Annual arts festival celebrated May 11 -13

A celebration of the arts, the 24th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts and Music Festival by the sea is growing to include more activities for the whole family.  Produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and presented by Seaside and Visit South Walton, ArtsQuest will be held Mother’s Day weekend, May 11-13, and will feature fine art and crafts, live music, interactive public art projects, kids’ activities and art demonstrations.

More than 130 artists, from local talent to those traveling from around the country, will be on display throughout the idyllic coastal town of Seaside, Florida.  Artists will be competing for $10,000 in cash awards.

The festival begins with a nostalgic look back at ArtsQuest from its early beginnings at the Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse in Grayton Beach on Wednesday, May 9th from 7-9 p.m. On Friday, the juried art show begins throughout town and a private concert featuring Michelle Malone and David Ryan Harris will be held in the Seaside artist colony of Ruskin Place. On Saturday and Sunday, Seaside will be full of creative opportunities for the whole family. While mom enjoys the breadth of artists and styles in search of her perfect Mother’s Day gift, the kids can create their own masterpiece at KidZone, which will provide ongoing free arts projects for kids.

Setting the atmosphere, local and regional bands will be performing a variety of genres, including rhythm and blues, gypsy swing, jazz, folk, country and classical. Musical acts throughout the weekend will include The Shadowboxers with special guest, Geoff McBride, who was recently a finalist on The Voice, Adron, Augustine, Forrest Williams Band, Blue Ribbon Healers and more. A full music lineup and list of exhibiting artists can soon be found at ArtsQuestFlorida.com.

ArtsQuest if free and open to the public.
For a complete list of exhibiting artists and a schedule of events, visit www.ArtsQuestFlorida.com.