145 Juried Artists Take Over the Old Saybrook Town Green for a 62-Year Tradition

145 Juried Artists Take Over the Old Saybrook Town Green for a 62-Year Tradition Oct. 3 and 4, filling the center of Old Saybrook with paintings, pottery, glass, jewelry, photography, sculpture, fiber art, metalwork, woodcraft, and enough mixed-media work to make a quick lap around the Green almost impossible.

The 62nd Annual Old Saybrook Arts & Crafts Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday on the Old Saybrook Town Green at 300 Main Street.

And this is not an open-registration craft market where anybody with a folding table can buy a space.

Artists and crafters apply to the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce, submit photographs of their work, and go through a jury process before being accepted. The Chamber says that process is intended to maintain both the quality and variety of the show.

The result this year is a sprawling roster of 145 artists and crafters working across nearly every medium you could reasonably expect to encounter at an outdoor art festival.

This One Rewards Browsing

There isn’t really one dominant art form here.

Traditional painters are working in acrylics, oils and watercolor. There are photographers and printmakers, potters and ceramicists, glass artists, jewelers, quilters, woodworkers and metal artists.

Then there are the exhibitors who don’t fit neatly into any of those boxes.

The mixed-media section alone contains nearly 30 exhibitors, with coastal art, maps, shell work, woodcraft, decorative pieces and combinations of materials that explain why the Chamber needs a catch-all category in the first place.

That variety is one of the things separating a juried festival of this size from a smaller maker market. Someone looking for an original painting can spend the afternoon very differently from someone hunting for handmade jewelry, stained glass, pottery or something unusual for the house.

Some Familiar Southeastern Connecticut Names Are Going West

There are exhibitors from well beyond Old Saybrook, including some familiar names from southeastern Connecticut.

Michelle Yozzo Drake of Drift by Stonington Designs is among the jewelry exhibitors. Her work draws heavily on the shoreline, incorporating coastal influences into handcrafted jewelry.

Ian Evertson of Rogers Lake Woodworking is represented in the wood category, while Devon Marsden of Oyster River Arts appears among the glass artists.

The broader roster stretches well beyond Connecticut as well. Weihong Liu Pan of Weih Fine Arts Studio in New York is among the acrylic painters, one indication that the festival’s reach extends beyond the immediate shoreline.

Artist Joseph Mushipi also independently lists the Old Saybrook festival on his 2026 exhibition schedule.

Potter Robert Fishman is bringing a particularly broad collection of functional work. His current catalog includes mugs, ramen bowls, platters, serving bowls, goblets, vases, pitchers, brie bakers, cheese-and-cracker trays, tagines and other handmade pieces.

So while “arts and crafts” can sometimes suggest primarily decorative work, quite a bit here is intended to go home and actually be used.

The Festival Has Moved Into Fall

Longtime residents may remember this as a summer event.

They’re remembering correctly.

The Old Saybrook Arts & Crafts Festival was traditionally held in July. The 55th edition, for example, took place in late July 2018. By the 58th festival in 2022, the event had moved to the beginning of October.

It has stayed there.

The 2023 festival straddled September and October, while the 2024, 2025 and now 2026 editions have occupied the first weekend of October.

That gives today’s festival a noticeably different setting from its midsummer predecessor. Instead of being another event competing for attention during peak shoreline season, it has become one of Old Saybrook’s major early-fall weekends.

There’s still some outdated information online describing the festival as a July event. For 2026, the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber’s current schedule is definitive: Oct. 3 and 4.

More Than a Century of Art, Spread Across One Green

The individual exhibitors are what make the weekend worth exploring, and the Chamber has published its 2026 roster by medium.

Acrylics: Andrew Armas — Andrew Armas Creations; Charlotte Leigh — Charleigh’s Web; Joseph Mushipi — Joseph Mushipi Visual Art; Weihong Liu Pan — Weih Fine Arts Studio, NY; Zach Prosser — Zach Prosser Art; Lauren Sommerville — L. E. Sommerville Fine Art; Jeanette Vertentes — Jeanette Vertentes Fine Art; Iva Vranova — Iva’s Whimsical Art.

Ceramics: Megan McNivens — Knollwood Pottery; Missy Niemeyer — Missy’s Clayworks; Janet Osorio — Mill Court Ceramics; Kenneth Picard — Ken Picard Fine Arts.

