THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605070167
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Formerly known as the Ghent Art Show, Art Explosure opens Friday at Town Point Park.
In addition to a new name, the show has been expanded from two days to three.
``We changed the name because it is not in Ghent, and the Ghent Business Association has always been kind of upset by that,'' explained Millie Johnson, event coordinator. ``Over the last few years the artists had been telling us sales were declining, so with the 25th anniversary we thought it would be a perfect time to change the name and expand the show. By starting on Friday, we hope to capture some of the downtown business people's interest.''
Art Explosure, named for the show's growth, will run from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. About 60,000 people are expected to attend.
Following the Ghent Art Show's tradition, the event is being held on Mother's Day weekend and will feature a broad range of works from more than 200 artists from around the country. But exhibits this year will be bolstered by several national recording acts, art workshops and more children's activities. The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, sponsor and benefactor of the show, has enlisted Festevents as a co-sponsor and producer.
Guitarist Michael Hedges and the jazz group Pieces Of A Dream are two of the national headliners, in addition to local and regional groups. Free-to-the-public artist-instructed workshops include demonstrations in culinary art and creative gardening. Children's entertainment features pottery-making, hat-making, storytelling, jugglers, mimes and balloon sculptors.
Food and beverage offerings also have been beefed up, with diverse cuisine from area restaurants and vendors. Beer and wine again will be served after several years of not being sold at the show.
The art, however, still will be the event's centerpiece. Painting, pottery, glass, sculpture, jewelry, photography and forms that defy easy classification will be on sale. The show presents $4,700 in awards to the top-judged artists. The public can buy works starting at $10 up to several thousand dollars.
Johnson said that glass art should be a highlight, noting the blown-glass work of Jim and Mary Karg of Douglasville, Ga., and the glass sculpture of Greg Dineuer of Madison, Wis.
The event has nearly a quarter-century of tradition of canvassing talented artists for a good cause. The show started in 1971 as the Ghent Arts Festival in Stockley Gardens, then benefiting the Norfolk Free Clinic. Although the first event drew only several hundred people, it grew to attract about 50,000 participants by the early 1980s.
Outgrowing the location, in 1985 the show was moved to Town Point Park, with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia becoming the sponsor and major supported charity.
This year, event proceeds benefit the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, the Norfolk YWCA Shelter and the Tidewater Association for Hearing Impaired Children. The event raised about $17,000 for the Foodbank in 1995. ILLUSTRATION: SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Friday
Against All Odds jazz group, 5 to 6 p.m., gallery park stage.
Pieces Of A Dream jazz group, 6:45 to 8 p.m., gallery park
stage.
Saturday
Ice-sculpting workshop, 11 a.m. to noon, near the gallery park
stage.
Inner Rhythm, jazz and pop group, 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.,
gallery park stage.
Native American Storytelling, noon to 1 p.m., children's stage.
Container gardening with herbs workshop, 1 to 1:30 p.m., near the
gallery park stage.
Hurrah Players theater and face painting, 4 to 5 p.m., children's
stage.
Billy McLaughlin, recording guitarist, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., gallery
park stage.
Sunday
Virginia Beach Ballet Studio dance, 1 to 2 p.m., children's
stage.
Creative English flower-arranging workshop, 1:45 to 2:30 p.m.,
near the gallery park stage.
Michael Hedges, guitarist, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., gallery park
stage.
Virginia Symphony Brass Quintet classical performance, 4 to 5
p.m., artists' circle stage.
Michael Hedges, guitarist, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., gallery park
stage.
by CNB