Often cited as among the “Best Fine Art & Design Shows” in the nation, Mainsail Arts Festival is a premier St. Petersburg, Florida, outdoor event celebrating its 40th year. It is scheduled for April 18 and 19 in Vinoy Park on Tampa Bay.
If the excellent forecast holds true, organizers can expect more than 100,000 visitors this weekend to weave in and out of the rows of booths where 250+ juried artists and craftspeople exhibit tempting wares and wait to learn who among them won prizes totaling $64,000.
The aroma of festival food in the open air Culinary Arts Food Court will vie for the crowd’s attention, as will the music of nearby live entertainment. Children will boldly or shyly step into the Junior League of St. Petersburg’s Kids Create Tent to make “Fish Prints, Magical Star Wands, Watercolor Butterflies, Marble Artistry, Handcrafted Bookmarks and Seeds-in-a-Bag (Horticulture 101).”
And, Saturday afternoon, people of all ages will purchase 2015 festival T-shirts from my husband and me – on duty as we will be at the event’s Promotions Tent. As in years past, we will get our orders from coordinators and chat with fellow volunteers, tracking down the shirts on steady demand: small, medium, large and degrees of large.
Time tends to pass quickly. The sense of community lingers. We are tiny cogs in this wheel of commerce for an historically tough trade, one subject to whim and economic downturns. Art, as I know from experience, requires the expenditure of discretionary income. I also know it is a joy to discover a piece of art you must have; a discovery worth celebrating, particularly in the presence of its creator. All bets are on that I will experience that joy.
With 20 years of calling St. Petersburg home, we know the city prides itself on supporting the arts, and the Mainsail weekend is just one way it does. While the city promotes itself as an art destination, it creates a pleasant atmosphere for its residents and guests. Whatever else it must do to function for its citizens, we think its 40 years of Mainsail is worth celebrating.