Consumables: Jo Atkinson — Muddy Mary’s Gourmet; Aimee Belknap — Cedar Island Candle Co.; Stacie Bourne — Gourmet Creations; Frances Bousquet — Crows Feet Primitive Candle Co.; Marlow Bull — Page of Wands Candles; Sahra Deer — Isankofa Skincare; Ryan and Grace O’Connor — Age of Grace CBD; Paul Scott — Seven Barrels; David Wallace — Bittersweet Herb Farm.

Embellishment: Claudia Cormier — Claudia Cormier; Linda Wojtasinski — Periwinkle Designs.

Fiber: Jessica Boyd — Krafty Corner; Eileen Breault — LeenB Bags; Jenny Csedrik — Lip Positive Threads; Sharon Gatzke — Now and Then; Robin Parker — Log Cabin Quilts; Tracy Pearson — Tracys Treasures; Judith Shaw — Pillows and Pillowcases; Sally Strasser — Taleo Handmade; Linda Yahyaoglu — Nayuka Design LLC.

Glass: Rebecca Grills — Summer Glass; Constance Guerra — The Constance Collection; Beverly Hartmann — Blue Hearts Glass; India Kenyon — Cutie Curls Boutique; Devon Marsden — Oyster River Arts; Thomas O’Connell — Siena Stained Glass LLC; Cole Quinn — Blown Away Glass Studio; Marylee Schwarzer — Shattered Glass Studios.

Graphics: Bill Dougal — DougalArt; James Polisky — James Polisky Silkscreen Art.

Jewelry: Brittany Bauer — Milly’s Clay Studio; Abigail Boeshans — Busy Bee Gallery; Alison Cargill — Alison Designs LLC; Linda Davidson — Quilibet; Laura Delvecchio — Bead Dangle Design; Melissa Fego — Fego Gioielli Jewelry; Sema Gurek — Floweredsky Designs; Robyn Hohenemser — Golden R Golden Designs; Daniel Kalisz — The Silver Seashell; Mackenzie Law — Edgeworth; Emily Munska — The Pirate’s Daughter; Karen Parker — K+T Jewelry & Accessories; Nick and Hillary Rezendes — M&D Fine Jewelry; Nancy Riley — String of Joy; Jill Scholsohn — Riverstone Jewelry; Davide Shapiro — American Princess; Julie Siegmund — Carnelian Knoll; Sharon Smith — Alling S Alling Jewelry Designs; Monique Sousa — MPearl; Gay Touma — Jewels Verne Jewelers; Wendy Waugaman — WLW Designs; Lina Wilder — Idle Gauds Jewelry & Metals; Michelle Yozzo Drake — Drift by Stonington Designs.

Leather: Amy Corda — Amy Lee Bags; Michelle and Michael Vicino — Scarfbuckles.

Metal: Troy Antoniewicz — Copper Rose Forge; Tiffany DeAngelo — Tiffany’s Trees; George Gabriel — Infinity Art; Rob Steinhilper — Rustic Iron Metalwork; James Takaki — Iron Arts.

Mixed Media: Stephen Allen — Shoreline Crafts LLC; Jennifer Avallone — Cahill JGA Creations; Andee Axe — Andee Axe; Jackie Barry — Jackie Art & Designs; Kristin Cafferty — Kristin Cafferty Art; Wendy Cole — Hydrangea Blue Design; Lora Congelosi — Lora’s Shell Decor; Chris Conti — Hadlyme GraphicWorks; Julie Cote — J. Cote Art and Coastal Creations; Gill Feng — Beadtopia; Maryann Gatheral — Designs By Maryann; Louise Gorsline — The Painted Lady; Don Hart — Hart Woodcrafts; Alexandra and Jeremiah Hazel — October Cult; Barbara Hernandez — Boot’s Creations USA; Emily Keating — Emily Keating Art; Amy Macy — 86 Pool Road; Christine McCarthy — Artful Intuition; Michael Michaud — Mijumi Art; Christine Montano — Shore-Line Creations; Kate and Bill Murphy — Vintage Times Maps; Sergei Novikov — Speaking Music; David Poppie — Oxbow Art and Design; Karen Preli — Karen Preli Design; Kim Previti — Beyond Beautiful by Kim; Michelle Sansevero — Beachling; Tammi Sauco — Grateful Heart Art; Esther Schiff — Salty Expressions; Margie Sleboda — Margie Sherman Design; Breanna Wentworth — Sea Bre’s Creations.

