16th ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival at The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin, FL May 8-9

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

Sandestin, FL April 20, 2004–With thousands of visitors expected, the Cultural Arts Association wants to help visitors plan a perfect day at the 16th annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival at The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin. This year, guests will arrive by shuttle to the lobby of the majestic Grand Sandestin, through its lobby and out onto the lawns and the pedestrian walkways of the architecturally unique Village. White tents of 125 juried show artists from all over the country will line the streets and show artists will be on hand to meet and greet Festival attendees.

The show, with its highly discerning process of selecting its participating artists, is one of the many things that set ArtsQuest apart from non-juried shows. This has allowed the Festival to gain the stature of being one of the top 200 fine art shows in the country, as well as being named by readers of Birmingham Magazine as the Gulf Coast’s best art show. An art lover’s paradise will reveal original works from pastel to pottery, fiber, clay, sculpture, one-of-a-kind wood works, jewelry, glass art, photography, digital art, acrylic, oil and watercolor. The Festival will also have continuous live entertainment, children’s interactive art activities and wonderful dining options available.

Best Time To Come: Festival hours are Saturday, May 8 from 11 a.m. โ€” 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 9 from 11 a.m. โ€” 5:00 p.m. Serious buyers and collectors arrive at the beginning of the Festival on Saturday for the best selection.

Parking: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is located on Highway 98 between Destin and Panama City. Attendees will be shuttled to The Village in air-conditioned buses departing from two locations – Silver Sands Factory Stores, 1 mile west of Sandestin on Highway 98; or on Highway 98, east of Sandestin. Look for the signs. Limited handicapped parking available at The Village of Baytowne Wharf to visitors with a vehicle disabled persons parking permit. Shuttle buses will run to all parking locations until midnight on both days. Festival hours are Saturday, May 8 from 11 a.m. โ€” 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 9 from 11 a.m. โ€” 6 p.m.

Artist’s Booths: ArtsQuest is a juried fine art show, featuring an exceptional range of talented artists who staff their own booths. Check out this great opportunity to meet 125 artists and see artwork from all around the country, as well as wonderful regionalized Emerald Coast works. Buy original art, perfect for home or the office. Visitors can pick up an Official Souvenir Program Guide upon arrival that contains a site map with artist’s booth numbers, location and biographies.

Art Pick-up Booth: Visitors can purchase art and arrange to have it stored at the Art Pick-up Booth, located on the Veranda of the Grand Sandestin Hotel, nearby the shuttle bus pick-up area. This allows visitors to continue to enjoy the Festival, unencumbered by their art purchases, which can be picked up when they are ready to depart on a shuttle bus.

CAA Member Art Booth: Be sure to check out the great talents of 40 local Cultural Arts Association artist/members at the Johnny Main CAA Members Exhibit on the lawn of the Grand Sandestin.

Live Entertainment: Fabulous entertainment is lined up to continuously perform live on the Events Plaza at The Village of Baytowne Wharf and on the veranda of the Grand Sandestin throughout the 2-day event. These outdoor concerts are guaranteed crowd pleasers and a great way to sit down and take a break for awhile.

Food & Dining: Visitors will enjoy a sumptuous variety of food available at the fine air-conditioned establishments of The Village of Baytowne Wharf restaurants – Roberto’s Pizzeria, Acme Oyster House, Poppy’s Seafood Factory, Another Broken Egg Cafรฉ, Starbucks, Magnolia & Ivy Tea Room, Hammerheads, Jim N Nicks Barbeque, Rum Runners Dueling Piano Bar & Grill, The Marlin Grill, Bistro Bijou, Penguin’s Ice Cream and The Candymaker. The Cultural Arts Association will sell Coke products, lemonade, water, beer and wine in three locations amongst the artist’s tents. Beverage proceeds go directly to help with the CAA’s year-long programming efforts.

Kid’s Art Projects: Check out the Silver Sands Factory Stores special โ€œKid’s Zoneโ€ tent. A variety of fun, hands-on free special art projects will be going on to keep the youngsters busy. Guaranteed to entertain the young ones. The Kid’s Zone area is on the shaded Veranda of the Grand Sandestin Hotel.

Cameras Are Welcome: It’s the perfect photo op to capture the moment in memories! Visitors can bring their camera or camcorder to capture the memory – beautiful artwork, artists in action, entertainment, spectacular Choctawhatchee Bay views, the quaint Village of Baytowne Wharf and the family.

Souvenir Sales: Festival T-Shirts and posters commemorating ArtsQuest 2004, as well as CAA cookbooks, will be on sale at the CAA Souvenir Sales & Information area located on the Veranda of the Grand Sandestin Hotel. This is the Cultural Art Association’s main fund raising source for their not-for-profit organization.

Information Tent: Located on the Veranda of the Grand Sandestin Hotel, volunteer staff at the CAA Souvenir Sales & Information tent are on hand to answer your questions, give out Festival Guides, sell Festival t-shirts, posters and cookbooks.

ArtsQuest, staged by the Cultural Arts Association, is a community-wide happening that relies on the help of 250+ volunteers and the generous support of sponsors. The mission of the Cultural Arts Association, a not-for-profit 501 (C) 3 corporation, is to provide life-long learning through arts education and appreciation by promoting the fine Arts, performing arts, the humanities and showcasing the works of artists. Proceeds raised go back into the community via the CAA Educational Giving Program which gives mini teacher and need based student scholarships, as well as college scholarships.

For further information about ArtsQuest, call the CAA Message Center (850) 231-0885, or visit on-line at www.CulturalArtsAssociation.org