St. Armands Annual Art Festival returns

No matter the medium, there was something for every art fan at the St. Armands Annual Art Festival on April 10 and 11. 

First scheduled for January, the festival featured artists from the Sarasota-Bradenton area, around the state and even some from around the country, such as Claudio Tolousse from New Mexico.

Though it took up about the same amount of space as in a normal year, Longboat Key photographer Mary Lou Johnson noted that there had to be more space between the booths to allow for social distancing. She had been on a wait list and learned two days earlier she would be part of the event. In a normal year, Johnson gets eyes on her art at shows throughout the year, but this is the second show she's done since the pandemic. 

"I did Siesta (Fiesta), but in the past year, four shows got canceled," Johnson said. 

Other artists noted similar situations. Linda Hugues, a painter from Tampa, has done only one other show since the pandemic and showed her art in a virtual setting. Despite the warm, windy day, artists were grateful to be back in person once more.