#ArtMatters Issue 1 - Fall 2022

QUESTION + ANSWER with Executive Director, Jennifer Steele

I am thrilled to introduce you to the Cultural Arts Alliance’s first issue of our new print publication, ARTmatters. We will bring you this beautiful magazine three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer) with each issue designed to dually function as a timely CAA program guide and a glossy publication highlighting Walton County’s robust Arts community.

In this issue you will find the CAA’s 2021-22 Annual Report information, including impact numbers, our Arts award winners, events that made a comeback, and our latest programs that were inspired by both the pandemic and new creative partnerships.

QWHAT WAS THE FIRST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?

1992. Wichita, KS. MC Hammer with Boyz II Men. I can still see the hammer pants.

We also highlight some of our special board members who tell their art stories, give updates on our Foster Gallery expansion, and feature Walton County Artist of the Year Joseph Messer whose work graces our first cover.

AAnd finally, this issue begins our celebration of the CAA’s 30th anniversary with a timeline of our three decades and a brand evolution that honors our past while we look to the future. We hope you enjoy learning about the CAA’s history, programs and impact and are inspired to join us in our mission to advance the Arts in Walton County.

WHAT WOULD YOUR THEME SONG BE?

Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold (Golden Girls theme song)

Cheers to 30 years!

“ WE HOPE YOU ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT THE CAA’S HISTORY, PROGRAMS AND IMPACT AND ARE INSPIRED TO JOIN US IN OUR MISSION TO ADVANCE THE ARTS IN WALTON COUNTY. “

Jennifer Steele

JOSEPH MESSER

What was the last thing you did that gave you child-like joy?

Swimming in a cold river in North Carolina on the 4th of July.

MEET THE TEAM 2021-2022 CAA STAFF MEMBERS

What’s a quote you live by?

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

- Maya Angelou

JENNIFER STEELE Executive Director

LEE GREENE Director of Administration

What’s a quote you live by?

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

- C.S. Lewis

What’s a quote you live by?

“May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.”

- Nelson Mandela

What is the first and last concert you attended?

First: *NSYNC

Last: Alan Jackson

What’s your creative muse?

The water, every different color from deep blue sea to sparkling emerald green.

COURTNEY MALONE Marketing & Programs Manager MICHELLE TOUCHSTONE Finance Coordinator

MELISSA WHEELER Marketing Director

GABBY CALLAWAY Membership & Development Manager

What’s your favorite CAA event?

What’s your favorite CAA event?

ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival

JENNIFER SMITH Events Director

BRAD STEELE Maintenance Coordinator

What’s a quote you live by?

“One shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

- Matthew 4:4

REBECCA KEMP Administration Coordinator

MOLLY HUFFMAN Social Media Coordinator

What’s your creative muse?

Mother Nature herself! Our astounding planet is abundant with beauty and inspiration!

Alexis Miller, President

Mimi Gavigan, Vice President

Kevin Dooney, Secretary Tom Watson, Treasurer

Chloe Berkowitz

Russell Carter

Foltz

Steve Gudewicz

Nagy

Ribaudo

Shelby Schuler

Shawn Tomasello

Ed Walborsky

Allison Wickey

Kara Wootson

OUR VISION

is to be the catalyst for Walton County’s growth as a destination for cultural and artistic excellence through which lives are enriched, economy is stimulated and community is strengthened.

CELEBRATING

30 Years of Creativity

OUR MISSION

is to support the arts through leadership, advocacy, funding, programs and education.

in Walton County

1989

A group of artists and volunteers begin the Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival during Mother’s Day weekend with a grant from the Tourist Development Council.

1991 1992

A Children’s Scholarship Festival is started to raise funds to benefit school art programs. This event eventually becomes the Flutterby Festival.

The first meeting of the Cultural Arts Association Board of Directors, including Susan Foster, Jan Clarke, Hilda McDonald, and Constance Rogers, is held, leading to incorporation as a non-profit 501 (c)3 organization in 1993.

1995

Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival moves to Eden State Park and is re-named ArtsQuest

The CAA absorbs the Three Arts Alliance, another locaI arts organization responsible for publishing several books chronicling South Walton’s history, including The Way We Were and Of Days Gone By

CAA begins granting funds to artists.

Director of Administration Lee Greene is hired and remains the CAA’s longest tenured employee.

The CAA is designated by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners and the State of Florida as the official Local Arts Agency for Walton County.

The organization’s name is changed from Cultural Arts Association to Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County

The CAA moves its offices into the Bayou Arts Center through a management agreement with Walton County and begins programming up to 250 workshops annually.

The Foster Gallery, the CAA’s artist collective named for CAA founder Susan Foster, opens.

Executive Director Jennifer Steele receives Visit South Walton’s Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospltallty Award.

Underwater Museum of Art Inaugural Deployment.

First 30A Songwriters Festival.

In response to the global pandemic, the CAA created artist relief funding and launched a 45 episode series, Art on Demand.

The Watersound® Monarch Art Trail (MAT), an outdoor sculpture project, was created by the CAA with support from The St. Joe Community Foundation.

The CAA is proud to expand and ehance programs and services throughout Walton County with CAA Creative Campuses.

