Friday, February 8, 2008

33rd Annual Art Festival "Enchanting & Inspiring"

We had a pre-scheduled trip that conflicted with the dates of this year's Art Festival. We were so sad to miss it! Here are some comments about this year's festival from our friends at the Historic Inn ...

--Rachelle
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Hello, from sunny, and beautiful Mt. Dora! We were wondering why we didn't run into you guys at the festival; we ran into everybody else!!! The Art Festival was a huge success and the weather was fabulous!!! Besides the unbelievable turnout, the artists this year were brilliant and refreshing; there was something for everybody both in selection and in cost.

Several people were walking around with bags and bags of acquired art pieces. Our guests had to make several trips to our Inn to drop off their acquired goods. They are bringing an enclosed trailer next year, as they almost ran out of room in their SUV (Ford Expedition), wow!

Ana and I also made several purchases. In fact, we had a budget of $400.00 each; well, we blew past that on our first day! Easy come, easy go. We had guests who have been coming to the art festival for the past 6 years (!!!), and they really enjoyed the quality and diversity of the artists this year. Their main comment, was that there were several new artists, which was very invigorating. Our entire group, including our new guests, has already pre-booked for next year.

Apparently, there was a new method of applying this year (internet application with digital pictures, as opposed to previous years, mail in applications with slides of their art). Furthermore, the jury selection process has also changed; the jurors were sequestered and viewed the artist's wares separately. As a result, none of the juror's opinions were compromised or influenced by another. According to the director for the Center of the Arts, this was the reason this festival stood out from previous years, and why we had a larger number of participants.

Even the artists we spoke with were very happy with the changes, and many of the new artists were amazed at how "enchanting and inspiring" Mount Dora is. Our own experience, compared to last year, was also exceptional. It is such a joy and a blessing to see, and be a part of, the wonderful transformation and renaissance Mount Dora is going through. There is a new energy and vitality that can be felt in the air and in the people who reside here. We are proud to call Mount Dora our "home"!

--Jim
Mount Dora Historic Inn

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