Madison Chautauqua rookies
collect judges' awards

Canadian sculptor wins Best of Show

By Don Ward
Editor

It took a first-year exhibitor from Canada to take over the top spot in the annual judged competition among 278 exhibitors participating in the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art. Meanwhile, several other first-year exhibitors picked up awards.
Dave Rizzo's metal-smithing proved a winner of "Best of Show," displaying his elegant, sleek creations that feature artistic blacksmith sculpture in steel and bronze. The Sherkston, Ontario, artist earned many accolades from the judges, who scour the festival grounds in search of what they consider to be the best of the best. They unanimously selected Rizzo as their overall winner, an honor that recently had been shared by two returning exhibitors, two-dimensional fabric artist Melanie Kimmel of Latrobe, Pa., and oil painter Kathleen Green of Groveport, Ohio.

In fact, it was the first time in her four years of exhibiting in Madison that Kimmel did not win something. She won First Place in Fine Art in 2004 and Best of Show in 2003. Green, meanwhile, took First Place in Fine Art the last two years and Best of Show in 2002. She won Second Place in Fine Art this year.

Barry and Sandi Black of Warsaw, Ind., also have been a repeat winner in the Craft category the past two years with Barry's handpainted wood butterflies that look realistic. They won Best Presentation in 2002 and 2003. They did not win this year.
Instead, the judges were impressed this year with Rizzo's work. "He understands his media and still experiments on his designs and approaches beyone his craft," wrote the judges, whose names are not revealed. On design and form, they wrote, "Unified sense of line and shape with the repetition of the texture on the metal contrasted with the fluidity of the line." On display, they said, "Sensitive display using furniture as pedestal."

Several other exhibitors also were honored with awards. First-year exhibitor Sharon Snoeyink of Grand Rapids, Mich., earned two awards, winning First Place in Craft and "Best Presentation" with her unique dolls. But these are no ordinary dolls. They are joined figurative sculptures with head and hands made of clay.
As for her presentation award, the judges wrote, "unique use of beads and features; beautiful, uncluttered presentation, focused on craft, clean." Snoeyink used different heights to draw attention to the viewer's eye.
Scot Schmidt of Oshkosh, Wisc., placed second in Craft with his limestone tile sculptures. It was his third year in the show. Fourteen-year exhibitor Jeff and Lynn Vollmer of Cincinnati placed third in Craft with their decorative wood boxes.

First-year exhibitor and photographer Brad Kelly of Orlando, Fla., meanwhile, earned First Place in Fine Art with his "Pictures of Lily" booth. He features photos of landscapes in China and the United States.
"His ability to capture the visual excitement in color combined with the commitment to location and culture yield striking compositions," the judges wrote.
Kelly traveled for four years, climbing to get intentional views of China's diverse countryside. He also explored various uses of light in his photography.
First-year exhibitor Larry Wright of Louisville earned Third Place in Fine Art behind Green. Wright is also a photographer who featured natural and man-made visual environments.

The judges also presented an Honorable Mention award to first-year exhibitor Trent Altman of Louisville for his abstract fine art.
The Chautauqua, in its 36th consecutive year, was plaqued by persistent rain and the late afternoon forcast for high wind, forcing organizers to shut down the festival at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Some exhibitors experienced damage to their tents and one suffered thousands of dollars in loss when a late night wind late Friday night brokes dozens of handmade pottery.
A few exhibitors packed up and left town before the show even opened at 10 a.m. Saturday, but for the most part, the artists withstood the elements and were rewarded Sunday with a large crowd that flooded the streets of downtown Madison. some Main Street merchants also reported strong sales throughout the weekend.

"I had one of my best weekends ever, even on Saturday when people came into our store to get out of the rain," said Hurley Adams of The Fabric Shop on Main Street.
Some exhibitors reported steady sales among the few who braved the light rain on Saturday. That was before a hard rain hit around 1 p.m., forcing the eventual shutdown of the event until Sunday morning. Sunday's weather was warm and party cloudy, with a light breeze, with temperatures rising into the low 70s.
"For all we had to go through with the weather on Satuday, we had a great day on Sunday," said festival coordinator Georgie Kelly.
Mickey Schwartz, who oversees the riverfront food vendors, said many of his vendors sold out on Sunday and went home happy.