ST. GEORGE – By all accounts, the St. George Art Festival is one of the most premiere events put on by the City of St. George annually. It draws crowds in excess of 25,000 people from near and far. Kent Perkins, who is serving his 28th year as Director of the Art Festival, assures it is one of the best art festivals in the west.
There is no charge for the event, the non-stop offerings of entertainment or the activities offered for children.
In it’s 32nd season, this year’s Art Festival will not disappoint. About 112 artists will showcase their work, ranging mediums from watercolor, oils, pottery, photography, jewelry, woodwork, and other creations.
Perkins says that these artists represent 12 states, 60 percent of these are returning artists, and 40 percent are new to the Festival this year.
“It’s a wonderful event in a wonderful setting, it attracts wonderful people and as wonderful artists as any festival around.”
The St. George Art Festival Committee evaluates the participating artists, in advance of the Festival, and decides which of those offers work that will be well represented on a poster. This is the “Featured Artist” promoted for the event, explains Perkins. It is a difficult decision, he explains, because not all mediums lend themselves to a poster.
“We kind of have a knock down drag out fight, but ultimately it is a committee decision.”
The featured artist this year is Steve Harmston, who has been creating hand-printed serigraphy for over 25 years. His imagery derives from his experiences throughout wild and rural land, and reflects his life in the Southwestern states of the Colorado Plateau up to the Pacific Northwest.
New to the St. George Art Festival this year, according to Perkins, is a more expanded children’s area, with a lot more and bigger variety of activities. He says he is very excited about this and that those who have attended the Festival in the past ought to notice a new “look” to the children’s area.
Additionally, Perkins says that the City has made some cosmetic changes, adding a lot of color, rearranging the lay out, making modifications they expect to enhance the event.
With weather forecasts sunny and pleasant, with temperatures in the high 70’s, the prospects for enjoyment at the 32nd Annual Art Festival couldn’t be better!
For more information, visit http://www.sgcity.org/artfestival/.
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.
I Really Liked the “After the Rain” – Serigraph by Steve Harmston
Thanks to the artist!