More than 250 award-winning artists will converge on Vinoy Park this weekend.

ST. PETERSBURG – The Mainsail Art Festival will mark 42 years as one of the southeast’s premier art shows.

The festival was ranked by Sunshine Artist magazine in the Top 20 among the “100 Best Fine Art Shows” in the nation by artists. Artists will be exhibiting in 13 categories: ceramics, digital art, fiber, glass, graphic, jewelry, metal, mixed media, oil/acrylic, photography, sculpture, watercolor and wood.

Along with exhibits from more than 250 artists across the country, this year Mainsail also features the Young at ARt student show, the Junior League Kids Create art tent, a diverse line-up of entertainment on stage, a mime, magician and minstrel strolling throughout the park, and culinary arts food court area.

More than $60,000 in cash awards will be selected by this year’s show judge, Courtney A. McNeil, who serves as chief curator of collections and exhibitions for Telfair Museums in Savannah, GA, the oldest public art museum in the south.

Cash Awards include the $10,000 Mainsail Gold Award/Best of Show; one $5,000 Mainsail Silver Award; two $2,500 Mainsail Bronze awards; 10 Awards of Excellence at $1,500 each; 20 Awards of Distinction, for $1,000 each; and 20 Awards of Merit at $500 each. In addition, Mainsail also features a Purchase Awards program, where businesses or individuals purchase a work of art and their selected artist receives an additional $200 cash award.

Mainsail commissions an award-winning artist from the show to create commemorative poster each year. The 2017 poster designer is Lorri Honeycutt, is a resident of Austin, TX, who spends her summers in Wilmington in her home state of North Carolina. After a lengthy career in the high tech computer world in Austin, Honeycutt decided in 2004 to take a break from the high tech world and pursue more fun and interesting work in photographic art. Traveling and exhibiting her art for the past 14 years, her macro photos are a mixture of miniature figures posed in quirky situations. She will be exhibiting at the show this year at booth number 116.

Mainsail is a volunteer-only, not for profit corporation.

Mainsail takes place in waterfront Vinoy Park, Seventh Avenue and Bayshore Drive NE. Admission is free. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (April 22) and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (April 23).

For information and a complete schedule of events and entertainment, go to mainsailart.org .

Mainsail Art Festival | Vinoy Park | St. Petersurg | Event | Things to Do | Happenings | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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