by carol elliot carol6@comcast.net
Artists and craft artisans have traveled from all over the country to exhibit in the Fall Art and Craft Festival, sponsored by the St. Augustine Art Association. Kevin Eagleton drives to St. Augustine from his home/studio in the Ocala National Forest for a return engagement. His showstopper glass wall pieces and table décor were inspired by the old Venetian glassmakers. Shao Lin Xia has a little longer drive. He lives in LaPalma, California. A retired aeronautical engineer, Xia handcrafts unique model airplanes by transferring his computerized blue print designs to recycled beer cans.
All 140 exhibitors come by invitation only. “This is a high quality show,” says Pam Pahl, Festival Chair. Pahl has been working the Festivals since the SAAA took it over in 1998. It wasn’t always held at Francis Field. The City no longer wanted it at the Downtown Plaza so the people who were in charge at the time gave it up. “The City offered it to us,” comments Pahl. “We grabbed it because we needed a major fundraiser.”
Not only will the exhibitors be traveling to the Festival, but festival goers are on the move as well. “People come from all over to attend. It is a huge destination event,” says Judy Westley, Administrator for the SAAA. “Thanksgiving weekend is a perfect time to have this event. People are shopping for Christmas gifts and the Fall Festival is the place to find great gifts,” adds Pahl. An onsite UPS store will package and ship your purchases. Also, you may leave items at the SAAA booth while you continue to shop. Over 100 volunteers work the festival. They can easily be spotted by their red shirts with the familiar lion’s head logo.
There is a wide range of prices. Jewelry, for example, goes from $35 up to $10,000. Robert and Teresa Nilsson originals are in the $2,000 to $3,000 range. Bead work and glass go for less. Eagleton, who was selected by the White House during the Clinton administration to make handcrafted Christmas ornaments, has taken out some glass elements that he incorporates in his art work so people can wear them as necklaces and pins.
Southern Living Magazine describes the Vincent Van Gourd line created by Beth and Steve Radtke as “both whimsical and exquisite.” Jacksonville watercolorist Ted Head paints pets and portraits in a realistic style that go beyond a photograph. From Brunswick, Georgia, William Temple reenacts his watercolors. Wearing a soldier’s busby, red jacket and big boots, he marches around the Festival grounds.
Awards are given by category: painting, two-dimensional miscellaneous, glass, pottery, woodwork, jewelry, photography and best booth. The C. Adrian Pillars award, funded by Jeanne Krausz, for sculpture, and finally, the Northrop Grumman award for Best in Show complete the ten awards.
Sean Dowie won Best in Show at the Spring Art and Craft Festival 2006. He will once again exhibit his photographs of the real and vanishing Florida. He uses a large format camera for clarity and texture. His mangrove against the Jacksonville cityscape is an example of how he manipulates photography. Dowie lives in MacIntosh, Florida.
A family event, the Kid Zone will have free art activities for small visitors. Children’s clothing, and even children’s furniture with hand painted animals, can be purchased at the Festival. Other exhibits include animal sculptures made from nautical rope.
Since the artists plan nine months ahead, work has already begun on the Spring Art and Craft Festival 2007 which takes place the week after Easter instead of the week before as in prior years. “The Fall and Spring Festivals support all the programs we do,” says Westley. We have shows every month for local artists, both professional and non-professional, who are judged, and learn to grow as artists.”
Westley went on to say that the Festival is critical to the SAAA mission to promote artistic excellence to the community and to provide access to art. “The artists and craft artisans as well as vendors bring a creative energy to our town. We see techniques, art objects, and aesthetic approaches we don’t get to see every day.”
The Crab King is a new vendor at the Festival this year, also the Hot Shot Bakery. Other food items include hamburgers and hot dogs, Greek flame foods, salads and soups in edible bread bowls. An old fashioned ice cream soda shop offers sodas as well as cool and creamy cappuccinos, attended by a soda jerk and a barista all in one. Assorted beverages include fresh squeezed lemonade, also, glasses of wine from St. Augustine’s own San Sebastian Winery. Live music is once again provided by Doug Walker on steel drums.
The Fall Art and Craft Festival opens Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tiered parking garage next to the Visitors Center and adjacent to Francis Field is now open to facilitate parking. The red train will also bring Festival goers from the Downtown Plaza. A member of the American Association of Museums, the St. Augustine Art Association is a chartered nonprofit organization operating upon dues, gifts and donations. This Festival is made possible through a grant from the Tourist Development Council.
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