Dive Into Creativity This May During Art Month

Art Month Walton County, an initiative led by the Cultural Arts Alliance (CAA) of Walton County and sponsored in part by Visit South Walton, will provide a full month of creative offerings in May, including the “Under The Sea” fundraiser for the Underwater Museum of Art, 34th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival, Longleaf Writers Conference, Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach, Gaffrey Art Material Warehouse Paint Party and “Anti-Shark Gravity Subsidiary Ikebana Animals”exhibition, Music on Main in DeFuniak Springs, Xanadu at Emerald Coast Theatre Company, Sinfonia Goes Pop in Alys Beach, events at J. Leon Gallery and The Foster Gallery, and more. All happenings take place in Walton County and are part of the Art Month mission to bring together communities, organizations and businesses to present quality and diverse arts entertainment.

Art Month officially begins Wednesday, May 4th in Grand Boulevard’s Grand Park with the ‘Under the Sea’ fundraiser presented by Coastal Conservation Association Florida in support of the fourth installation of the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA). Doors open at 6PM and guests are invited to view several of the UMA sculptures, enjoy a full cash bar with specialty cocktails, meet and greet with the artists, bid on auction items, and taste featured items from popular area restaurants including Black Bear Bread Company, Blue Mabel, Down Island Gulf Seafood Restaurant, Grayton Beach Catering, Grayton Corner Cafe, North Beach Social, Roux 30A/Nanbu, and Stinky’s Fish Camp. Then settle in for an intimate concert experience with Grammy-nominated bluesman and multi-instrumentalist Jontavious Willis. General admission tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door (if available). Tickets are on sale now at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/upcoming-events.

The UMA is a project of the CAA’s 'Art in Public Spaces' program created in partnership with South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) with the purpose to create marine habitat and expand fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in South Walton.

The 34th annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival will fill Grand Boulevard’s Town Center with over 100 exhibiting artists over Mother’s Day weekend. Produced by the CAA and presented by Grand Boulevard and Visit South Walton, ArtsQuest includes a CAA Member Exhibition, live art demonstrations, student exhibits, Art on Demand LIVE workshops, continuous live music, delicious food and beverage options, ImagiNation: where kids rule, and an exhibition of the Underwater Museum of Art sculptures.

New this year at ArtsQuest, the CAA is excited to bring its popular virtual Art on Demand series to the event. Art on Demand LIVE interactive 60-90 minute workshops, presented by The Alys Foundation, are scheduled throughout the festival weekend and include some of our most watched and best-loved episodes. Participants can take a painting session with award-winning local artists Allison Wickey and Justin Gaffrey, create crush-worthy cocktails with Christine Tarpey of Better Together Beverage, enjoy a guided tour of French wines with spirits expert Mike Jones or discover a new favorite wine while sampling several under the radar selections with Sommelier Casey Dunn. Workshops are ticketed separately and registration is available at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/upcoming-events.

ArtsQuest is a rain or shine event open to the public Saturday, May 7, 10am – 7pm and Sunday, May 8, 10 am – 5pm. A $5 donation per person is requested at the gate. A list of artists, the entertainment schedule and other details can be found online at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/arts-quest. ArtsQuest and Under the Sea are supported by First National Bank, Latitude Margaritaville, and Chiringo 30A.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Digital Graffiti is a one-of-a-kind projection art festival where artists use the latest digital technologies to project their original works onto the white walls of Alys Beach. This year’s event takes place Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14. Each year, the festival attracts international digital artists, filmmakers, musicians, interactive designers, photographers, VJs, producers, celebrities, agency executives and fans of art, technology and architecture. Visit DigitalGraffiti.com for tickets and details.

May 13 is the opening night of Xanadu presented by Emerald Coast Theatre Company. This Tony Award-nominated, hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends, Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, Xanadu is hilarity on wheels for anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired. For tickets and more information regarding performance dates and times, visit EmeraldCoastTheatre.org.

The 10th Annual Longleaf Writers Conference (formerly named Seaside Writers Conference) will take place in Seaside May 14 through 21, featuring award-winning, visiting authors Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Maurice Carlos Ruffin with other special guests including literary agents Annie Hwang and Caroline Eisenmann. Full conference registrations and a la carte seminars are available, along with options to participate in special events throughout the week, including personal consultations, readings and more. Register and purchase tickets online at LongleafWritersConference.com.

Gaffrey Art Material (GAM) invites everyone to a Warehouse Paint Party on Saturday, May 14 from 6 – 9 PM. Come see how our signature Gaffrey paint is made and tour our Warehouse of Wonders - where chemistry and art collide! Enjoy live paint demos, music, drinks & more. Then on Friday, May 20, Justin will present a new body of work entitled “Anti-Shark Gravity Subsidiary Ikebana Animals” from 6 - 9 PM at the Justin Gaffrey Gallery in Blue Mountain Beach.

The Foster Gallery, which is the CAA’s professional artist collective showcasing over a dozen rotating regional artists, special exhibitions and featured guests, will host the Foster Gallery Fête & Member Spring Fling on Friday, May 20 from 5 - 7 PM in the gallery located at 495 Grand Boulevard, Suite J104 (across from Tommy Bahama). The gallery will feature the work of the recently chosen local and regional Summer Rotation artists, in addition to a special Plein Air exhibit. Meet the artists and enjoy live music, complimentary light bites, beer & wine while strolling through the gallery, which is full of art works available for purchase. Awards will be presented for Art Partner of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of a Lifetime and more!

Join Sinfonia Gulf Coast on Sunday, May 29 from 6 – 9:30 PM in Alys Beach for the popular Sinfonia Goes Pop event. Enjoy an evening of your favorite patriotic, movie soundtracks and light classics as Sinfonia Gulf Coast performs a free concert in the Alys Beach Amphitheatre. The “doors”open at 6 PM, and the music will begin at 7:30 PM with fireworks at 9 PM. Remember to bring blankets or low back chairs for comfortable seating. Henry’s Food Truck will be available for Food & Beverage. For more information visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org.

Art Month Walton sponsors include Visit South Walton, Grand Boulevard Town Center, Florida Department of State, Division of Arts & Culture, The Alys Foundation, Emerald Coast Magazine and SoWal.com. Additional event sponsors are listed on individual event websites.

For more information on all Art Month events, please visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/art-month.

ART MONTH WALTON SCHEDULE

MAY 2

“ART & MORE” AUCTION GOES LIVE BENEFITING THE CAA & LOCAL ARTISTS Browse and bid on items 2022ArtMonth.givesmart.com

Bidding closes on Sunday, May 8 at 3 PM.

MAY 4

‘UNDER THE SEA’ FUNDRAISER WITH JONTAVIOUS WILLIS BENEFITING THE UNDERWATER MUSEUM OF ART Grand Park, 600 Grand Boulevard, Miramar Beach

6 - 9 PM

MAY 6

SIP & STROLL AT J. LEON GALLERY 13370 U.S. HWY 98, Miramar Beach

5 - 7 PM

MAY 7 - 8