Oils: Julie Brayton — Julie Brayton Fine Art; Jeanne DeCoste — JeanneDeCosteART; Bob Ferraro — Bob Ferraro Studios; Fran Henderson — Henderson Studio; Catherine Johansen — Cathy Johansen; Frank Oggeri — Natural Settings Fine Art; Brian O’Malley — Brian C. O’Malley Artworks; Carlos Rios — Carlos Rios Gallery; Judith Shea — Jude Niosi Art.

Photography: Roger Charbonneau — Jr Roger’s Pix Photography; John and Marie Geary — JEMPV; Doug Hockman — Doug Hockman Photography; Hannah McAllister — Cladach Living; Nancy Nielsen — Nansea Studio; Eric Parnes; Jeffrey Payette — Ffej Photography.

Pottery: Rachel Brown — Deep Earth Pottery; Robert Fishman — Robert Fishman Pottery; Pat Shea-Orzechowski — Pottery by Shea.

Sculpture: Linda Hayden — Hayden Creations.

Watercolors: Sakara Perry — Sakara Perry Studio.

Wood: Julianna Cameron — Julianna Design; Charles Clark — CB’s Creations; Ian Evertson — Rogers Lake Woodworking; Debi Hitter — Ms. Sticks; Fred Jakubiec — Birdhouse Accents; Judy and Dan Liddle — Old Tyme Toys; Peter Scotella — JAMShome Design LLC; Brahim Sehili — Unique-Touches.

Saturday Has Another Reason to Walk Main Street

There’s an easy way to turn the festival into a larger Old Saybrook morning.

The Old Saybrook Farmers’ Market is scheduled for the same Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 210 Main Street, a short distance from the festival.

That means early arrivals can start at the farmers market and continue to the Town Green when the art festival opens at 10.

The location also puts festival visitors directly on Old Saybrook’s Main Street rather than at an isolated fairground. Restaurants, shops and the rest of downtown remain within walking distance once you’ve finished—or need a break from—the rows of booths.

Sixty-Two Years Is the Other Thing Worth Noticing

The scale is impressive, but longevity may say more about this event.

An annual community festival doesn’t reach its 62nd edition because somebody found a successful social-media campaign. It gets there because generations of exhibitors and visitors continue putting it on the calendar.

The format is uncomplicated: put a large collection of juried artists on the Town Green, give people most of two days to explore it and let the work do the selling.

For someone casually browsing, that means plenty of relatively accessible handmade items and gifts.

For someone actually looking for art, there are enough painters, photographers, potters, glass artists and sculptors here to spend considerably more time comparing work than the words “craft festival” might suggest.

And unlike a gallery exhibition, there’s another advantage: in most cases, the person standing behind the work is the person who made it.

More information is available at the Event Website link below.

Details

Event: 62nd Annual Old Saybrook Arts & Crafts Festival
Dates: Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026
Saturday Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday Hours: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Location: Old Saybrook Town Green
Address: 300 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Admission: Free
Artists and Crafters: 145 listed in the Chamber’s 2026 event registration; the festival page describes the event as featuring more than 150
Selection: Juried; applicants submit photographs of their work for review
Art and Craft Categories: Acrylics, ceramics, consumables, embellishment, fiber, glass, graphics, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, oils, photography, pottery, sculpture, watercolor and wood
Food: Food is available at the festival; current sources indicate local civic organizations have traditionally handled food service rather than a conventional lineup of commercial festival food vendors
Saturday Nearby: Old Saybrook Farmers’ Market, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 210 Main Street
Parking: Free parking is reported for the festival; follow posted event parking directions on arrival
Accessibility: The festival is outdoors on the Town Green; an event listing identifies accessible amenities, but visitors needing specific accommodations should contact the Chamber before attending
Weather: Outdoor event; check the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber for any weather-related changes
Organizer: Greater Old Saybrook Chamber
Contact: 860-388-3266

 

 

Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.