New World Festival of the Arts Announces Call For Entries

Posted By Matt Artz on February 6, 2017

Dare County Arts Council announces a Call for Entry for the 36th Annual New World Festival of the Arts, which will be held at the Manteo waterfront August 16-17 from 10am to 5pm.

The free, outdoor festival brings 100 artists from all over the East Coast to showcase their fine art, including painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, wood design, and leather works.

“Last year was my first time participating in New World Festival of the Arts,” said Virginia Beach, VA based artist and 2016 New World Festival of the Arts 2D Best in Show award recipient Ed Obermeyer. “My wife and I were pleasantly surprised by the beauty and charm of Manteo and the visually stunning scenery of the festival location.

The setting is a plein air artists dream come true, and I plan on returning this year to participate in the show and paint some of the fantastic sites around the festival. The Dare County Arts Council has a true gem of festivals in this venue. I would encourage all fine artists to explore this show in depth and participate.”

Artists wishing to participate in New World Festival of the Arts can find an application online at DareArts.org. The application deadline is Friday, March 31. Acceptance notifications will be made by April 15.

Mixed media artist Lisa Beth Robinson will judge the show. Robinson makes artist books (letterpress, papermaking, printmaking) broadsides, fine art, curates exhibitions, and is an assistant professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

“It is both a pleasure and a privilege to join the 2017 New World Festival of the Arts,” said Lisa Beth Robinson. “I’m looking forward to reading the visual story of our region, told through the voice and hands of fine artists and craftspeople.

As a juror I look for strong compositions, forms, and designs; excellence in craftsmanship; and concepts which are thoughtfully and clearly communicated. In more poetic terms, work that entices, work that makes me want to stop and spend time, work that brings me to unexpected places in thought and feeling.”

Bringing an average of 5,000-6,000 attendees to the historic Town of Manteo each year, New World Festival of the Arts has been a Manteo tradition for decades, providing awareness of current trends in the visual arts. The festival was started by Manteo business owner Edward Greene, and is sponsored by the Town of Manteo and funded by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council.

This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.