THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 1, 1995 TAG: 9505270155
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Scott McCaskey
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
The Ghent Art Show in Town Point Park?
Only by name.
The real thing is where it should be: in Ghent.
Under ideal weather and an aura of peacefulness, the 11th annual Stockley Gardens Art Festival May 20-21 again revealed itself to be the true canvas. The eclectic and communal nature of the neighborhood makes the venue the logical place to hold an arts festival. Even artists who took part in both shows say so.
``Stockley Gardens is much more art-oriented than the show at Town Point,'' said Fred Mason, a jeweler and stones mason. ``It's a wonderful place with a great ambience, the right environment for an art show.''
``I prefer to be in Stockley Gardens,'' said an artist who's on the committee of the Town Point festival. ``I tried to get the other guys to change their name, but they wouldn't.''
Both shows offer a variety of works by local and nationally recognized artists, but it's the site and the people that sets the in-Ghent festival apart.
Shaded by tall trees and greenery, the surroundings offer a natural corridor for an exhibition. Grand churches on one side and flats and old homes on the other, lend a air of history.
Equally salient is the genuine cadre of artists and patrons that have flocked to the scene for years. The site has become a kind of arts rights-of-spring gathering. It's also a hip place to just hang out.
``I came here looking to maybe buy some art work, but I can't pass all of the familiar faces,'' said one browser.
Like a conveyor belt, a wave of characters rolled back and forth along the gardens' three sections. Mini reunions surfaced amid the art, flavorful aromas and live music. Many of the same old smiles were there, but the hair was shorter - if not gone altogether - and the attitude and garb has taken somewhat of a right turn since the first gatherings.
``This used to be hippie festival and a bohemian neighborhood,'' recalled Peter, a regular in the old days. ``But the hippies grew up and moved back in as yuppies. The realtors saw it coming all the way.''
Although the neighborhood has become much more affluent, and many of the early-goers are hitting their middle years, the show has aged well and has retained enough of an air of bohemianism for easy breathing. Bongo-playing revelers pounded out their beats from apartment facades along the site. Neo hippies strolled side-by-side with young professionals and retirees. Moms, dads and kids negotiated the diverse tide.
The generations all blended in a comfortable collage. And no one, including a lone cop, seemed to notice or mind that a few people arrived with their favorite beverages. There was a tangible sense of community and good will. The show also was a big success financially.
``I heard a lot of artists saying that they broke their sales records this year,'' said Liz Swartley, festival director.
The event attracted more than 20,000 visitors, had 14 vendors and nine musical groups. Sunday afternoon did get a little elbow-to-elbow, but you could outflank the wave by moving to the perimeter.
``It's not going to grow much bigger, Swartley said, ``and I don't want it to.''
If there was anything missing in this year's show, it was the absence of inspired music. While the lineup was entertaining, some new blood - and maybe wielding a little more volume - would be a nice addition. And where were the Blind Venetians?
Although not quite hitting all the notes in the music department, the show scored highly in every other aspect. With some Norfolk festivals losing their novelty or growing too mass in scale, the Stockley Gardens festival retains the charm and the local focus that truly makes it a special event.
For those who missed it, you're in luck, there's a fall festival in October. ILLUSTRATION: FESTIVAL HISTORIES
The Stockley Gardens Arts Festival is the scion of the original
Ghent Arts Festival, which started at the gardens in 1971. The first
show featured 22 artists, acoustic music and wandering musicians. A
portion of the proceeds benefited the Norfolk Free Clinic, a
nonprofit medical care unit in the basement of Christ and St. Luke's
Church. The clinic served people with drug-related problems and
indigents in the then run-down Ghent section.
Only 200 people attended the first festival, but within 12 years
the event had exploded. By the early 1980s, the festival was drawing
an estimated 50,000 spectators, featuring 220 artists and had a full
lineup of jazz, classical, folk and bluegrass acts.
Outgrowing the neighborhood, in 1985 the show was moved to the
larger facility of Town Point Park, but still retained the name. The
Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia became the sponsor and the
recipient of a portion of the proceeds.
The Stockley Gardens Arts Festival was started in 1985 at the
behest of local artists and the Ghent community. Though small the
first year, by 1987 the event boasted more than 100 artists and
thousands of visitors. The festival is sponsored by, and benefits,
the Hope House Foundation, a support services group for people with
developmental disabilities.
by CNB