Looks Matter At The First Annual Design Harvest Festival

By Kim Bellware in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 30, 2010 8:40PM

If you haven't yet reached your saturation point for block parties and street fests, the West Town Chamber of Commerce is introducing one more, this time celebrating all things aesthetically pleasing in the world of home design. Now that the stretch along Grand Ave in West Town is becoming increasingly known as the “Design District,” it’s only fitting that the site will play host to the inaugural Design Harvest Festival (which looks as if it might be ever-so-slightly breaking the mold of the city's typical neighborhood fests). For two days this weekend between Damen and Wood, the festival will feature pop-up shops from local stores like Salvage One, Grand St. Gardens and co-presenter, POST 27, plus a musical lineup curated by the Hideout.

Per the festival's website, Design Harvest is "guided by strong aesthetics," which could explain the festival organizers' decision to hold a juried application process that encouraged vendors to "create compelling visual vignettes to best reflect their products and services." Though street fest staples like food and music will be present (drinks providers will include local favorites Goose Island and Intelligentsia Coffee), other fixtures like apparel and jewelry vendors and local charities have been excluded.

If browsing Mid-Century Modern drinkware and drafting desks made from reclaimed wood isn't your style, four musical acts will fill out each day of the fest (full schedule below).

Saturday:
Mar Caribe (1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.)

Barehand Jug Band (2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)

Robbie Fulks and Don Stiernberg (3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.)

The Hoyle Brothers (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

Sunday:
The Fallen Rivers (1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.)

Joel Patterson and the Modern Sounds (2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

The Paulina Hollers (4:15 p.m to 5:15 p.m.)

Golden Horse Ranch Square Dance Band (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

The Design Harvest Festival runs along Grand Ave between Damen and Wood, October 3-4, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Free.