Stockley Gardens Spring Arts Festival 2023 | Norfolk, VA
Something about the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival feels especially warm and fuzzy.
Perhaps it’s the fact that 100% of the proceeds from the festival supports individuals with developmental disabilities via the Hope House Foundation. Perhaps it’s the kind locals and friendly fellow artists. Whatever the underlying cause, Stockley Gardens Art Festival has a way of lifting the spirits.
Although I have exhibited at the Stockley Gardens before this Fall, this was my first time exhibiting here in the Spring, and it feels like a different, albeit equally delightful, world.
For two weeks leading up to the Stockley Gardens Spring Arts Festival, there was nothing but rain in the forecast. I should know better by now than to fret about fickle weather, and this weekend proved just that. Barely a drop of rain fell from the sky during show hours before the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly through the trees.
The fresh coastal air around Norfolk and the blooming flowers in and around Stockley Gardens made for a magical backdrop for beautiful art, live music, and festival fun.
Thank you to all of my new and returning Norfolk collectors for bringing home a piece of my work with them. It was so lovely to meet you all, and to my returning collectors from the Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival, it was such a delight to see you all again.
And to my fellow artists, I’m so honored to be welcomed into your community. We’ve loved getting to know our fellow art fair exhibitors at these events and cherish these friendships dearly. Art fair exhibiting is such a unique career path, so it’s invaluable to find and connect with like souls who understand the life.
After Saturday’s event, we had a chance to dine with our new Virginia art fair family at the Freemason Abbey Restaurant. This one-of-a-kind cathedral-turned-restaurant offers a unique dining experience with some of the best seafood in the area (their She Crab soup was my personal favorite!).
Check out my talented artist friends’ incredible work below (as pictured from left to right):
Hillary’s metalsmith jewelry @camerashycove
Corrine’s metalsmith jewelry @textureandtarnish
Ralf and Liz’s cold wax and oil paintings @fineartbylizdoody
Nickolai’s mixed media work @nickolaiwalko
On the way home from the resaturant, we were even treated to improptu fireworks on the side of the highway. What a powerful cap to the evening.
After the festival, driving off into the most beautiful sunset on Sunday evening felt like a fitting close to the weekend.
Now, I’m looking forward to our last two events of the Spring art fair season (and in slight disbelief that the end of the Spring season is almost here!).
On June 3-4, find us in Roanoke, VA at the Sidewalk Art Show, hosted by the Taubman Museum of Art. This event will be our first ever repeat art fair, and if it’s anything like last year’s Sidewalk Art Show, then I’ll be over the moon with gratitude.
Next after that will be our last event of the Spring: Arts in the Park in beautiful Blowing Rock, NC. We’ll be up in the High Country quite a bit this summer, so check out the Events Calendar to see more.