Rotary Club of Wakefield

Projects

 

Announcing the "Service Above Self" Employer of the Year Award.

 

The Rotary Club of Wakefield is looking for nominations of local Narragansett and South Kingstown business owners to be named as Rotary "Employer of the Year".

 

To be eligible, an employer through actions or deeds must have demonstrated a commitment to their community exemplifying the Rotary ideal of
"Service Above Self".

 

If you Know of a local employer who has volunteered his/her time and effort to make their community a better place, then we would like to recognize that person.

 

Nomination forms are available at the Narragansett and South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce offices, or contact The Employee/Employer Relations Committee Chairperson: Rotary Club of Wakefield, P.O. Box 382, Wakefield, RI 02880

 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NARRAGANSETT ART FESTIVAL

 

The Narragansett Art Festival was established as an annual event approximately 28 years ago by the Narragansett Art Association (no one seems to remember the exact year it started). In 1982, the Art Association was disbanded and the Rotary Club of Wakefield was invited to continue the Festival by serving as the sponsoring organization. Rotarian Edward (Ted) Fish, agreed to take on the responsibility as Chairman of this event and it is now one of the Club's significant annual fundraising activities. The Festival is held on the last weekend each June at the Veteran's Memorial Park adjacent to the historic "Towers" on Ocean Road in Narragansett. It is free and open to the public from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

 

Each year, about 80% of the approximately 100 artists are repeat exhibitors. The remaining 20% are new artists who make each show fresh and interesting. Artists come primarily from Rhode Island, with a significant number representing our own South County area. Other New England states and Florida are also represented. The Festival is "non-juried" so artists do not need to submit their work in advance for acceptance to participate. This allows an opportunity for artists who may not have much prior experience to display their work in a public exhibition.

 

The Narragansett Art Festival is considered to be an outstanding show by the participating artists and an appreciative public who come in large numbers every year. The comfortable size of the field, the friendly atmosphere of the Festival, the camaraderie of the artists, and of course, the beautiful location overlooking scenic Narragansett Bay are frequently cited as reasons for the special success of this Festival.

 

The Narragansett Art Festival is possible because of the volunteer effort by members of the Rotary Club of Wakefield. Each morning and afternoon, Rotarians are present on the field to assist artists with unloading or loading their artwork between their car and display booth. The only food vendor permitted on the field is the Washington County Raiders, a youth football group who use this event as one of their own fundraising activities each year.

 

The 2004 Narragansett Art Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 at Veteran's Park, adjacent to the historic "Towers" on Ocean
Road, Narragansett. Approximately 100 artists from Rhode Island and throughout the Northeast attend with more than 65% returning each year. This is a non-juried show for Fine Art exhibiting Oils & Acrylics, Watercolors & Pastels, Drawing & Graphics, Photography, Sculpture and 3-Dimensional/Other Media. No functional art, crafts, pottery, clothing, furniture, jewelry, etc. is permitted in this show. (An opportunity for exhibiting work in these categories is available for the Art Show at the Hot Air Balloon Festival in July. Please inquire with the Chairperson listed below for further information). A panel of judges visits the field on Saturday morning to award a Best of Show, as well as First and Second Place awards in each category, with modest cash prizes for each. The registration fee is $100.00 for both days and a shared space for two artists is $60.00 each. Deadline for applications is June 1, 2004.

For more information and an application, click here  or contact Art Festival Chair, Deedra Durocher at 401-783-1820 (day), or 401-789-7713 (answering machine).