Southport Magazine

What: 18th annual Arts by the Shore
When: Thurs., 11/15 to Sun., 11/18
Where: Oak Island Recreation Center
3003 E. Oak Island Dr., 278-5518
Cost: free to shop; $10 to enter three pieces
Info: www.oakislandartguild.org

For an artist, it is pers-onally gratifying to witness an onlooker appreciating your work, but it’s not always easy—or cheap—to enter competitions for critique. Most importantly, how often are they open to the public for selling one’s work?

In Oak Island, artists band together annually to support each other and showcase a variety of works, from paintings and sculptures to photography and crafts. The three-day festival, Arts by the Shore, will go down this year from November 15th through 18th. It all sparked from a handful of artists about 30 years ago, when the Oak Island Art Guild was founded.

The group’s goal was and is to further cultural arts for Oak Island by providing workshops and instruction for members, as well as opening doors for the public through events such as this. Support from the community grew to be everlasting.

“Arts by the Shore was started by the Oak Island Parks and Recreation and Daisy Cameron from the Oak Island Art Guild in 1994,” Billie Jayroe of OI Parks and Recreation tells. “The show was a program started to showcase work from local artists on the island.”

Last year’s event included 89 particpants and filled two large rooms at the Oak Island Recreation Center. “It started out in one room with fewer participants exhibiting two days,” Jayroe explains.

Artists in oil, acrylic, drawing/pastel, watercolor, photography on paper, mixed media, sculpture, clay, fiber, glass, wood, and crafts may enter three pieces together for only $10. Check-in is at the rec. center on Thursday, Nov. 15th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Participants are encouraged to submit their registration early to save time. Registration forms and rules are available at www.oakislandartguild.org.

Anyone 18 and up may enter and all pieces are accepted. “This allows local and regional artists that have not exhibited before to show their work and possibly receive an award,” Jayroe shares. “Many of the pieces are for sale, and there are all prices and media. The most unusual items we have exhibited include surfboards and chainsaw wood sculptures.”

Works will be judged by professional artist Christa Balogh for monetary awards, ribbons, merit and honorable-mention awards. Balogh is a painter, weaver, mosaicist, sculptor, potter, ceramicist, and art educator at Southeastern Community College.

The show and sale will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16th and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17th. The awards ceremony and reception will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.