibility, that became the art festival, she said.

“We’re looking forward to the festival,” Amdur said. “It’s going to piggyback a little bit on the other events that are already taking place that weekend — the Farmer’s Market being the big one.”

Artists are coming not only from Indiana and Illinois, but also Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, she said. Then there are three artists hailing from Valparaiso, she said; including Jackie Gray, Dave Lee and Dinah Miller.

“Dave is a hot glass blower. Jackie Gray is a purse maker, she does these neat purses,” she said.

Overall, there will be an interesting mix of artists, Amdur said.

Stacy Benesh and Janet Wielbrenner sculpt animals out of different metals and inlay stone in them, she said.

“We have this nationally recognized artist named John Blowers. John is a really well-respected painter across the country. We’re really excited to have him coming in,” she said. “We have Alli Farkas, another great painter. I feel like painting is the backbone of any art show. So it’s good to have some really good painters. In addition, we have Kevin Lahvic, he’s another great painter from Chicago. He takes his inspiration from nature. We have Joel Pisowicz from Porter and he’s a great ceramic artist.”

Candice Sexton from Chesterton uses beads to make pieces.

“They’re needle woven and the technique is amazing,” she said. “We also have functional art. There’s a man named Tom Reed who carves utensils from wood. So you get something that’s a piece of art that is also totally functional. So art can exist on places other than just your walls. He’s from Sandborn, Indiana.”

Another artist named April Sepich, from Wisconsin, creates art from upcycled materials, she said, as does Dan Driscoll from Woodstock, New York.

“He takes old coins and crafts them into jewelry,” she said. “It’s really unique to see the artistry. And not just American coins but coins from all over the world.”

In addition to the artists, there will be hands-on activities for kids, she said.

“We’ll have a whole art area for kids and families to be making art,” she said. “Most of the art projects are free.”

They will be making spin art, she said. Additionally, there will be a graffiti wall where people can make their own chalk drawings throughout the festival.

“We have a really great band called Cirrus Falcon and they’re playing all during the festival on the music stage,” she said.

The festival is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible and family-friendly, she said.

“A lot of the artists will be demonstrating during the show, so it will be educational without being school,” she said. “It’s educational and cultural.”

There will even be a youth art division where young artists can showcase their work, Amdur said.

She hopes people will give the new event a chance.

“I think it’s going to be so nice for people in Valparaiso to have their own art festival instead of feeling like they have to go somewhere else,” she said. “It’s something to experience.”

The art will be at all different prices, she said.

“Whether you have $20 or $200, you’re going to be able to find something that’s right for you,” she said.

She plans on this being an annual event and wants to build it up over time.

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.