Book and art fans flock to museum for 56th installment of fair

Judging from the full parking lots around the Wichita Art Museum on Saturday, plenty of people got word that the 56th annual Art and Book Fair has moved to the riverfront showplace.

The event – a Mother’s Day weekend tradition – has been at Century II since the 1970s. Evidently, fans of the fair heard that the venue had changed, said Jill Miller, chairwoman of this year’s event.

The turnout pleased her. By 2:30 p.m., with two hours to go, estimated attendance was 1,300.

The fair, which is free, continues Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All year long, members of a committee known as the “Bookies” gather, sort and store gently used books of all kinds for the fair, where they sell for $1 and up, and where some buyers have to use boxes to cart away their haul.

Saturday’s crowds got to reap the rewards of the Bookies’ work. One man, thumbing through a limericks book, laughed out loud.

Just about every subject is represented: cooking, nutrition, self-help, philosophy, religion, pets and history. And type: fiction, mystery, short stories, essays and children’s books.

In the Westerns section, there was a thick book entitled “Cowboys and Cattlemen” and a little paperback called “Last Man Alive,” with a galloping horseman firing a pistol at an unseen threat behind him.

In the art section, there was a book on Russian houses.

The number of artists’ offerings at this year’s fair is more limited. Still, on Saturday there were things to admire and buy, among them a decorated Japanese-style blank book, a sculpture of a primate trying to drink from a spigot and a collage of dog collars and treats.

It makes sense to have the fair at the museum, Miller said, because it helps raise awareness of what the museum offers, and the fair’s book-sale and art-commission proceeds go to help buy art for the museum.

“The museum very nicely allowed us to have it here,” she said.

This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Book and art fans flock to museum for 56th installment of fair."