Arts in the Middle’s Spring Fine Arts Festival is returning once more to Hewick Plantation, just outside Urbanna, on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8.
The popular outdoor festival features juried artists from across the country, galleries for local and emerging artists, and a fun-filled space for children. Two stages offer an array of outstanding musicians including musical headliner, the Bobby Blackhat Band. Visitors can enjoy breakfast and lunch with offerings from Old City BBQ and Seasalt LLC, as well as wine, beer, champagne, and other drinks from the beverage tent.
Arts in the Middle runs Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visitors will find signage along area roads directing them to the parking area, where they will be assisted by members of the Middlesex County Kiwanis Club. Admission to the festival, along with parking, is free.
Arts in the Middle has received acclaim from both artists and visitors for the beauty of its setting and quality of exhibitors, winning awards from both Virginia Living magazine and the Rivah Visitor’s Guide. “This event comes together because of a dedicated group of people who spend hours working behind the scenes on all the details,” Festival Coordinator Brindley Sears said. “They and our volunteers are why our artists are so complimentary of how this is one of their favorite arts festivals. Many of our artists have been with us from the beginning and our event is almost like a family reunion.”
Artists
More than 100 artists will take part in this year’s show, exhibiting in their own booths on AIM’s Artist Row. Their mediums include painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, glasswork, metalwork, and many more. The Local Artists tent, found near the festival entrance, showcases 17 artists from the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, while the adjacent Emerging Artist Gallery provides exhibit space for current and recent Middlesex High School students pursuing a career in the arts. (For a list of exhibiting artists and their media, see www.artsinthemiddle.com.)
Musicians
Music organizer Clayton Neal has assembled an impressive line-up of musicians and musical genres, featuring fourteen performances which will play throughout Saturday and Sunday on a main stage at the Hospitality Tent, and a separate acoustic stage. This year’s headliner is the Bobby Blackhat Band, a crowd-favorite known for their soulful music that blends the influences of Chicago, Memphis, Piedmont, and Delta style blues along with a touch of Gospel.
Judge
This year’s show will be judged by Ward Saunders of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). An arts education major, he studied at the Art Students League in New York City and has worked as an illustrator as well as a creative assistant at Virginia Living magazine. His art features mixed media figure drawings, emphasizing the use of media to create a visual language, a topic he currently teaches at VCU. “I intend for the works to appear simultaneously refined and unrefined,” he says, “and to honor the handmade process that is at the heart of my personal visual language.” Saunders will present awards at the Artist Reception on Saturday evening.
(Hartfield resident Michael Kunzinger is Arts in the Middle (AIM) Fine Arts Festival coordinator. Email him at mfkunzinger@gmail.com.)
