The 66th annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is this weekend, held in the city’s Central Park. The outdoor festival has become a juggernaut in the national art scene, regularly drawing more than a thousand applications for the 200-odd artist spaces and hundreds of thousands of attendees every year.
Alice Moulton is with the festival and said there is a whole palette of reasons that this festival is enduring and unique.
First, Moulton pointed out, for its entire 66-year existence, the WPSAF has been organized and run by volunteers only.
“It was started by local artists, and they were trying to think of a way to help local artists sell their art,” explained Moulton. “So in 1960 they came up with this idea for this outdoor art show, and it has evolved amazingly.”
Moulton said the festival is a year-round commitment driven by artistic passion. “The minute the festival is over, we start working on the next festival! It takes a whole year to put it together. We have 40 different committees that kind of all work together to make it happen, and for 66 years, it's worked.”
Second, said Moulton, the festival is known for the financial opportunities it presents to artists who are chosen to exhibit. “It's an expensive venture for an artist to attend an outdoor art show,” Moulton acknowledged. “So we like to make sure that there are dedicated funds that are going to be spread out among the artists. And we do have some of the highest sales also in the nation, as far as how the artists perform at the show.”
Some of the financial opportunities come from those sales, and some from special programs like the one for emerging artists, which covers exhibition and attendance costs for artists just entering the field. Across all programs and awards, Moulton said, “this year, we will distribute over $90,000 to the artists in dedicated money that would be spent on art.”
The awards are considered over the days of the show itself and given out with a certain amount of pomp, said Moulton. “We have a Drum and Bugle Corps that goes out with the award givers, and they march down Park Avenue and go to the different artists’ booths. The co-presidents of the festival and some other dignitaries go out and present these awards, with the band leading the way. And it's really quite exciting! When the artists hear that band coming, you know, they're on edge to see if they're going to get an award.”
Seventeen different categories of art will be on display and for purchase including digital art, glass, jewelry, mixed media, sculpture, watercolor, and wood. Moulton said there’s also music, food, and children’s art displays and activities.
And Moulton stressed that there’s an effort to offer adequate parking for the huge crowds – one of the 40 volunteer committees is dedicated to it. She said don’t let the specter of parking problems stop you.
“It has been estimated that we get 250,000 people through Winter Park during those three days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So parking IS available somewhere,” she laughed.
