Cave paintings 25,000 years old in Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park are proof that the inhabitants of the Americas have always been a creative bunch. Today, both North and South America boast an array of eminent art festivals that pay tribute to artists past and present, both homegrown and from abroad.
The premier art fair of Latin America is the Bienal de São Paulo. Italian-Brazilian industrialist Ciccillo Matarazzo established the event in 1951, having been inspired by the Venice Biennale. The São Paulo Bienal’s main goal is to promote Brazilian contemporary art and further cement São Paulo’s standing on the world stage. Both Brazilian and international artists are invited to showcase their skills at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavillion, designed by world-renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Taking place in the Argentine capital each May, arteBA is one of Latin America’s most prominent art events, attracting some 100,000 guests annually. Established in 1991, the fair can be found at La Rural, Buenos Aires’ 19th-century convention center located in Palermo. In 2014, according to the "Buenos Aires Herald," the work of 500 international artists was shown across 82 galleries. The public event offers free admission and concentrates mainly on contemporary art.
In 2014, having judged over 3,000 events, Festivals & Events Ontario named the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival as a Top 100 event for the fifth year running, adding to its 2012 Festival & Events Achievement Award for Best Official Printed Program. Considered Canada’s finest fine art fair, the festival showcases some of North America’s best artists at eleven woodland galleries over three days each August. The 2014 event marked the festival’s 35th anniversary, and to celebrate, 35 original works by its most esteemed alumni were shown.
Established in 1960, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival was named America’s Best Juried Fine Art Fair by the readers of Art Fair Calender.com in 2013. One of the oldest and most respected art shows in the U.S., the annual three-day festival attracts more than 350,000 visitors to its 200-plus booths along Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida. Only original works are shown in categories such as clay, digital art, fiberglass, wood and jewelry. A volunteer board of directors organizes the event.
The state-sponsored Cervantino Festival is among Mexico’s finest events, originally established in the mid-1900s to showcase plays by Don Quixote scribe, Cervantes Saavedra. Since named in the writer’s honor, it became an official affair in 1972, at the same time opening its doors to international acts. Now the event embraces an eclectic mix of art forms such as film, contemporary dance and opera throughout the city of Guanajuato at various locations that include museums, plazas, and churches. Though a truly multinational celebration, the festival emphasizes Spanish-language works.
