Boca Raton Fine Art Show – Jan 24 & 25 – Announces Budding Artist Competition Winners
The 6th annual Boca Raton Fine Art Show™ held January 24 & 25 in downtown Boca on Federal Highway at Palmetto Park Road featured 160 juried fine art and fine craft artists, all work was original and personally handmade by the artist who was in the show. This art fair has been voted as one of the top art fairs in the country and is juried by art professionals with a combined 140 years’ experience in art education and/or art fairs. Artists in all forms of discipline were showcased with art for sale including paintings, sculpture, clay, glass, wood, fiber, jewelry, photography, and more.
The focus of the Boca Raton Fine Art Show™ is visual arts, diversity, fostering art education among young students, and community enrichment. It is produced by Hot Works, LLC, Fine Art and Fine Craft Shows, a professionally run fine art fair by a show director with a national standing and reputation.
As part of our commitment to bring art education into the community, a Budding Artist Competition for grades 6-12 or ages 9-19 was integrated into the art fair. Sponsored by the Institute for the Arts & Education, Inc., the art fair’s 501c3 non-profit arm, young artists were invited to apply with their original and personally handmade art in all forms of medium.
This year’s Budding Artist contest included 47 entries from 16 area schools; all entries were publicly displayed under the “Budding Artist” tent. It exposed young artists to the opportunity of creating his/her art for a living – doing something he/she loves to do, and, most importantly, how to do it. The competition gave budding artists a golden opportunity to begin learning the rules of being part of a professional art show and exhibition.
The young artists and their families attended the event on Sunday afternoon, when the winners were announced at 3pm. There were $250 in cash awards provided to four young winners, along with a beautiful, colorful two-foot-long ribbon. Criteria for judging the youth art were based on technique/execution and originality, which is similar to the criteria for the judging of the professional artist awards.
In presence for the Budding Artist awards announcement was Council and Community Redevelopment Agency Member Robert Weinroth who represented City of Boca Raton and showed his support for the art fair and this program. Mr. Weinroth was there to personally congratulate each Budding Artist winner.
Artist Michael Braun, Digital, also gave a short presentation as to how he transformed his artwork from fiber to digital art, which is the art form he makes today. Coincidentally, Michael Braun had something in common with one of the Budding Artists, Dominic Mattioli of Monarch High School, who entered a painting of Jimi Hendrix. Michael Braun was the fiber artist who designed Jimi Hendrix pants in his famous on-stage photo, along with making clothes for other musical artists including Sonny & Cher, Greg Allman, and Sly of Sly & the Family Stone.
Following the awards announcements, there was another positive outcome from the Budding Artist program. The artwork made by the Budding Artists was so compelling, original and well done that patrons were interested in purchasing some of the student’s art. A Budding Artist may or may not have won a prize in the competition, but a couple of them sold their art – which is the goal to becoming a professional artist!
Congratulations to the Budding Artist winners and to the Budding Artists who sold their art!
For the budding artists who did not win a prize, it is important that they were communicated that even the best artists do not get accepted into the best art shows all the time; that art is subjective, and if this is something they love to do, they should not give up, but to also congratulate the winners.
The Boca Raton Fine Art Show™ provided these students with an unmatched learning experience, and exposed families toartwork that they would not have otherwise seen. Young artists were encouraged to speak with the artists in the show – all professionals — and to ask them questions about participating in art shows as a career.
2015 Boca Raton Fine Art Show™
Budding Artist Award Winners Are as Follows:
One $100 Best Budding Artist:
Kirsten Kelly, Painting, Age 17, A. W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach
Three $50 Budding Artist Awards of Excellence:
Shelby Goldring, Mixed Media, Age 15, A. W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach
Craig Ira, Drawing, Age 14, University School of Nova Southeastern University, Davie
Jessica Pan, Drawing, Age 16, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland
See Art, Love Art, Buy Art!
See You There!
