Halifax Art Festival

The 49th annual Halifax Art Festival is the 2nd oldest continual art festival in the state of Florida and attracts well over 30,000 visitors annually.  This free Festival, open to the public, will take place on November 5 & 6, 2011, in Riverfront Park on historic downtown Beach Street, Daytona Beach, from Orange Avenue to Bay Street.  

The Festival will have approximately 200 juried artist and artisans exhibiting original two-dimensional art, photography, sculpture, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, wood, metal and glass pieces for purchase. This year, the Festival expanded to celebrate seasoned as well as emerging artists and craftsmen.  There will be two distinct exhibit areas.  The first area will be Fine Arts & Fine Crafts which will be juried, judged and eligible for over $34,000 in prize money and Patron Awards.  The second area will be juried Crafts which will not be eligible for award money; but, they are handmade, original pieces of art for sale at reasonable prices.

 Judging will take place on Saturday morning by Steven High, the Executive Director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota and R. Lynn Whitelaw, Curator at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.  

 The Museum of Arts and Sciences will have a booth at the Festival offering many collectibles and gift items for purchase.

The Guild will, also, be selling Festival T-shirts at the information booth.  This year’s T-shirt and poster features a whimsical image created by Candace Brown, a Jensen Beach artist.

 The Guild has always supported and rewarded student artists.  This year, the student art display and competition will be held in the auditorium of the Volusia County Library Center at City Island.  This larger facility allows the Guild to exhibit art from students of all ages from the Volusia County public school system as well as area private schools.  The student art will be displayed all day Saturday and Sunday.  Steve McLachllin, a local painter, sculptor and art restorer, will judge the art and announce the winners at 2pm on Sunday at the Library.

 The Kohl’s Kidz Art Zone celebrates our smallest artist with the “Little Van Gogh” area located near the Magnolia Avenue Bridge.  Gary Bobcik from Seaside Decorative Painters of Daytona Beach will assist the children in creating their own interpretation of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.  Easels, smocks, washable paint, and brushes will be supplied.  Each child can take home their own masterpiece.

 Also, within the Kohl’s Kidz Zone, a 3-hole putt-putt course for kids and adults will be set up.  Adults will have an opportunity to try their luck at the hole-in-one contest which benefits the Charles and Linda Williams Children’s Museum.

 You’ll find the Sophie’s Circle Pet Area near the News-Journal Center featuring pet adoptions all weekend and taking food donations for homeless cats and dogs.  

 Adults and children will enjoy watching fifteen artists from The Art League of Daytona Beach demonstrate various art techniques near the Gazebo on Beach Street.  

International street cuisine and good old-fashioned festival food will be featured for hungry festival attendees.  Beach Street restaurants will be open and featuring specials for festival goers.  There will also be live entertainment with musicians playing a variety of popular music.   The Kopy Kats Musical Revue, from the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, will be performing and providing musical fun Saturday and Sunday.

The Halifax Art Festival is presented by the Guild of the Museum of Arts & Sciences and is sponsored by the Daytona Beach Downtown Development Authority.  The Festival is the major fundraiser for MOAS and will also benefit the Charles and Linda Williams Children’s Museum.