The Narragansett Art Festival was this past weekend, and it was my first outdoor festival event. Saturday opened beautifully with warm sun, turning to a few clouds and mild summer conditions throughout the afternoon and a drizzle in the evening. While I have little to compare to the experience, I can only imagine the Narragansett Art Festival has possibly the most beautiful backdrop for any outdoor arts event! A drive by the beach as you approach the greenway, the ocean just to the east, the iconic Towers overlooking the field, and summer sun overhead... My booth was stocked with my best frames and Fine Art items.
With crowds of enthusiastic people, the smell of the food trucks, the sounds of the ocean... it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon as a Rhode Island Artist.
Many of us were watching the radar apprehensively all day and while the rain held off for us on Saturday, it certainly made up for it overnight. Saturday night, weather took a turn for the worse.
With over an inch of rainfall and 25+mph winds from the east in the early hours of Sunday morning, the village of white tents was left unprotected from the storm. About half of the artists, myself included, broke down to some degree on Saturday in anticipation of the storm. I broke down all the way to a condensed pile of equipment covered in a tarp weighted by dumbbells. Several artists with sturdier tent structures threw on a few extra weights and weathered the storm without a scratch. But those who decided to brave the elements with lightweight tent frames were not so lucky.
The Arts Festival was cancelled for Sunday due to heavy damages sustained overnight. Many artists suffered losses of both equipment and inventory from the heavy winds and rain. While I'm grateful to have suffered no losses, I encourage everyone to continue to support their local artists as we all face the various storms that come our way!
Thank you to everyone who turned out for the event Saturday, and be sure to visit my booth at the next event, Wickford Art Festival, July 11th–12th
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