Wickford Art Festival ready to roll in North Kingstown

By Kathie Raleigh / Special to The Journal

Posted Jul 10, 2019 at 5:30 PM

This weekend marks the 57th year for the venerable art festival, which will feature the work of 209 artists who hail from Rhode Island as well as from across the country and as far away as Israel.

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — In the beginning, a handful of local artists propped up their work along the streets of Wickford one weekend, hoping to sell a piece or two.

Surprised by their success, the artists decided they should organize as a group and formalize the event.

Thus, the Wickford Art Association was established, and with it the annual Wickford Art Festival, now a staple of summer in Rhode Island that last year attracted an estimated crowd of 60,000.

This is the 57th year for the “formalized” — but still free — art festival, which will take place again this weekend. Instead of a handful of artists, however, there are 209 coming — locally, from across the country and as far away as Israel to show artwork done in oil, acrylics, watercolors and pastels, plus etchings and encaustic works, photography, fiber art, pen-and-ink drawings and sculpture in materials ranging from granite to glass.

The common denominator is that all the works are fine art, not functional pieces such as jewelry or mugs. Sunshine Artist Magazine, geared to folks in the art and crafts industry, currently ranks Wickford seventh among fine art festivals in the country.

Each year brings a mix of new and returning exhibitors, says Judy Salvadore, gallery director and spokeswoman for the Wickford Art Association.

“We go for quality, not quantity,” as well as diversity in media, Salvadore says. A jury chooses participants, and acceptance guarantees a spot only for three years running. “The fourth year, the artist is juried again. If [an artist] skips a year, it’s back to the jury.”

“There are a lot of young artists this year,” she notes, such as watercolor artist Holly Wach, of Pawtucket, who “has a different way of looking at things.” Wach starts with realistic depictions of birds and then gives them an abstract quality by blurring areas.

“The committee loved her style,” Salvadore says.

Favorite exhibitors include Richard A. Catallozzi Jr., of Narragansett, who does fine-art photography that’s also “fun,” she says, or igneous rock artist Robert Wertz, of Pennsylvania, whose granite sculptures include water features and are “very peaceful.” That said, his booth last year was “crazy busy.”

Among the artists traveling great distances is Yoram Gal, of Old Jaffa, Israel, who has exhibited his vividly colored paintings in Italy, China and, since 2002, in the United States. He also is a playwright, actor, director and producer.

The youngest artists are the high school students who received scholarships this year from the Wickford Art Association. From its founding, the association has made art education part of its mission and, with help from the Rhode Island Art Education Association, it runs a statewide competition. Each school district may nominate one student who submits a portfolio of five works for review.

Winners are announced in March, and in addition to receiving a scholarship, they are invited to exhibit at that year’s art festival. Taking part are Arianna Deal, of Cranston, painting; Chase Goulet, of North Kingstown, photography and graphic design; and Emma Naughton, of Lincoln, painting and drawing. Another recipient, Laura Heffernan, of Portsmouth, is away, traveling with her family.

Scholarships are financed with proceeds from a raffle of artwork created by association members and displayed in a tent next to the students’ exhibit.

“Members have donated more than $11,000 of artwork this year,” Salvadore says, “and whatever we raise, we give out.” Raffle tickets are sold at the festival; patrons do not have to be present to win.

Organizing the festival is a year-round effort. “It’s a massive undertaking,” Salvadore says, but after 56 previous iterations — and a 20-page handbook — this year’s festival is running “like a well-oiled machine,” she says.

The work is done by committee, with responsibilities shared among the nine members of the association’s board of directors, Salvadore and 25 subcommittees, says Lorraine Hynes, of Cumberland, an artist and board member who served three years as president. Tasks include mapping and marking exhibit spaces and working with the Town of North Kingstown on public safety.

“We have people who have been doing this for years. People are dedicated to [the festival]. They see it as giving back to the organization.

“It’s fun,” Hynes says. “It’s exciting when artists come in from around the country for registration, a huge event. We can’t wait to see the art.”

Although the art festival spreads throughout the village, the area is “walking-friendly,” organizers note. A free shuttle provides transportation to and from off-site parking areas.

Merchants in the village are open, and food is available from Wickford’s restaurants, at the First Baptist Church and at food trucks set up at the waterfront, including Haven Brothers, Inside Scoop, My Rolling Café, Chopmist Charlie’s (seafood) and Hawaiian Jim’s (shaved ice).

Visitors may pick up a free program that shows locations of artists’ booths, restaurants, restrooms and parking areas. Information also is available online at wickfordart.org.

IF YOU GO ...

What: 57th Wickford Art Festival

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Wickford Village, North Kingstown, on Brown, Main and Elam streets

Parking: At Wilson Park on West Main Street and at the former Wickford Elementary School on Phillips Street; transient docking for boaters available within a five-minute walk from the festival.

Information: (401) 294-6840, wickfordart.org