MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager

(361) 320-2064 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com

ROCKPORT ART FESTIVAL PREPARES FOR ANNUAL HOLIDAY EVENT

Patsy Lindamood selected as 2024 event’s Master Artist; Anita Diebel named honorary chair for Art Auction Gala

ROCKPORT, Texas (May 7, 2024) — Tickets are now on sale for the 56th annual Rockport Art Festival, presented by Salemi Ace Hardware. Hosted by Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA), the event will be held on the Festival Grounds at Rockport Harbor, Saturday and Sunday, July 6–7, with the Art Auction Gala on Friday night, July 5, kicking off the holiday weekend activities.

Since its inaugural summer event in 1969, the Rockport Art Festival has become one of the largest and most celebrated annual art events in the U.S. with an estimated 10,000 attendees and more than 120 juried artists from across the country participating each year. A complete list of participating artists will be available for viewing on the event website at rockportartfest.com.

“Over the past 55 years, the Rockport Art Festival has become a cherished tradition over the July Fourth weekend on Aransas Bay in the heart of Rockport-Fulton and we're thrilled to once again welcome artists, patrons, and tourists to this vibrant gathering,” said Karen Ernst, chairperson of the Rockport Art Festival. "This event promises a delightful festival atmosphere, celebrating creativity at its finest and offering a prime opportunity to acquire unique, original artworks spanning various mediums and price ranges.”

Art Fest hours are July 6 from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and July 7 from 10 a.m.– 5 p.m., on the Festival Grounds at Rockport Harbor, located at 1500 E. Laurel, adjacent to Rockport Beach Park and Aransas Bay. Attendees can enjoy many other activities throughout the festival weekend, including a variety of food and drink options, live music inside an air-conditioned 14,000-square-foot tent, and a children’s activity tent featuring craft activities, face painting and live musical entertainment.

Known for her realistic watercolor pencil, graphite and soft pastel works, Patsy Lindamood is the 32nd artist to be honored as Rockport Art Festival Master Artist, a tradition that began in 1993 with Harold Phenix. As Master Artist, she will host a solo show, Rockport Coast Lines, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, June 21–August 4 in RCA’s H-E-B Gallery. Lindamood will provide an original piece of art to the annual Art Auction Gala on July 5, which will also feature work from previous master artists including Anita Diebel who was named honorary chair this year.  Held each year since 1993, as the kickoff to Art Fest, the sold-out patron event takes place in an air-conditioned big top tent on the Festival Grounds and includes several auctions, live music, and a catered dinner.

The Art Festival Store will also be open throughout the weekend with a variety of items for purchase such as the highly sought-after event T-shirts, designed each year by a Rockport-Fulton Middle School student. This year’s winning artist and design will be revealed prior to the event.

In addition to providing an economic boon for Rockport–Fulton and surrounding Aransas County, Art Fest is also the biggest fundraiser of the year for RCA. Together, the festival and auction raise a significant portion of the funds required for the annual operating budget, which helps to create and sustain the many free to low-cost visual arts and educational programs hosted year-round.

Tickets to the festival weekend are available online, in person at RCA before the event weekend, and on event days at the festival. Single-day festival tickets are priced at $10 per day for ages 13 and up (12 and under are free), with two-day festival VIP Passes available for $15 each, providing pre-opening access to the festival on both days starting at 9 a.m.

Sponsors and supporters of the 56th Annual Rockport Art Festival include:

• Presenting Sponsor: Salemi’s Ace Hardware

• Sustainer Sponsors: American Bank, GSM Insurors, L&F Distributors of Corpus Christi, Marea at Estes Flats

• Media Sponsor: KRIS 6 NEWS

• Patron Sponsors: 1st Community Bank, Frost Banking Investments Insurance, Key Allegro Real Estate, Prosperity Bank, Teal Construction Company, IBC Bank, H-E-B

• Government Support: City of Rockport, Texas Commission on the Arts, Aransas County

• Champions of Public Support for the Arts: Texans for the Arts, Rockport Cultural Arts District

For more information or to purchase tickets for the Rockport Art Festival, please visit rockportartfest.com or call (361) 729-5519.

About Rockport Art Festival Master Artists, 1993–present

1993 Harold Phenix †; 1994 Steve Russell (Founding member of the Rockport Art Association, Inc.); 1995 Al Barnes †; 1996 Herb Booth †; 1997 Jesus Moroles †; 1998 Evelyn Atkinson; 1999 Ricardo Rivera †; 2000 Kay Barnebey; 2001 Jim Offeman; 2002 Flint Reed; 2003 Anita Diebel; 2004 Thom Evans †; 2005 Carol Koutnik; 2006 Hal McCaskill; 2007 Nanci Barnes; 2008 Teresa Justice; 2009 Lisa Baer Frederick; 2010 Shirley Hughes Blackman; 2011 Betty Shamel; 2012 Bruce Bitter; 2013 Bonnie Lou Prouty; 2014 Pamela Fulcher; 2015 Chance Yarbrough; 2016 Joey Blazek; 2017 Barb Robinson; 2018 Debbie Stevens; 2019 Angalee DeForest; 2020 V… Vaughan; 2021 Robin Hazard; 2022 Jeffrey Neel McDaniel; 2023 Kent Ullberg; and 2024 Patsy Lindamood 

Legend: † Deceased

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