ATLANTA — The 88th annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival started on Friday afternoon, and thousands have already flocked to Piedmont Park.
The festival's executive director, Brian Hill, said more than 1,000 artists from all over the country competed to fill one of the 260 spots to display their art.
High school students also have the opportunity to display their work at the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition, which is part of the festival. Over 700 entries were received from more than 80 schools in 17 Georgia counties, and 219 students were selected to show their art during the festival.
“Those are the future artists that you'll see out here professionally, and the work that they're doing now is just really, really worth seeing,” said Hill. It inspires a lot of them because nobody sees their work outside of their classrooms and at home. This is the first time they have had a real public viewing, and the excitement is really something to see."
Hill added that the purpose of the festival is to foster art wherever they can, adding that he thinks it’s amazing what the students are capable of creating.
Director of the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition, Becky Raffalovich, said it also helps inspire students by giving them the opportunity to display their work in a show.
“With a lot of students, it gives them that encouragement that they really need,” Raffalovich said. “And I’ve had a couple kids who won top awards for this show, and they said I’ve always loved art but didn’t think I was good enough for this show. And it validates them—you’re good enough.”
Raffalovich is an art teacher in Gwinnett County. She explained that while the judges already picked their top ten pieces and ten honorable mentions, the community still has a chance to weigh in.
Festivalgoers can vote on their favorite art piece in the exhibit. On Sunday, they’ll announce the “People’s Choice Award”.
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival runs from Friday through Sunday.