As Florida’s endless summer yields ever so slightly, ushering in milder weather, Winter Park celebrates with an annual tradition that now marks its 50th year.
The Winter Park Autumn Art Festival brings 180 artists to the Park Avenue area this weekend, showcasing ceramics, digital art, drawing, fine crafts, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture and fiber arts. The festival is presented by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates its centennial this year.
“Our show is Florida-based artists on purpose. We’re the only juried Florida-based artist show in the country,” said Betsy Gardner Eckbert, president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. “There are a lot of local favorites. I look forward to seeing how they’re evolving as artists; they’re always taking up something new as a creative process.”
An estimated 250,000 people wander the festival’s isles and booths throughout the weekend. The event includes live music, sponsor tents, children’s workshops, food offerings and a beer garden.
For participating artists, awards range from $300 up to $5,000 for the creator selected as the Best of Show winner.
Ed Sanderson, a Central Florida-based painter who has shown in Winter Park multiple years previously, was chosen as this year’s poster artist.
“I think it’s great when you combine a ceramics artist right next to a glass artist, next to a painter, next to a photographer,” he said. “You see how many artists there are in Central Florida who contribute to the cultural society that we’re trying to grow here.”
As a contemporary impressionist, Sanderson paints in bright colors in the hopes of conveying feeling and vibrance.
“I do still life, skyscapes, cityscapes, abstracts and just about anything. The common theme with all my work is my palette,” he said, noting that he will be displaying several Winter Park scenes. “The sky doesn’t have to be blue; the trees don’t have to be green. If you’re true to yourself and you like it, nine times out of 10 people follow suit.”
In addition to browsing art itself, visitors have plenty of options for dining and shopping along Park Avenue, benefiting artists and businesses alike.
“It brings back commerce for the community itself,” Sanderson said. “People patronize the stores and the restaurants. I think it’s a symbiotic relationship.”
If you go: The 50th Annual Winter Park Autumn Art Festival is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 7-8 on Park Avenue and Central Park in Winter Park. The free-admission festival is open to all ages, but pets are not allowed. For more information, visit winterpark.org.
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