Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival Guide
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most prestigious outdoor art festivals. The Festival debuted in March 1960 as a community project to bring local artists and art lovers together. The Festival is produced by an all-volunteer board and draws more than 350,000 visitors each year. This year, more than 1,100 artists from around the world applied for entry. An independent panel of three judges selected the 225 artists exhibiting their works. The Festival is consistently recognized as “Central Florida’s Best Festival,” by Orlando Magazine, and “Best Winter Park Event or Festival,” by The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and Winter Park / Maitland Observer. In 2015 it ranked #5 in the nation for Best Fine Art and Design Show by Sunshine Artist Magazine and #1 in the Southeast for the past three years. It has also been named ( Fair (Art Fair Calendar, 2013 & 2014).
The 57th Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
Where: Central Park along Park Avenue in Winter Park, FL
When: March 18, 19 and 10, 2016
Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday
CATEGORIES
The Festival features a wide variety of fine arts and crafts in the following categories: clay, digital art, drawings & pastels, fiber, glass, graphics & printmaking, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, painting, photography, sculpture, watercolor and wood as well as our Emerging Artists.
AWARDS
Artists complete for 63 awards totaling $72,500. The Best of Show winner is purchased for $10,000 by The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival Board and donated to the City of Winter Park. Previous Best of Show winners are on permanent display at the Winter Park Public Library. A $5,000 “Art of Philanthropy” Purchase Award is sponsored by the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation. A $2,500 “Distinguished Work of Art” Award is presented through The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. There are 10 Awards of Excellence of $2,000 each, 20 Awards of Distinction of $1,000 each and 30 Awards of Merit of $500 each.
MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
During the three days of the Festival you will find free entertainment presented on the main stage located in north Central Park, starting with a high profile concert on Friday night. This year’s headliner will be contemporary jazz saxophonist Steve Cole with special guest JJ Sanseverino.
MERCHANDISE
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival t-shirts and other memorabilia are available at two merchandise sales tents. The tents are located at the south entrance (Park and New England Avenues) and at the center intersection (Morse Boulevard and Park Avenue). Artist and master printmaker John Costin created this year’s poster, Snowy Egret. John specializes in hand colored etchings; the Snowy Egret is a three-plate etching. Posters will be sold at the south entrance and at the center intersection next to the large merchandise tents. A vintage merchandise tent will be located next to the Festival headquarters at Park Avenue and Morse Boulevard. After the Festival is over, you can still purchase this year’s and past posters by visiting our website at wpsaf.org.
FAMILY FUN
Girls and boys can create their own artwork at the Children’s Workshop Village. Easel painting is very popular, and local art centers and museums feature a variety of fun, hands-on art activities for children. Admission is free and participants may take home their artistic creations. The Children’s Workshop Village hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Easel painting is from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
LEON THEODORE SCHOOLS EXHIBIT
The place to discover the talented artists of the next generation is at the Leon Theodore Schools Exhibit where artwork by thousands of Orange County students is on display. The creativity and level of expertise displayed by these young artists will delight and amaze you. Be sure to check out this wonderful exhibit.
COMPLIMENTARY BIKE VALET
Enjoy the Festival while your bike is safely monitored. Located on Morse Boulevard across the street from the Amtrak Station parking lot, a free bike valet service is provided during Festival hours by the Winter Park Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Board.
ABOUT THE POSTER ARTIST
JOHN COSTIN
A resident of Ybor City (Tampa), FL, John pursues an interest capturing in visual form the rich and diverse bird life of his home state. With a background in contemporary art, he creates life size images of birds that explore nuances indigenous to that species. “Through my art I strive to capture and personify birds, enriching the viewer’s perception of this particular form of wildlife which they may rarely have an opportunity to intimately experience. The birds are presented in such a way that they are aware of the viewer’s presence and react to that confrontation. Their reaction reveals unique traits to the viewer, adding another level of understanding. Ultimately one’s sensitivity and awareness of these natural wonders could lead to a more profound perception of the world we all share.” Working in the etching medium, he creates complex and colorful images of birds that enrich the viewers’ perception of that species.
While attending the University of South Florida he studied Intaglio art that piqued his interest in etching and continues to this day. It is a way of combining graphics, painting, sculpture, and engineering into one art form. The medium has an extremely large range of possibilities, giving many directions for his imagination to explore. The visual qualities are very enticing: colors ranging from subtle to intense, black tones going from delicate to velvety black, textures that are limited only by one’s imagination, and lines that range from needle thin to broad and bold.
Etching is a complex process combining skills of painting sculpture, printmaking and engineering. Starting with a polished plate of copper, the image is directly etched by hand on the plate as if it were a canvas. This process takes from six to eight weeks to complete. These plates are then skillfully wiped down with ink by hand, and then printed on high quality rag paper. Afterwards these printed images are hand painted with oil paints for rich color quality and subtle nuances of detail, making each piece unique.
John has been a professional artist since 1979, exhibiting in numerous shows and winning awards throughout the south. His work can be found in collections at the Ferman Motor Car Company, General Motors Corporation, Yellow Freight, Eckerd College, U.S.A.A. Insurance, State Library of Florida, University of Miami, Raymond James Financial, Inc., Tampa Museum of Art, and the Polk Museum of Art to name a few. Currently he is creating a book of etchings depicting large birds of Florida, which is registered with the Library of Congress.
2106 WPSAF ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE
March 18 (Friday)
4:30-4:45 Far Young
4:45-5:00 Saagar Ace
5:00-5:15 Emily
5:20-5:45 Anthony Garguila
6:15-7:00 Dayve Stewart and The Vibe
7:30-9:00 *Steve Cole with Special Guest JJ Sansaverino*
March 19 (Saturday)
10:00-10:45 Paint it Black (classical)
11:00-11:30 TBA
12:30-1:00 New Generation Branches Steel Orchestra
1:45-2:15 Brass Band of Central Florida Youth Band
2:30-3:45 Brass Band of Central Florida
4:15-5:00 The Budapest String Band
5:10-6:00 Christian Valenzuela
March 20 (Sunday)
10:00-10:45 TBA
11:15-11:45 Makeshift
12:00- 12:30 James A Williams
12:30-1:15 Terry Binion
1:30-2:15 Carol Stein and Jackie Jones present
The Steinway Society Scholarship Students
2:45-4:45 Tijuana Brass Tribute with
The Greg Parnell Septet
For more information, call 407-644-7207 or visit wpsaf.org.
*No animals are allowed in Central Park or on Park Avenue between New England and Canton Avenues during Festival hours per Winter Park City Ordinance.
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