More About Winter Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival
Experience the magic of art, culture, and community at the 32nd Annual Spring Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival!
This year’s celebration promises to be unforgettable. Step into a world of creativity as downtown Carefree comes alive with art, wine, and music. Discover more than 165 talented juried artists showcasing handmade masterpieces in every medium — from vibrant paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor to intricate sculptures in stone, wood, and metal, beautifully crafted ceramics, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and more.
Art:
Discover exceptional art at the Spring festival, where our carefully curated selection showcases a diverse range of mediums and styles. From traditional to contemporary, our collection caters to every collector's taste. Our rigorous jury process ensures that only the finest artists are represented, guaranteeing craftsmanship and authenticity in every piece. Meet the artists, learn about their inspirations, and experience the vibrant atmosphere that makes each artwork truly special. Every piece tells a story, and every collector becomes a part of it. This year’s featured artist is glass extraordinaire, Steffen Plistermann.
Wine and Spirits:
Savor the perfect blend of art and wine at the festival! Stroll through the event and discover exceptional artworks while indulging in fine wines from renowned wineries. Celestial Artisan Meadery is located right in the festival footprint. It opened February 2022 and is described as Arizona's premier artisanal meadery — they create “liquid art” and specialize in honey wines (mead) and ciders. Another Carefree local is Carefree Spirits. A nationally acclaimed, woman-owned, family-operated craft distillery. They specialize in small-batch premium spirits and have won 30+ international quality awards in the last two years alone. New to the Thunderbird Artists lineup this Spring is Cornucopia Wines. Cornucopia is an Arizona fruit winery crafting vibrant wines made 100% from organic fruit. Born from a love of abundance and community, Cornucopia offers a refreshing take on winemaking by highlighting the unique character of various fruit while creating wines that are balanced, approachable, and flavorful. Currently offering blackberry and peach, Cornucopia looks forward to exploring and sharing even more fruits in the future.
Surrounding Area:
Downtown Carefree offers a charming, walkable dining scene throughout the event footprint. Right in the heart of town is a local favorite, Venues Cafe— an American bistro with an upscale-casual atmosphere of brick, copper, and stone, featuring a 30-foot natural rock wall and wine cellar. Their menu ranges from small plates like deviled eggs with bacon jam and street tacos to entrees like prime filet, seared salmon, and chicken schnitzel with lingonberries, plus Sunday Brunch offers with bottomless mimosas. The English Rose Tea Room sits in the center of the festival and has been a Carefree institution for over 19 years serving formal British Afternoon Tea with three-tiered trays of tea sandwiches, warm vanilla scones with Devon cream, and petit fours in a floral, elegant setting. Just a two-minute drive from downtown, you'll find Keeler's Neighborhood Steakhouse on Ho Hum Road, a high-value, top-quality steakhouse known for French onion soup, chopped salads, and prime steaks, and Giordano's Trattoria Romana serving beloved New York-style Italian fare.
About Thunderbird Artists:
Since 1981, Thunderbird Artists — a family-owned and operated business — has been a driving force in the Southwest’s fine art scene. Through exceptional talent, strategic promotion, and a relentless pursuit of quality, Thunderbird Artists has shaped Arizona’s cultural landscape, elevated artist exposure, and earned industry-wide recognition. Each carefully juried festival showcases diverse styles and mediums, complemented by live music, delicious food, and engaging activities. This lively, welcoming atmosphere creates unparalleled opportunities for artists and patrons to connect, making Thunderbird Artists a premier producer of fine art events in the Southwest.
Charity Partner:
Thunderbird Artists is proud to partner with Imprints of Honor in Carefree. Proceeds from this event benefit Imprints of Honor, with 25% of proceeds directed to their mission, strengthening their work with students and the veterans who inspire them.
Imprints of Honor (formerly Veterans Heritage Project) is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004, established in 2009, and recognized by the Arizona Department of Education as a Character and Civic Education program. Their mission is to connect students with veterans to honor veterans, preserve America’s heritage, and develop future leaders. Through an award-winning after-school program offered in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, students interview veterans, document their service stories through video and published essays — including the annual Since You Asked publication — and learn lessons of courage, character, and civic responsibility.
In 2024, the organization rebranded from Veterans Heritage Project to Imprints of Honor to reflect how honoring veterans leaves a lasting imprint on the character of students. Each year, the program impacts thousands of students while preserving hundreds of veteran legacies.
Thunderbird Artists’ Festival’s Featured Artist for Carefree: Glass Sculptor, Steffen Plistermann
Born in Berlin, Germany and now working in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Steffen Plistermann is a largely self-taught artist whose creative path has evolved from woodworking to painting and sculpture to glass — where all of his talents coalesce. After 25 years as an established painter and sculptor in the Pacific Northwest, Steffen began working with glass in 2015 as an assistant to Evan Schauss on Maui, Hawaii. He quickly realized glass was the natural next step in his artistic evolution, and in 2017 moved to Santa Fe to pursue his work in glass full-time at Prairie Dog Glass, often assisted by his wife Manju.
Steffen’s work is distinctive for its painterly, sculptural, and textured approach — often described as stone-like. Fascinated by organic colors, textures, and shapes, he approaches color from a painter’s viewpoint, layering powders and using heat, gravity, and centrifugal force to let the glass take on a life of its own. “I end up collaborating with the material, rather than trying to dictate an outcome,” he says. Each piece is blown, carved, and sandblasted to create unique, elegant finishes. A highly awarded artist, Steffen is a first recipient of the New Mexico Glass Alliance scholarship and has earned Best in Glass and Best in Show honors at Tempe Festival of the Arts, Sedona Arts Festival, Bellevue Arts Museum Show, and Smoky Hill River Festival, among others.
