Flamingo Follies to usher in the holiday season

The 19th annual Flamingo Follies: A Holiday Art Show will usher in the holiday season Nov. 14 and 15 on beautiful Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, beachside. Arts and crafts exhibits, continuous entertainment, food stands and specials in the many retail shops and restaurants will be the highlights of the festive event.
Plan to take a leisurely stroll along Flagler Avenue during Flamingo Follies. Many Flagler Avenue merchants will participate by offering special sales and promotions during the weekend. Browsers and shoppers will be able to find unique and one-of-a-kind gifts for all ages and to fit every budget.  Visitors will find a plethora of jewelry, ceramics, decorative art, glass art, fabric art, sculpture, clothing and much more along Flagler Avenue’s charming and quaint five blocks between the Indian River and the ocean. It will be the perfect time to have fun while doing some holiday shopping.

Jenny Stine, known for her colorful and fun paper mache' fish and creature sculptures will be exhibiting at Flamingo Follies. Photo by Sandi Carroll

More than 100 art and craft booths will be scattered along Flagler Avenue from Peninsula to North Atlantic Avenue. Artists and crafters will be exhibiting their wares from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Several popular and well-known local artists; including Steve Hardock, Jenny Stine, Mike Nelson, Jerry Kennedy, Kim Kaiser, and Margaret Yarranton will be exhibiting. In addition, artists will be competing for approximately $5,000 in prize money.
The gazebo at Flagler and Pine will be the site of continuous entertainment both days. Live entertainment groups will include The Nedobeck Trio, Bob Kissel, Offshore Duo, AcoustiCon and Cabin Fever.
Food and beverage will be plentiful during Flamingo Follies. In addition to the great restaurants and lounges found on Flagler Avenue, vendors will be set up at various locations on the street. Festival favorites such as “Kettle Korn,” fresh squeezed lemonade, gran arepa, cheese-steak subs, burgers, hot dogs, and more will be available both days.
Billie Grace Lynn, assistant professor, sculpture, University of Miami, Coral Gables, will be the juror for the show. As part of her teaching philosophy, Lynn says, “In addition to formal class time, I always try to do some of my own work at school during non-class hours so that students can be witness to another’s process. I do not conceal my own struggles, lack of virtuosity, or failures. It is my hope that such self-exposure will manifest the truth that through the self-discipline of hard work, done on a consistent basis, almost anything can be accomplished. The ultimate teaching is, of course, to teach students how to teach themselves. Only this knowledge can sustain an artist over time through obscurity, struggle, and especially, success.”
Lynn is the recipient of several awards and grants and has exhibited her works in numerous solo, two person and selected group exhibitions. She has participated in several art residencies over the years, including one in Scotland, and was part of the 2003 “Wind Art” residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach.

Juror Billie Lynn

In her artist’s statement Lynn says, “This has always been the work of art: to inspire the senses—to make the body feel—without necessarily direct experience, through signs, colors, sounds, movement, and so on. At its highest, the experience and the making of art are identical. Accordingly, my work is usually interactive and kinetic in nature. I strive to make pieces in which the viewer interface is both the form and function of the piece. I want people to remember themselves, in much the same way that babies discover their fingers.”
Flagler Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday for Flamingo Follies. All cars must be removed from the street during those hours.
The City of New Smyrna Beach hosts Flamingo Follies: A Holiday Art Show each year with assistance from the Merchants of Flagler Avenue. For more information, call NSB Parks and Recreation at 386-424-2175, or visit www.cityofnsb.com. Don’t miss this festive and fun holiday art show!

Steve Hartock will be one of the artists exhibiting at Flamingo Follies. Photo by Sandi Carroll

Brook Verschage visited a prior Flamingo Follies with Twinkel Toes (left) and Tigger, who enjoyed the art show and street festival from the comfort of the bicycle basket. Photo by Sandi Carroll