Fest Art exhibition to open April 26 at CAMP Rehoboth
CAMP Rehoboth’s Fest Art 2024 will open Friday, April 26, with an artists’ reception set for 2 to 4 p.m., at 37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach. A community favorite, this exhibit held in conjunction with CAMP Rehoboth’s Women’s Fest celebrates women in the arts and their supporters.
The juror for this year’s exhibition is Joey P. Mánlapaz of Washington, D.C. She is an accomplished contemporary realist recognized for her multifaceted roles as painter, educator, curator and juror of art exhibitions, and advocate for the elderly through art.
“It was a pleasure to jury the entries,” said Mánlapaz. “I was impressed by the variety of media and imagery, and tried to represent that for the exhibition.“ In all, 38 artworks by 33 artists were selected in a range styles and themes inclusive of all mediums and new forms of art. Mánlapaz selected works in wax and ink pigment, photography, white-line woodcut prints, acrylic and oil paintings, paintings on canvas, wood and paper, graphite drawings, mixed media, and fused glass and metal.
The talented artists are from throughout Delaware, as well as Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.
They are: Karen Abato, Nancy Allen, Sondra N. Arkin, Michelle Bailey, Dan Bartasavich, Carol Bell, Pat Catanzariti, Richard Collins, Dierra Cooper, Sharon Denny, Lorraine Dey, Geri Dibiase, Sheila Exum, Logan Farro, Kiara Florez, Missy Gentile, Theresa Kehrer, Jane Knaus, Misty L. Letts, Amanda Lind, Michelle Mallon, Sharon Marquart, Carissa Beth Meiklejohn, Amy B. Nestor, Fran Panzo, Bev Pasquarella, Deb Payette, Lorraine Quinn, Samantha Scullen, Coca Silveira, R Stiles, Sabina Troncone and Holly Wynn.
When creating "Reformation" in spring 2021, Sondra N. Arkin aimed to refresh and gather what was precious amidst the tumult of the previous year. “[It] had been such an awful one, and it seemed like our sense of home was restructured. I was struggling, as were so many, considering the divisions.” Arkin worked with what was on hand supply-wise, and this work was transforming. “I balanced all that was new with something familiar in these small wax and pigment and ink drawings. The whole series is about developing energy, and ‘Reformation’ specifically is about coalition.” She is excited to share this work at CAMP Rehoboth for Fest Art 2024, where she feels most at home.
The sights on a recent Viking Rhine River cruise provided Geri Dibiase with inspiration for “The Crypts of Speyer Cathedral.” “There was so much antiquity to see and photograph. We had an afternoon to walk in the town of Speyer, Germany, the heart of which is its cathedral. The austerity in the crypts below was powerful for me, and hopefully I was able to capture that feeling of reverence, knowing so many rulers and souls are entombed there,” said Dibiase.
Almost every morning in the summertime, Jane Knaus is at the Boardwalk, alone or with a friend, to greet the rising sun. “To see the psychedelic sky turn magical colors in seconds, spreading its glory across the horizon, is to see a miracle before my eyes,” she said. A photo is taken to record the moment before it passes. “I study the photo I chose to be inspired by, closing my eyes to feel the emotion I felt when I saw the sun rise. It’s that emotion I want to share with the person seeing my painting ‘Morning Glory.’”