This year’s celebration promises to be unforgettable. Step into a world of creativity as downtown Carefree comes alive with art, wine, and music. Discover more than 165 talented juried artists showcasing handmade masterpieces in every medium — from vibrant paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor to intricate sculptures in stone, wood, and metal, beautifully crafted ceramics, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and more.
Art:
Discover exceptional art at the Spring festival, where our carefully curated selection showcases a diverse range of mediums and styles. From traditional to contemporary, our collection caters to every collector's taste. Our rigorous jury process ensures that only the finest artists are represented, guaranteeing craftsmanship and authenticity in every piece. Meet the artists, learn about their inspirations, and experience the vibrant atmosphere that makes each artwork truly special. Every piece tells a story, and every collector becomes a part of it. This year’s featured artist is glass extraordinaire, Steffen Plistermann.
Wine and Spirits:
Savor the perfect blend of art and wine at the festival! Stroll through the event and discover exceptional artworks while indulging in fine wines from renowned wineries. Celestial Artisan Meadery is located right in the festival footprint. It opened February 2022 and is described as Arizona's premier artisanal meadery — they create “liquid art” and specialize in honey wines (mead) and ciders. Another Carefree local is Carefree Spirits. A nationally acclaimed, woman-owned, family-operated craft distillery. They specialize in small-batch premium spirits and have won 30+ international quality awards in the last two years alone. New to the Thunderbird Artists lineup this Spring is Cornucopia Wines. Cornucopia is an Arizona fruit winery crafting vibrant wines made 100% from organic fruit. Born from a love of abundance and community, Cornucopia offers a refreshing take on winemaking by highlighting the unique character of various fruit while creating wines that are balanced, approachable, and flavorful. Currently offering blackberry and peach, Cornucopia looks forward to exploring and sharing even more fruits in the future.
Surrounding Area:
Downtown Carefree offers a charming, walkable dining scene throughout the event footprint. Right in the heart of town is a local favorite, Venues Cafe— an American bistro with an upscale-casual atmosphere of brick, copper, and stone, featuring a 30-foot natural rock wall and wine cellar. Their menu ranges from small plates like deviled eggs with bacon jam and street tacos to entrees like prime filet, seared salmon, and chicken schnitzel with lingonberries, plus Sunday Brunch offers with bottomless mimosas. The English Rose Tea Room sits in the center of the festival and has been a Carefree institution for over 19 years serving formal British Afternoon Tea with three-tiered trays of tea sandwiches, warm vanilla scones with Devon cream, and petit fours in a floral, elegant setting. Just a two-minute drive from downtown, you'll find Keeler's Neighborhood Steakhouse on Ho Hum Road, a high-value, top-quality steakhouse known for French onion soup, chopped salads, and prime steaks, and Giordano's Trattoria Romana serving beloved New York-style Italian fare.
About Thunderbird Artists:
Since 1981, Thunderbird Artists — a family-owned and operated business — has been a driving force in the Southwest’s fine art scene. Through exceptional talent, strategic promotion, and a relentless pursuit of quality, Thunderbird Artists has shaped Arizona’s cultural landscape, elevated artist exposure, and earned industry-wide recognition. Each carefully juried festival showcases diverse styles and mediums, complemented by live music, delicious food, and engaging activities. This lively, welcoming atmosphere creates unparalleled opportunities for artists and patrons to connect, making Thunderbird Artists a premier producer of fine art events in the Southwest.
Charity Partner:
Thunderbird Artists is proud to partner with Imprints of Honor in Carefree. Proceeds from this event benefit Imprints of Honor, with 25% of proceeds directed to their mission, strengthening their work with students and the veterans who inspire them.
Imprints of Honor (formerly Veterans Heritage Project) is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004, established in 2009, and recognized by the Arizona Department of Education as a Character and Civic Education program. Their mission is to connect students with veterans to honor veterans, preserve America’s heritage, and develop future leaders. Through an award-winning after-school program offered in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, students interview veterans, document their service stories through video and published essays — including the annual Since You Asked publication — and learn lessons of courage, character, and civic responsibility.
In 2024, the organization rebranded from Veterans Heritage Project to Imprints of Honor to reflect how honoring veterans leaves a lasting imprint on the character of students. Each year, the program impacts thousands of students while preserving hundreds of veteran legacies.
Thunderbird Artists’ Festival’s Featured Artist for Carefree: Glass Sculptor, Steffen Plistermann
Born in Berlin, Germany and now working in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Steffen Plistermann is a largely self-taught artist whose creative path has evolved from woodworking to painting and sculpture to glass — where all of his talents coalesce. After 25 years as an established painter and sculptor in the Pacific Northwest, Steffen began working with glass in 2015 as an assistant to Evan Schauss on Maui, Hawaii. He quickly realized glass was the natural next step in his artistic evolution, and in 2017 moved to Santa Fe to pursue his work in glass full-time at Prairie Dog Glass, often assisted by his wife Manju.
Steffen’s work is distinctive for its painterly, sculptural, and textured approach — often described as stone-like. Fascinated by organic colors, textures, and shapes, he approaches color from a painter’s viewpoint, layering powders and using heat, gravity, and centrifugal force to let the glass take on a life of its own. “I end up collaborating with the material, rather than trying to dictate an outcome,” he says. Each piece is blown, carved, and sandblasted to create unique, elegant finishes. A highly awarded artist, Steffen is a first recipient of the New Mexico Glass Alliance scholarship and has earned Best in Glass and Best in Show honors at Tempe Festival of the Arts, Sedona Arts Festival, Bellevue Arts Museum Show, and Smoky Hill River Festival, among others.
Date & Time
March 12, 2027
10:00am - 5:00pm
Additional Dates
This event also occurs on:
03/13/2027, 03/14/2027
Communities
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