VIRGINIA BEACH
High heat was at least partially to blame Saturday for slower-than-usual business at the 54th annual Boardwalk Art Show & Festival at the Oceanfront, artists and organizers said.
They hoped for cooler weather today, and if the forecast holds, they're likely to get their wish.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-80s today, compared with the 93 degree high recorded at Norfolk International Airport on Saturday.
"They should have had mud wrestling on the boardwalk," joked Sarah Bean, a Montreal-based artist munching on popcorn in the midafternoon heat as people wandered past.
She and Benjamin Frey, also of Montreal, were among the first-time entrants at the show, which features some 300 artists exhibiting mixed media pieces, jewelry, paintings and other work. She had hoped to sell several pieces per day, but had so far sold just one piece for $120, she said. Frey said he'd had better luck, selling a few pieces for about $300.
"It's been really slow," she said. The two newcomers chalked the poor showing up to the weather and were skeptical that the economy played much of a role.
"The economy in Virginia isn't any worse than Illinois or Ohio, and we've been doing OK out there," Bean said.
Farther down, Williamsburg artist and longtime show entrant Russ Turnage said business was "definitely down."
"We're out here in the elements, and you've got to take it as it comes," he said, sitting in the shade of his tent. Strong winds forced him to pack away some of his lighter work, including shades for his ceramic lamps.
Sheila Harrington and her sister, Marian Shadrick, didn't seem to mind the heat. Harrington, visiting from Colorado, added a small pitcher to her collection of Turnage's work. She also picked up earrings and a pendant on the show's opening day. She said she was thrilled her visit coincided with the show, the fourth one she's attended.
"It seems to get better all the time," she said. "It's just nice, artsy stuff."
Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com
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Winner-CACV's Boardwalk Artshow
I have read the previous comments. I am a local artist and have exhibited at many a Boardwalk Artshow. I want to express 2 points.
#1 - True, the local artists were not represented as in years past. However, if the local art supporters want local artists there - they need to actually support those artists' efforts, and purchase. Exhibiting at these shows is costly. And our work has value. Art with a capital A has value. If the local art buyer is going to always support the out-of-town artist and tell the local one that they will come visit them at their studio, the local artists will not be able to continue to exhibit locally.
#2 - I risk being labelled as Sour Grapes for this - but I am not alone in this next opinion. The award judges made some fabulous choices for the art that vied for the awards. There were many new artists, who have never exhibited before, chosen for a chance to win an award. So, why is the same artist, with the same message and same delivery, chosen for the grand prize, for so many years in a row? It is very discouraging for the artists who hope to be noticed - when one artist is granted that prize over and over and over.
I suggested that the
Local Artists
Come see a fantastic group of local artists and crafters on July 25th at the Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Chesapeake.
Visit Smithfield next Saturday where local artists and crafters will be selling their wares!
Artisans in the Park is in August
Chalk the Walk will have many local artists
The list goes on and on but apparently the Pilot and the 'hoity toities' of Virginia Beach don't bother to tell anyone about local shows.
Winner?
As for Tony's art...........art is to be enjoyed.....art can be whimsy....art can and should be real but in our area, we see the reality every day with our wonderful military population. The last thing we all need is more depressing artwork. I find it very hard to believe there are no other artists deserving of this award.
Bring back the local artists
Typo alert.....my statement should have read 'area' not 'are'
Bring Back All the Local Artists!
It's a shame VB has such a wonderful location to have an art show but continually turns down many many local artists to make room for the high priced items from out of state artists.
I'd venture to bet if the Pilot would put it to a vote, you'll find many people in this are want to see local artists!!
jpjones
Where the heck did that comment come from? No one has mentioned GWB.
It was bound to happen!
Even the low Boardwalk Art Show turnout is George Bush's fault.
where
was that even implied in the story or the comments?
Bernard
I have to take exception to your assertion of the "anti-war" artist being trite. To me, his work reflects the devastation of war and our (humans) inability to learn from the past. My god, how many cities have been decimated and rebuilt? How many lives torn apart? This does not make the artist less patriotic or less American. In fact, most artists are keenly sensitive to their surroundings. I would expect this trait se makes him more sensitive to the suffering of war. You must remember, my friend, art is very subjective. I think it wise to try not to judge artists too harshly. If something doesn't move you, walk on and find something that does. I thoroughly enjoyed this years show as I always have in the past. Perhaps the local artists you found missing in this show will have their works displayed at the Neptune Festival or the Art Show at Lake Trashmore.
With all due respect
I have seen this artist's work for several years, and the message is the same. We get it. We live in an area that sees the pain of war with every deployment, in every branch of the service. What I find "trite" is the way in which he expresses it - with overused symbols like toy soldiers and crutches. This is not even a fresh take on the issue. If he really wants to show the devastation of war, why doesn't he grab a sketch pad and go visit Zimbabwe or Pakistan? It's easy to complain about war in a nation where free speech has been defended by thousands who died for its cause.
I understand that art is subjective, which makes it all the more mystifying why thousands of dollars are awarded in "judging" at a show where artists are trying to sell their work and make a living. Are we to believe that the judges are arbiters of some unspoken standard, or are we to place that much money in the hands of people who are merely expressing their own feelings? I know a number of local artists whose exclusion from the show this year has cost them a significant portion of their income, all so touring artists who live off of judging awards can continue to pander to the judges' agendas. In additio
Thanks
Just a quick note to obamma to thank him for the heat and humidity that will keep me away from the art show. Also need to thank him cause I have no money to spend anyway. Have a terrific day VB!!
It's not the heat
I've been to a number of Boardwalk shows where artists were dropping from the heat, and the crowds were tremendous. What has changed is the work that is being accepted in the show. First, the number of local artists seems to have dropped drastically, along with any work that reflects the lifestyle that has made Virginia Beach famous. It's great that the show wants to bring in new artists, but when local artists with large local followings are not included, their customer base may decide not to show up. I counted only about 15 artists from the Hampton Roads area in the entire show - a show that was started by local artists!
In addition, the nature of the work has become dark and disturbing of late. The four-time "Best in Show" winner is a prime example. The judges seem taken with crudely displayed and tritely observed political statements when there is abundant well-executed art that is uplifting and inspiring. The winner has degraded the efforts of the military that is the lifeblood of this area and the protector of his ability to travel freely and say what he pleases. It is an insult that his work is rewarded. No wonder people have stopped coming to the show. It's gotten depres
Remember the good old days?
Ducks, ponies and delapidated barns in marshlands! Oh my!
You need to educate yourself
Your comment reflects a very narrow view of aesthetics and of local art, which is part of the problem with the Boardwalk art selection committee, as far as I can tell. The show started as an outlet for local artists to sell their work. Now that it has been absorbed by an "Art Center", it has become the means for dictating a particular view of art that seems to center on the fear of being deemed "ignorant" if you don't appreciate a hideously twisted and manipulated human figure as "art".
If they would bring art to the Boardwalk that people want to buy, more people will show up and buy. If they keep bringing people who are trying to curry favor with the elitist judges in order to win prize money, the crowds will continue to dwindle.