Host an Artsy Fartsy Party

Invite to our Artsy Fartsy Party, art by my daughter

Couldn't we all use more art and music in our lives? Here's a great way to enjoy an evening of performance, art, and good food with your friends: host an Artsy Fartsy Party. (If you run in cool circles, you could call it a salon).



The idea is to rely on your friends to provide entertainment, decor, and food for a party. Though most of my friends don't call themselves artists, I knew that each had something creative to offer. So my husband and I hosted an Artsy Fartsy party a few weeks ago. 


We had two rules: (1) Each person had to dress appropriately artsy (we had a lot of black-clad people), and (2) Each person or couple had to bring a creative talent, whether it was a performance, a visual art, or a culinary treat. At our party, we ended up having: 

• a pianist
• a juggler/joke teller
• a poet
• a singer (my husband)
• an amateur caricaturist
• an origami maker (what do you call that? an origamist?)
• four artists who displayed paintings, architectural sketches, and prints
• a baking demonstration (a French friend showed us how to make French bread from scratch), and
• delicious dishes and well-chosen bottles of wine

We also had set up a station for people to make artist trading cards to share with others.

My artist card

The best part of the evening was finding out how talented our friends are and enjoying everyone's creative energy. I loved hearing the stories behind the art, as people presented their work or shared their talents. I had wanted to include karaoke and a round of group singing, but we didn't have time for that. Maybe next year!