- November 22, 2024
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Artist Nikki Brown works on her art during the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Dennis Rodney Jr. better known in the poetry world as D-Rod the Poet, won the Haiku slam and poetry slam at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Joseph Huynh poses with his portraits of turtles and other sea life at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Walkers head toward the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts on New Britain Ave. in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volunteer Susan Richmond greets festival goers at the Ormond Beach MainStreet information table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volunteer Susan Richmond greets festival goers at the Ormond Beach MainStreet information table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Barbara Crispino Saunders (left) helps Savannah and Kinsley Warren make pinwheels at the Granada Grand youth artists' table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Kinsley Warren waves her pinwheel in the air at the Granada Grand youth artists' table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Barbara Crispino Saunders (left) helps Kinsley (center) and Makenna Warren (right) make pinwheels at the Granada Grand youth artists' table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Amit, Ashwimi and Aanya Nanavati create art at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts youth artists' table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Amit, Ashwimi and Aanya Nanavati create art at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts youth artists' table. Photo by Michele Meyers
Musician Kerry Schrage performs at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts on New Britain Ave. in Ormond Beach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Nikki Brown works on her art during the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Nikki Brown works on her art during the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Sheri Zanosky competes in the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artists Maria Fegan (left) and Sheri Zanosky compete in the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Maria Fegan adds Grover to a remake of a self portrait by Joseph Ducreux during the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
This is artist Mars Morris' first year competing as a professional artist in the ArtHaus chalk art competition at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Youth artists Eden Shaw (left) and Gisel Bianco compete in the ArtHaus chalk competition at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Youth artists compete in the ArtHaus chalk competition at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Brothers Owen, Blake and Callum Sims showoff the plants they planted at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens booth. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens employee Trey Robertson helps festival goers plant various plant species brought from the OMAM gardens. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach resident Mark Davidson reads a poem during the first poetry slam held at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Poets Haley Graves and Dennis Rodney Jr. aka D-Rod the Poet bow to each other after the Haiku death match at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Poetry slam master of ceremonies Kevin Campbell who goes by the stage name Noirjente, reviews clapping ettiquette with the audience at the Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach resident Lourdes Gloekler makes her jewelry from a special nut harvested from a specific rain forest palm tree. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Gary Mak (left) hangs out with his customers, Ormond Beach residents Felisha and Nina Reynolds while they hold brothers Oliver and Jax at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
A potential customer checks out artist Gary Mak's jewelry at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Tina and Frankie Martinez sip cups of wine during the S.R. Perrott sponsored wine tasting at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Bill Sweeney began carving canes nine years ago after he picked up a stick to navigate rough terrain on a hunting trip. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artpostrophe owner and artist Amy O'Malley wins first place in the juried art show at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Bernie (center) and Maria McKelson (right) purchase one of artist Mary Wentzel's (left) prints at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Wentzel placed second in the juried show. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach MainStreet Executive Director Becky Parker (left) enjoys a moment during the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nicholas Fox just started cooking for the Grind Gastropub and Kona Tiki Bar at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nicholas Fox (center) does a pose down with co-workers Tim Prevatt (left) and Taylor Lahna (right) at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seedfromatree play at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Morgan Siple competes in the youth chalk art competition at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts. Photo by Michele Meyers
Art enthusiasts, local families and longtime friends gathered to feast on a plethora of sights, sounds and delectables during a weekend of art events presented by Ormond Beach MainStreet and the Ormond Beach Arts District, starting on Feb. 2.
Poets battled in the Poetry Slam preliminary rounds in the Wine Room at the Grind Gastropub and Kona Tiki Bar Friday night. Dennis Rodney, known by stage name D-Rod The Poet, placed first in the preliminaries and moved on to the finals at the 10th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts the next day where he finished first in the Poetry Slam and the Haiku Death Match.
