Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival in Kirksville celebrates 50 years of community and culture

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — In 1973, Kirksville residents were looking for a new way to promote the culture and arts surrounding the area.

They got together and started an event, hoping to bring artists together.

This event would later be known as the Red Barn Arts and Crafts Festival.

“They founded the Red Barn Art League, which is now the Kirksville Art Association,” said Kirksville Art Association President Linda Treasure. “And in October 1974, they held the first Arts and Crafts Festival near the Red Barn on the college campus.”

Residents chose the Red Barn on the campus of Truman State University (then known as Northeast Missouri State University) to help keep a historic landmark on campus alive.

“The Red Barn was built in 1909 when John Kirk was president, and they wanted to save the Red Barn,” Treasure said. “They wanted to attract attention and hoped it would be turned into an exhibition space, but that didn’t happen. But the Red barn is still there today.”

50 years later, the festival has grown from its humble beginnings to bring visitors from all over the United States.

To this day, local artists use the event to showcase their arts and crafts.

“It really helps get our names out there and helps support local, small businesses, which may not be their full-time job, but it’s a secondary income that will help in places where things are so tight,” Robert Brent said. he said. Weisenboren is just south of Clarence, Mo.

“This just gives us an opportunity, we all work alone and in our own little spaces and this gives us an opportunity to come together and showcase our efforts,” said Jeanne Scott of Kirksville.

The festival is also an opportunity for vendors to connect with fellow artisans and potential customers.

“For the most part it’s good to just meet people and talk to them because you learn from other people who are doing similar things and you get ideas by seeing what other people are doing and they get ideas too,” said Aaron Ivie of Kirksville.

“You have a new audience every year with college parents’ day,” said David Walker of Macon, Mo. “It’s a great time to meet people, new people and people who have never been to Kirksville.”

What started as a simple way to share the community’s love of arts and crafts has grown into a unique event that helps artists share their passion with the Heartland.