The upper level of the observatory at Coral World turned out to be the perfect place for an art show. More than 300 local residents showed up to enjoy the 11th annual St. Thomas-St. John Arts Council Caribbean Colour Art Exhibit opening Sunday, March 21.
The show, which presented works of more than 80 artists, was held at the east end attraction for the first time.
There had been some grumbling about having to pay an entrance fee to get into Coral World, but it didn't seem to hamper attendance, which was as good as usual, according to STAC President Shaun Pennington.
Pennington said Coral World had extended a special rate of $6 for locals for that day.
"Last year we had it on St. John, so people from St. Thomas had to pay $6 for the ferry ride," she said. "It all evens out. Besides, for one low price everyone got to see Coral World, too."
There is another bonus at this year's show: a raffle of two hand-painted, hand-sewn quilts. The project was the brainchild of Mina Orenstein.
"When we sent out the entry applications to the artists, we included a square of muslin and asked them to send it back to us with a face on it," Orenstein said. "Then we had Casey Cunningham put them all together into a quilt."
As it turned out, "we had so many we had to create two quilts," she added.
The exhibit, along with the quilts, will continue through April 18 at Coral World and raffle tickets will continue to be sold.
Artists who exhibit donate 20 percent of any sales back to the Arts Council.
There were eight categories in which artists could submit works plus two young people's categories. The three top winners for each category are listed below.
Student Painting
1st – William Caban
2nd – Chuck Penn
3rd – Jason Casimir
Student Sculpture
1st – Johnson Francis
2nd – Charles Cornwall
3rd – Cerone McTavous
Oil
1st – Mitch Gibbs
2nd – Elisa Bryan
3rd – Shansi Miller
Watercolor
1st – Maude Pierre Charles
2nd – Vicki Royers
3rd – Kat Sowa
Drawing
1st – Bente Hirsch
2nd – Kimberly Leighton Boulon
3rd – Kat Sowa
Sculpture
1st – Johanne de Martelly
2nd – Michael Banzahf/Hermon Smith
3rd – Gail Van de Bogurt
Acrylic
1st – Julie Cassinelli
2nd – Jackie Cawley
3rd – Anne Higham
Pastel
1st – Janet Cook-Rutnik
2nd – Kimberly Boulon
3rd – Carolyn Caldwell
Printmaking
1st – Deborah St. Clair
2nd – Edie Johnson
3rd – Lina Guild
Other Mixed Media
1st – Aimee Trayser
2nd – Erik Pedersen
3rd – Sue Edwards
Folk Art & Craft
1st – Jane Ryan Clemo
2nd – Casey Cunningham
3rd – Claudia Hartshorn