FRANKFORT, Ky. — Visitors to this year’s Kentucky Crafted: The Market will have the opportunity to shop for art on a grand scale. A special exhibit featuring handcrafted pergolas, garden sculptures, ceramic mural work, doors, light fixtures, chandeliers, hardware, stair rails, sinks, stained-glass windows and architectural signage will be presented in the center of the exhibition hall.

Voted best in the nation by the readers of AmericanStyle magazine for the second year in a row, this state-sponsored arts marketplace returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center, South Wing B, Louisville, Ky., March 17 – 20, 2011.

The Architectural Artist exhibit will highlight the work of artists accepted into the Kentucky Arts Council’s Architectural Artist Directory program based on artistic excellence and an established history of working on special projects and installations with private clients, homebuilders, architects and interior designers.

A new, beautifully illustrated Architectural Artist Directory, featuring the work of 30 Kentucky artists will also be available for free at Kentucky Crafted: The Market.

Architects, interior designers and homebuilders are invited to join buyers from galleries and retail outlets from across the nation on March 17 and 18, when The Market is open exclusively to the trade.

On March 19 and 20, Kentucky Crafted: The Market opens to the public, with the opportunity to shop from more than 200 exhibitors of fine art and craft, architectural art, books, CDs, DVDs and artisan foods products. The Market also offers regional food samplings, children’s activities and literary activities including readings by Kentucky’s poets laureate and special exhibits and narrative stages to explore Kentucky traditions.

Kentucky Crafted: The Market is produced by the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.