The Fairport Merchants Association (FPMA) has announced that the winner of the 2010 Fairport Canal Days Festival poster contest is Webster resident James Williams. The poster was unveiled on the opening day of the Fairport Farmers’ Market at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 1, 2010. The artist was in attendance.

Mr. Williams lives in Webster, New York and is a native to the Rochester area and the first non-Fairport resident to have his work chosen for the poster. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology where he studied Fine and Applied Arts and received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Design.  He held a successful career at Xerox Corporation as an Industrial Designer, Graphical User Interface Designer, and Project Manager. After Xerox, he re-dedicated himself to painting and is inspired by a wide variety of subjects under dramatic lighting conditions and unique compositions.  He teaches painting classes and participates in many of the local Rochester art festivals. 

 According to Williams; “My work process is to present several concepts, about a dozen thumbnail sketches in this case, to the customer and discuss the merits of each one. It was very interesting how we liked others at first, but came around to this concept because it seemed to meet a strong requirement to be "different." Williams went on to say that “I think the committee and I were excited about this concept because it blended some of the familiar past themes/landmarks with the energy of the festival-goers.”

 Fairport Canal Days is one of the largest festivals in the northeast, last year drawing 250,000 people to the picturesque village on the Erie Canal. The festival is the only one of its kind, produced solely on volunteer basis. This ensures that a maximum amount of funds are raised to benefit merchant events and activities and local charities. The festival will take place Friday through Sunday, June 5, 6, 2010. A low-res image of the poster can be found at www.fairportcanaldays.com

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2010 Fairport Canal Days posters will be available for purchase Friday night June 4th at the information booth at the entrance to Fairport Junction on Liftbridge Lane and also on Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th at the information booth in front of Village Hall.

To have your poster autographed visit Williams at Liftbridge Booth 431.

Limited-edition poster prints will also be available for purchase at the same locations.

Either poster can also be purchased by sending a request via email to info@fairportcanaldays.com or at Hanging Around Frame and Art.