The 2017 Great Dismal Swamp Art Festival.
Bald cypress trees rising from still, dark water provide a dramatic backdrop for the third annual Great Dismal Swamp Art Festival set for Oct. 28-29. Held along a stretch of the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail in Chesapeake that is dense with foliage, the festival features the work of nearly 100 artists from the region, as well as demonstrations, live music and food, kids’ programs, park tours and the aptly-named Swampathon 5K and Mutt Run 1K. Richmond fiber artist Nastassja E. Swift, whose sculptural handmade needle-felted figures (pictured above) are inspired by African figurines, and Virginia Beach-based painter Ed Obermeyer are among the artists who will be showing their work. Executive director and volunteer Katharine Pollard and her partner, former Chesapeake City Council member Scott Matheson, conceived the festival to support the arts in the area. The location, says Pollard, was the inspiration: “Why not capture something that is the heart of Virginia?” Admission and parking are free. Open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. DismalSwampArt.com
Upcoming art events around the Commonwealth:
