Local Artists Welcome Creative Contemporaries to their Artists’ Enclave on the Bay
Gulfport — The Gulfport Fine Arts Festival, a two-day showcase of over 40 fine artists from across the region and state, enters its’ fifth year in 2020 as the arts in Gulfport are thriving unlike any time in recent memory. The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 8 – Sunday, February 9, 2020 from 10am – 5pm each day and is free and open to the public at Gulfport Veterans Park, a scenic overlook on the picturesque Boca Ciega Bay.
The Fine Arts Festival follows fresh on the heels of December’s highly successful Third Annual ArtJones Open Studio Tour, which featured 20 prominent Gulfport artists opening their private studios to visitors to peruse and purchase art and enjoy a personal experience with each artist. ArtJones, founded by renowned ceramicist Brenda McMahon, bookended a flourishing year for the arts in Gulfport, which welcomed its first curated gallery in many years with the opening of Brenda McMahon Gallery in May in the heart of downtown.
“The Gulfport Fine Arts Festival is in its 5th year and we are excited to debut many great artists that live right here in town as well as those from surrounding areas. I’m proud to say several of this year’s artists are showing in my new fine art and contemporary craft Gallery on Beach Boulevard,” said Brenda McMahon, whose nearby gallery on Beach Boulevard houses works from many of the festival’s participants.
Several prominent Gulfport artists, including multiple resident ArtJones artists, will welcome dozens of out-of-town peers to make this the largest Fine Arts Festival to date in Gulfport. A wide range of artistic media will be featured including ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, mixed media, wood, acrylics, collage, drawing, oils, pastels, photography, watercolors and fine jewelry.
“Gulfport has always been an arts destination, but now this artists’ enclave community is experiencing a resurgence, which we are eager to share with old friends and new visitors,” added McMahon.
Glass artist Diane Bragg, another ArtJones artist who shows work in Brenda McMahon Gallery, is looking forward to showing visiting artists why so much great art comes from such a small town. “As artists, we eat, sleep, dream and make art and for lots of reasons, Gulfport is the perfect place to do just that – the colors, the people, the atmosphere, they’re all right there in the art we produce.”
Also represented in both the gallery and the festival are works by yet another ArtJones artist, Dawn Waters, whose unique fiber art has graced magazine covers and garnered much media attention in the past year. ArtJones veterans and master painters Ray Domingo and Jack Providenti will also participate.
“This boutique festival offers visitors the opportunity to meander though our beautiful Veterans Park, right on Boca Ciega Bay, while chatting with artists and investing in art. Once they’re done, they can explore the hidden gems tucked along the shops of Beach Boulevard and the wonderful stores and restaurants our town has to offer,” added McMahon. “We can’t wait to show off what makes Gulfport so artistically unique.”
The Gulfport Fine Arts Festival is co-sponsored by the Gulfport Merchants Chamber and the City of Gulfport. For more information about Gulfport and other events in the area, go to VisitGulfportFlorida.com or on social media @VisitGulfportFL.
Event Information:
Gulfport Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, February 8 – Sunday, February 9, 2020
10am – 5pm
Gulfport Veterans Park – 5350 31st Avenue South
Gulfport, FL 33707
@GulfportFineArtsFestival