For the second consecutive year, visitors to the juried art show held at the New Hanover County Arboretum selected Wilmington artist Matthew Leavell’s “The Dance Beneath the Waves” as the People’s Choice award for best three-dimensional piece. In what organizers called a “landslide,” the 2014 award winner again won the affection of visitors, as its metallic tentacles and glimmering blue glass pods created impressions of floating aquatic life. Visitors liked the marine theme, as Jacksonville artist Steve Zawistowski took second place in three-dimensional art with “Show Me the Way,” a metallic sculpture of two sea turtles.
More than 130 artists showcased their work during the show, which serves as a fundraiser for the arboretum. In addition to the People’s Choice award, the show also offered a competition judged by a panel of artists. The show also featured artists who work with the arboretum’s Ability Garden, a therapeutic gardening program that serves as many as 2,500 disabled and disadvantaged people each year.
Wilmington artist Anita Jacques won the People’s Choice award for two-dimensional art for her piece “Framed by Nature.” Using only fabric, and primarily cotton, Jacques layers and sews different swatches of cloth to create her art. To capture the autumn themes present in the piece, Jacques used a photograph she took last fall outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Sandy Lee took second place in two-dimensional art for “Old Boathouse,” while Jonathan Haug won third place for “Glowing.”
Chris Stidd, who makes artwork from spoons, forks and other kitchen utensils, won the third-place People’s Choice award in three-dimensional art for “Fishing Fred.”
Kathryn Brown Ciarrocca, whose painting of the arboretum’s iconic sea serpent sculpture was chosen to be represented on the poster for the 2015 show, said participating in the show helps both the artists and the lush garden venue.
“I love art and if I get a sale, even better. It allows me to continue pursuing my passion,” Ciarrocca said. “Lots of other cities don’t have an arboretum. We need to support our arboretum.”
For Jacques, the opportunity to display artwork in a natural setting helped make the show popular for visitors and artists.
“What’s unique about this show is the artists have the opportunity to display their work outside,” she said. “There’s room for large, 3D art outside, and the setting is just beautiful in the gardens.”
The show also provides a venue for artists with limited experience displaying their work. Terah Wilson, of Wilmington, entered for the second year with her painting “Koi.” Fittingly, the painting depicted the fish that inhabit the arboretum’s pond. While she does both paintings and graphite pencil drawings, she said she entered “Koi” because of its connection to the arboretum.
“The koi here were the inspiration,” she said. “I figured I should enter what I was inspired to paint here.”
The event included an art station for children, where they could make prints of tree leaves on banners that they could take with them.
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