Ormond Beach MainStreet Executive Director Becky Parker said this year they added the slam to the festival schedule in collaboration with the Creative Happiness Institute and the Mainstreet Art and Culture Slam of DeLand.
“These folks came from all over central Florida,” she said. “They all have a beautiful story to tell that is moving and inspiring. Every one in that room felt bonded — closer. Former Executive Director Julia Truilo really wanted this to happen, so we made it happen.”
Art encourages self expression and self confidence. To create is a wonderful thing. A lot of times the only control a young child has in their life is that creation and it grounds them. It gives them a voice. - Cameron Vintson, ArtHaus Executive Director
Rodney has been writing and reading poetry for a little over 20 years. He is from the Tampa Bay area, where he is a cohost on the WMNF show Poetry Is. It is the only spoken word radio show in Florida.
“Noirjente (co-founder of MAC Slam of DeLand) works with Blackberry Peach Events and Florida State Poets Association,” he said. “They put together a lot of events and bring artists a lot of opportunities for events like this. They bring the artist together with the community and that’s the great thing about it. This has been a great event. I look forward to coming back to my next Granada.”
Blue skies and a midday temperature that maxed out at 70 degrees pushed the attendance to over 5,000 people who strolled down restaurant row, nestled along New Britain Avenue. This year, attendees had the opportunity to peruse the works of 17 juried artists, 65 specialty artists and their creations.
“This event is, by far, the busiest we’ve ever had,” Parker said. “We’ve brought in different groups and different partnerships. The musicians are all local performers with original music. We have more artists than ever before. The restaurants are very busy and hopefully very happy. I think it’s all around great for Ormond Beach and great for the historic downtown area.”
Joseph Huynh won Best in Show for his paintings of sea turtles on canvases of salvaged fencing. His medium of choice is reclaimed house paint. He is a self-taught artist who said many of his friends are fine artists and have asked him the deeper meaning behind his pieces.
“I am not a professional,” he said. “I just picked up a brush and started painting. Maybe someday I’ll have a reason behind my art but for now, I just love sea turtles.”
Mixed media artist Amy O’Malley won first place for her pieces that depict strong women. She said she is a storyteller at heart.
“I tell and retell the stories of women through a female lens as opposed to a male lens,” she said. “In order to do that, I felt like I needed to use the art traditionally associated with women—yarn, fabrics, scrapbook paper, flowers—all that—and combine it to show the magic and power of women.”
Interspersed throughout the artists’ booths, stages and food vendors were opportunities for children and adults to engage in an interactive art experience. The Ormond Beach Public Library taught crafts at the “Imagination Station” while the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens helped kids pot plants brought from the OMAM gardens. Festival goers could also make pinwheels with artist Barbara Crispino Saunders.
ArtHaus hosted the annual chalk art competition featuring seven artists-four professional and three youth artists. Maria Fegan won Best in Show for her Muppet’s Grover rendition of master artist Joseph Ducreux’s self portrait. Gisel Bianco won the Junior Award. ArtHaus Executive Director Cameron Vintson said it is important to nurture children through art.
“Art encourages self expression and self confidence,” Vintson said. “To create is a wonderful thing. A lot of times the only control a young child has in their life is that creation and it grounds them. It gives them a voice.”
As the festival came to a close, many patrons strolled or rode the Ormond MainStreet shuttle to the local galleries highlighted for this month’s Art Walk. Spotlight was on The Studio by Artist Angel Bowden, Art Spotlight, Frame of Mind, The Casements, OMAM and Ocean Art Gallery.
OMAM offered light refreshments and a black and white photography collection of African American men and women during their military service from the 1880s though the 1940s.
The “weekend of art” closed with an energetic Art Battle held at 31 Supper Club Sunday evening. Twelve artists faced off in three, 20-minute, live rounds. Votes were cast through an app with the top two artists in each round moving on to the next. All paintings are auctioned with 50% of the proceeds going to the artist.
Ryan Houman was the Art Battle champion with his “Let’s Be Buds” painting.
