GLOUCESTER — The Gloucester Arts Festival is returning in June for its sixth year of promoting community through art.
The festival runs June 4-25 and will shed light on local talent as well as host nationally and internationally known artists.
“One of my favorite things is to partner with extraordinary artists,” said Executive Director of The Cook Foundation, Elizabeth Blackney, in an interview with WYDaily. “This is our mission, to ensure that we bring the arts to the community but also foster and sponsor the arts that are in the community.”
One of the artists participating in this year’s festival is Adrian Landon. Landon has made a name for himself in the art world by creating larger-than-life pieces using metal as his preferred medium. One sculpture that Landon received national notoriety for made its debut in 2019 at the Burning Man festival.
At Burning Man, Landon presented a giant moving-mechanical pegasus that lights on fire. The artist has entitled the kinetic equine: “Wings of Glory,” and it’s currently featured at Chatsworth House in Devonshire, England as a part of the Radical Horizons exhibit.
Landon is one of the internationally-known artists that will be visiting and participating in the Gloucester Arts Festival.
The Cook Foundation, an organization operating in its 23rd year working to expand and promote the arts in Gloucester, has announced that Landon will be installing four of his sculptures throughout Gloucester’s main street area for the festival.
The four Landon-designed sculptures slated to arrive at Gloucester’s Art Festival are named “Apocalypto,” “Galloping Wind,” “Equus Argentuum,” and “The Mechanical Horse.” The latter is another one of Landon’s kinetic sculptures.
“There will be a button, and it [The Mechanical Horse] will be outside,” said Blackney. “When people press the button, the horse will gallop. We expect that to be really exciting for everybody.”
Regional artists like Matt Lively, a muralist/painter from Richmond, will be showcasing their art in Gloucester during the festival.
Lively is currently in the process of painting a mural that is slated to be complete around the 16th or 17th of this month.
“We’ve been here for a really long time and we want to see the arts within the community just kind of grow and become exciting,” said Blackeny. “It’s important to us to ensure that the artists here have a chance to showcase their work as well.”
The following events will take place throughout June:
- Heart of the River Studio Tour — June 4-5
- A Night Off Broadway in Gloucester — June 4
- Sculpture Walk — June 7-8
- Virginia Symphony Under the Stars — June 11
- Brews & Brine — June 14
- Paint Main — June 18
- Plein Air Invitation Exhibit & Gala — June 14-18
- Cocktails in the Garden — June 22
- Village Arts Day — June 25
For more information on the upcoming festival, please visit the Gloucester Arts Festival’s official website or Facebook page.
