Lynchburg Art Festival full of variety
By Casey Gillis on Sep. 13, 2007
The Lynchburg Art Festival, one of Kaleidoscope’s signature events, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
The festival, scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of E.C. Glass High School, will feature the paintings and photography of more than 120 artists.
“There’s such a variety in the number of artists, and you have so many different styles,” said David Eakin, co-chairman of the festival, which is sponsored by the Lynchburg Art Club. “It’s become something of a local event that (everyone) looks forward to.”
The Lynchburg Art Club’s roots go back to the Lynchburg Art League, which was started in 1893 by a small group of artists, Eakin said. It established its current Rivermont Avenue location in 1961, and has a membership of more than 200.
Art Club members held the first festival in 1973 as a way to showcase the work of the area’s artists. The festival now attracts hundreds of artists from all around Virginia, as well as from Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. This year’s prizes total $6,500.
The festival also includes a student art show, which Eakin said usually attracts 20 to 30 budding artists in grades nine through 12.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of Shirley Hobbs, a longtime Art Club member who passed away in May.
“She was one of the instrumental parts of this show,” Eakin said. “She was so positive.
“She just moved forward, and if things needed to be done, they were done. (In the days leading up to a festival), I’d start looking at the weather, … and she’d say, ‘Well, Dave, it’s going to be fine. I have no doubt.’ She was just like that.”
Hobbs also created the Art Club’s $1,000 annual scholarship. It goes to a student planning to attend a four-year college and major in fine arts.
All the proceeds brought in by the festival go toward the scholarship.
In case of rain, the event will be held on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
IF YOU’RE GOING
WHAT: The Lynchburg Art Festival
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Grounds of E.C. Glass High School
INFO: (434) 385-8119
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