Valene Arts and Film Festival 2024: A Celebration of Visual and Artistic Talent
With yearly Beth Spring Reviews, I have highlighted it as the center stage to showcase our performing arts. As this is the 2nd Annual Valene Arts and Film Festival and still quite in its infancy, it might seem dangerous to say, but this could very well be the center stage to showcase our visual and graphics arts in much the same way for years to come.
This event brings together talented highlights in book writing, graphics, digital art, photography, painting, and even culinary arts. What makes this festival great is its inclusivity. This is a platform for artists at all levels. Whether you have been crafting for decades or just started a few months ago, you have a chance to shine at any point in your journey.
When I walk through the exhibit hall, I see varied applications of art and imagine how many forms could come together to tell compelling stories. Some of Carolee’s paintings are evocative of the backdrops you might find in classic Disney cartoons or the living scriptures. Meanwhile, another booth displayed impressive cartoon characters, hinting at the potential for our community to produce our own animated stories to tell our history.
Another striking realization as you walk through the exhibit hall, is the discovery of hidden talent. It’s surprising how much artistic ability lies just beneath the surface, often unknown due to lack of exposure and a place to showcase. I witnessed one of the most incredibly detailed cakes decorated as a dragon. So detailed and lifelike that it resembled a professionally sculpted and painted piece. This was crafted by someone I had never associated with artistic expression, proving the festivals mission to uncover and showcase hidden talents.
Within the main keynote, Valene showcased a highlight reel unveiling the impressive capabilities of students learning 3D animation, emphasizing the need to nurture young talent in this field. Seeing these demonstrations reinforced the importance of taking control of our creative narratives and producing our own content and was amazing to see the entry level talent being produced at such a young age.
The Valene Arts and Film Festival is more than an exhibition; it’s a testament to the power of community and collaboration. It encourages the fusion of different artistic disciplines to create something greater than the sum of its parts. If you didn’t have the chance to attend or exhibit this year, I highly recommend you participate in next year's event. I’m excited to see the progress and growth of our community and the standard being showcased improve each year.
Feedback for future exhibitors:
As the Valene Arts and Film Festival implies, I would like to see a better balance of film or video showcased. I was made aware of some cartoons Sam Johnson has been creating for years on YouTube. This would be an excellent example of what could be showcased in film and it would be nice to have it more discovered within our community.
As I saw many artistic talents expressed, the way booths were presented could have more thought and craft. Considering the design of your booth and how you showcase your art improves the level of impact your art has among others.
For the keynote, I would like to have seen subjects aligned with some businesses emphasizing business opportunities where artistic talent could be cultivated or guidance on taking someone's talents and directing them towards a particular career path.
Just as Beth’s Spring Fling evokes energy and emotion and a theme with music, visuals, lighting. The Valene Arts and Film Festival may consider utilizing music kicking off the keynote and transitioning between speakers.
The projector used to display slides during talks was beginning to be set up at the time the keynote was supposed to start. Having a preset time prior to the event to set up and test things can help in some of these things.
All in all, I applaud the efforts of all and look forward to seeing this event come together and grow each year to eventually be an iconic staple in our community as Beth’s Spring Fling has established themselves to be for performing arts.
