June 3, 2005

First annual Evergreen Fine Arts Festival fares well

By Bea Baechle
Editor

“Great things are happening in Evergreen,” commented one of the hundreds of attendees at the first annual Evergreen Fine Arts Festival held May 28 and 29.

Evergreen Village provided an idyllic setting for the art festival. “This event brings a dose of bohemia to the suburbs—1000 bravos,” noted San Jose resident Sanjay Krishnamurthi.

“This was a pleasant oasis, delightful to the eye,” noted Kristine McNatt. “Great festival—wish we could have many more like this,” wrote one art lover. “It is very inspiring to see so many different forms of art,” commented another.

Marie Thurston commented, “Great event. Just the right size.”

Such were the feelings of many local residents browsing through the booths that lined the park perimeter of Evergreen Village, across from Lunardi’s.

“The potential is good,” said Dana Hale-Mounier of Pacific Fine Arts Festivals, the organizer of the event. “We could not have done it without the help of our sponsors. We were excited with the turnout for the first show, and we’ll definitely be back next year.”

Marie Sinatra, who spearheaded the event locally with the help of the Evergreen Business and Professional Association, looks forward to fine-tuning the festival and bringing it back next year.

Evergreen resident Bev Brown patronizes Everett Ragua’s booth.

“Everyone thought the location was perfect, including the artists,” said Sinatra.

Photographer and EBPA member Gordon Lund agreed that the location provided and exquisite atmosphere for the event. “The art was high quality. As an organizer of the event, I was very pleased with it.” As an exhibitor, Lund said, “I did okay; it was worthwhile.”

A few artists felt the turnout was not what they had hoped and they weren’t sure if they would be returning next year.
On the other hand, Patricia Stanton, a photographer from Southern California, said, “This is one of the most pleasant shows I’ve done. The people were intelligent, art-savvy and asked good questions.”

She noted that at some shows, people come mainly for all the entertainment and pay less attention to the art.
Raymond Powers, who attended the event, summed it up well, “A colorful, friendly display of a broad range of superior artistry.”