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By Rebecca Greenspan Prehistoric art, sea monsters and floating ships were all standing proud in Tybee Island’s north beach May 7 during the annual Sand Arts Festival, sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design’s department of foundation studies, the sculpture minor, Coca-Cola and Cingular Wireless. More than 400 students participated in about 150 teams of up to four people to create works of art in four categories: sand sculpture, sand relief, sand castle and wind sculpture. Sand sculpture, the most popular category, is created when students literally sculpt sand above the ground (this year, the minimum height was 3 feet). In contrast, the sand relief category makes use of the sand at ground level. Sand castles are a time-honored beach tradition, and the wind sculptures are fashioned to use the wind to add to the decorative appeal of the piece. Entries in the sand castle, sand sculpture and sand relief competitions were judged on their demonstration of creativity of concept and design, as well as excellence of craft and detail. Entries in the wind sculpture competition were evaluated according to structural development, surface decoration and ability to fly. As residents of Savannah, members of the SCAD community and tourists looked on in amazement, hundreds of students created sand castles, sand sculptures and sand relief out of nothing but beach sand, water and natural materials found on the beach. Wind sculptures were installed throughout the afternoon. “My favorite part of the festival is watching the students create and have fun,” said foundation studies professor Nan Rainey who organized the event. “The purpose of the festival is to offer students a day of creative fun at the beach in honor of their hard work during the school year. The festival provides a wonderful conclusion to the school year.” When all was said and done, only 12 teams emerged victorious — but with a little more change in their pockets. First place in each of the four categories won $250, second place walked away with $200 and third place earned $150. Periklis Pagratis, chair of the foundation studies department, announced the awards to a crowd of students and onlookers. In the sand sculpture competition, a double sea serpent took top honors. Second place went to a figure that appeared to be climbing from beneath the surface of the sand, and third place went to a well-executed ashtray, complete with cigarettes. The sand relief category featured a large variety of designs, but first place went to a rendition of the Egyptian Temple of Carnac, created with four seated ancient temple guards. The second place award was given for a woman (an actual woman) soaking in a bathtub with a martini. Third place was awarded to the sand version of Venus of Willendorf, the most famous prehistoric image of a human. In the sand castle division, an intricate double-towered castle with winding staircases won first place. Second place went to a castle that appeared to have roots. Third place was awarded to an elaborate castle on a craggy hill with windows, levels, towers and stairs. The wind sculpture competition, which had the fewest but some of most interesting entries, this year included a performance artist. First place went to an intricately created ship with sails that appeared to glide through the air. The second place award was given to a freestanding set of wind chimes, while third place went to a music stand with colorful streamers. “Student participation was wonderful,” Rainey said. “Students from almost every major at SCAD participated in the festival and a few arrived on the beach as early as 5:30 a.m. to begin sand sculpting. Several students told me that the festival is their favorite event at SCAD. They were thrilled that the festival grows larger every year and were very excited about returning next spring. The number of visitors from the community was also much higher this year. One member of Tybee Island’s City Council thanked me for having the event on their beach and expressed how exciting the festival is for their community.” A complete list of winners and images from the Sand Arts Festival can be seen at www.scad.edu/sandarts. Greenspan is media relations manager at SCAD. |
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