VIDEO: Arts Festival Showcases Long Beach Talents

Kennedy Plaza was, once again, colorized in June.

Some 50 artists, working in mediums from watercolors and oils to color pencils and pens to pottery and Photoshop, put their work on display at the 17^th annual City of Long Beach Fine Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

Among them were sculptor Sheila Blunt, photographer Christina Tisi-Kramer, and drawer Andrew Boynton. Judges Scott Evers and Heddy Page awarded several artists, Blunt, Tisi-Kramer and Boynton among them, as Mark Webster, who creates in colored pencils, walked away with Best in Show, and painter Chloe Wang took first place in oils.

Heavy rain dampened the festival on Saturday, but overcast clouds gave way to sun on Sunday. The musical entertainment on both days featured trios and duos that were a mix of Latin, pop, New Age and jazz, including Long Beach’s own Steve Adelson on Chapman Stick and the Paul Joseph Trio playing the sounds of Duke Ellington. 

~ Joseph Kellard

First Place Winners were:

• Israel Rubinstein/Mixed Media

• Neil Murphy/Photography

•  Louise Fucci/Watercolor

• Chloe Wan/Oil

• Sheila Blunt/Sculpture

• Agnes Marie Caputo/Acrylic, Pastels

• Andrew Boynton/Drawings

• Christina Tisi-Kramer/Prints

• Peter Varga/Cutouts

Honorable Mention Awards went to:

• Mark Lerner/Mixed Media

• Charlene Schwartz-Kalin/ Watercolor

• Jack Miller/Photography

• Steven Klein/Oil

• David Langdon/Sculpture

• Andrew LaBarbera for Pastels/Drawings;

•  Jonathan Spector/Print

• Flo Kemp/Etchings.

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