A Second Year of Success: Arts Affair returns to Tifton
Published 9:44 pm Monday, November 4, 2024
A veteran potter, Kirby Gregory has been producing high-fired stoneware pottery since 1978, focusing on functionality in his work. In addition to his pieces being displayed around the country and locally at Plough Gallery, Gregory contributed a handful of works to the festival's art show.
Sara Fowler, accompanied by her friend Taylor Martin and daughter Charlotte, made her debut at the Arts Affair this year, showing off her first children's book, "Castle of Knots," a story inspired by her own daughter about a mother rescuing her daughter from a morning of bedhead, told through the lens of a dashing knight saving a princess.
Brenda Spampinato, Norma Hembree, and Laurie Nash decided to team up to take part in this year's festival, offering patrons homemade treats baked with love and flower arrangements taken straight from their own gardens.
Artist Holly Gibson goes into her dot mandala art with little plan in mind, instead allowing the work to come into its own as it's developed. She was happy to take part in this year's Arts Affair selling her unique pieces.
Plein air specialist Cris Lawson joined the festival as one of its demonstrators, painting a beautiful skyline of the Syd Blackmarr Arts Center and the tents of the vendors gathered for the show throughout the afternoon.
A bright clear sky made for perfect weather for the festival's second year, with patrons and artists alike enjoying the beautiful sunny day as they took part in the event.
Joy Hansen has been selling her art since her days of elementary school, and was eager to keep up the tradition by offering patrons her colorful and whimsical paintings, stickers, and pins.
Digital artist Jha'lin Pitmon draws inspiration from fantasy and mythological stories; in addition to taking part in the festival as a vendor, he contributed several pieces to the event's art show.
Harlee Powell and Amber Moore manned a booth at the festival together, selling Powell's charms and hanging ornaments alongside Moore's pottery and accessories. Both artists also contributed sculptures to the festival's art show, taking home first and second place, respectively, for Powell's cold-forged metal sculpture "Dead Zone- Mudcat" and Moore's ceramic piece "Cobalt Connections."
This unnamed piece by Alexandra Rigdon took home the Best of Show title for the 3D art competition. Rigdon aimed to explore themes of civilization and femininity through her sculpting of this work.
Artist Mary Alice Applegate took home the First Place ribbon in 2D art for her piece "Mamma Coffey and Kitty on the Porch," a portrait of her grandmother crafted by referencing a photo shot of her several years prior.
TIFTON — Bright, sunny skies created a near perfect ambience for artists and attendees alike to enjoy the second showing of Tifton’s new arts advocacy festival.
The return of the Arts Affair this past weekend saw just as big a turnout and just as positive of a reception as its flagship year, inviting community members once again to explore a wide array of creative expression from local artists, courtesy of the Tifton Council for the Arts.
Among the artistic crafts taking part in the festival, guests could browse a selection of ceramic cookware and decorations, find the perfect rug or painting to accentuate their living space, sample a masterfully made treat or two, take a peek at the first few pages of a new story, and plenty more.
Many of the participating art vendors had also contributed works to the art show displayed inside the Syd Blackmarr Arts Center, which patrons were free to enjoy throughout the event.
These works had the chance of earning the rank of first, second third, or honorable mention through a team of judges, who presented awards to the best 2D and 3D art in the exhibit.
Guests also had the option to buy the pieces in the exhibit, with Arts Affair organizers reporting that by the end of the day more than ten of the works had been purchased.
Demonstrations from skilled artisans took place across the festival grounds, including plein air painters capturing the memory of the day in pastel form and a glassblower turning molten glass into vases, cups, and in-season pumpkin sculptures.
The parking lot across from the Syd was once again the sight of main stage, playing host to several musical artists, including Andean cultural music group Apu Inka, across the morning and afternoon and making for a perfect place to enjoy a bite to eat from the food truck court just beside it.
Bruce Green, executive director for the arts council, was particularly satisfied with the turnout for the Kids Art Circus, a row of fun and engaging activities for the younger attendees of the festival tucked into the alleyway between the Syd and the library.
He reported that the attraction had seen near constant activity from the moment the festival opened that morning until the day wrapped up later in the afternoon, local youths eagerly taking part in activities from puppetry and bookmark making to facepainting and the “bad art” booth, in which kids were encouraged to just let their imagination run wild.
Organizers for the Arts Affair were indeed very impressed by the festival overall, receiving praise and positive feedback from guests and vendors alike.
Green stated that while many of the plans for next year’s Arts Affair were currently up in the air, the arts council hoped to expand the event to include a larger crafts section, hoping to welcome artisans across a broader spectrum of expression to join in on the fun.
