GSR Art Festival celebrates 20-year anniversary

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - This year’s GSR Art Festival is a special 20-year milestone for co-director Sacha Bliese.

After falling in love with metals and crafting in high school 20 years ago, Bliese became a goldsmith and jeweler.

And Bliese transformed her love of the craft by creating the GSR Art Festival, with help from her father, Tom Hastings- exactly 20 years ago.

“This celebrates a big era for my business. The festival came about because when I opened my own small business is a jeweler, I didn’t have an opportunity or place to come and show my wares to the community. It really came from this place of a need. They’re here to make a living, to earn a living. I think it’s important. We give them the opportunity to support them,” said GSR Art Festival co-director & jeweler Sacha Bliese.

The 2022 GSR Art Festival featured more than 70 artists, musicians, and authors at the Mayo Clinic Event Center.

Each year, the festival allows local artists to expose themselves to the community and sell their work.

This year’s featured upcoming artist was Sarah Huttner, a printmaker who has never sold art at a community art festival until Saturday.

“I was definitely pretty surprised when I was offered. I’m just really excited for the opportunity to be here, be the featured artist, and kind of have everybody kind of enjoy my work,” GSR Art Festival featured upcoming artist & printmaker Sarah Huttner said.

“I feel like Mankato is responsible for creating an artist, and me seeing the opportunity to be a professional artist. And I would love to give that back to the community. And hopefully the youngsters come through and see that there is a way to to earn a living through art. Arts are important,” Bliese said.

Copyright 2022 KEYC. All rights reserved.