SUPPORTING WALTON COUNTY’S

CREATIVE COMMUNITY

The CAA provides funding and grants, organizes art workshops and classes, and provides exposure to the arts to local schoolchildren. Through the success of its events, the CAA funds arts education initiatives through its Art for All program, providing grants and scholarships that impact thousands of Pre-K to 12th grade students annually.

Art for All Funding

Funding is available for artists, arts organizations, teachers, and students through the CAA’s Art For All Program. Applying is easy, and awards are distributed throughout the year. CAA has granted half a million dollars back out into the community over the last 30 years!

Workshops

The CAA offers over 250 affordable art classes each year for artists of all ages and skill levels. From after-school and summer programs for kids to Oil, Acrylic, Pottery, Fiber and Watercolor classes for adults, the CAA has a class for everyone.

Creative Kids Camp

CAA instructors teach the campers how to work with a variety of mediums and use different techniques so each student goes home with a diverse portfolio of work. Daily and full week registration options are available. Learn more about opportunities, visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/artist-resources

EDUCATION

WHAT’S YOUR ART STORY?

Think you’re not creative? You’re selling yourself short! We believe that everyone is inherently creative. We asked CAA Board Members to share their introduction to the Arts. Follow along for inspiration!

My “art” life started as a young child. My father, and his father before him, were hobbyist painters, and all my family were readers, writers and sharers of thought.

Creativity surrounded me enough to drive me to both study and start an early career as an architect and I eventually reformed as a multi-disciplined industrial, branding, communication and graphic designer.

I haven’t stopped exploring the visual world yet. My professional life as a painter began some 25 years ago and has only further fueled my belief in the power of the arts to raise and sometimes answer important questions for our - and every - culture.

I believe deeply in the positive power of community that the arts and those that support it hold and work hard to nurture the creative spirit in everything around me.

Doug Foltz

My lifelong love of performing arts in the form of dance; tap, ballet, jazz, and baton started in elementary “after school” program.

My first born son, Jason, has the gift of visual arts as an accomplished illustrator; he started his art journey at the age of 4 in Paducah, KY.

And my youngest son, Conner, is very artistic and creative in the form of architecture and design.

BY THE NUMBERS CAA IMPACT STATISTICS

directory promotes the

of 135

and connects them with the public.

The CAA operates The Foster Gallery, which provides an opportunity for over 50 artists per year to exhibit and sell their work.

The CAA produces and supports large-scale events that provide work for over 800 artists and access, opportunity and education to the community while generating revenue for the organization.

VOLUNTEERS

BY THE NUMBERS

IMPACT

economic impact

MILLION+

Full Time Equivalent Jobs

Cultural Arts Alliance partnerships are a powerful marketing tool offering a wide range of opportunities to support your company’s objectives and to align your business with our excited, receptive, and affluent audience.

For partnership opportunities, e-mail

LOGO EVOLUTION

As the CAA embraces the exciting opportunities on the horizon, we’re in the perfect position to advance our brand identity. Through a guided exploration, we reflected on the recent decade of expansion and how our logo aligns with our strategic goals for the future.

The new logo honors the CAA’s history with a color palette similar to that of the early 2000’s while intentionally assigning colors to the pillars we are founded on. The color-coded variations help add differentiation among the CAA’s many areas of involvement. Applying the appropriate option will add clarity based on the sector being promoted.

From smaller presentations to major music festivals, we produce events that celebrate multidisciplinary artists, provide organizational sustainability, and bring inspiration and connection to our community.

Working alongside local, state and national organizations to communicate the value of the Arts, we build relationships with decision-makers and the public and encourage their commitment to support the creative sector.

Presenting work above and below sea level, AIPS includes the Underwater Museum of Art, WatersoundⓇ Monarch Art Trail, and other partnershipbased projects that encourage collaboration, exploration, and activation of public spaces.

Through the Foster Gallery, Bayou Arts Center, festivals, offsite venues, and the digital space, we promote visual artists of all skill levels and provide opportunities for exhibition, commerce, instruction and development.

We foster lifelong learning through funding and support for artists, organizations, and schools; and presentation of Arts educational programs for students of all ages and levels of experience.

The recognizable circle encompasses a new font that embraces a playful typography highlighting “ALL” in the word “Alliance.” This subtle nod illustrates the breadth and depth of our story, as well as highlighting part of our mission to make the Arts accessible to all of Walton County and meet our community where they are in their art journey.

This brand evolution helps align the CAA narrative and creates cohesion with our strategic plan, mission, vision, core values and messaging across all platforms.

After a pandemic pause, the Cultural Arts Alliance delivers with the highly anticipated return of live events to Walton County

33rd Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival October 9-10, 2021 Rescheduled from Mother’s Day weekend due to COVID-19, the 33rd Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival showcased more than 100 local, regional and national fine artists throughout the streets of Grand Boulevard Town Center at Sandestin. The event marked the return of live events for the CAA and included live music, great food, student exhibits, and “ImagiNation: where kids rule.”

Presenting Sponsors: Visit South Walton | Grand Boulevard Town Center

Watersound® Monarch Art Trail (MAT) November 12, 2021

On November 12, the CAA celebrated the official opening of the Watersound® Monarch Art Trail (MAT), an outdoor sculpture project created by the CAA with support from The St. Joe Community Foundation. The MAT includes eight original sculptures designed specifically for installation along South Watersound Parkway’s existing mile-long walking and bike path that connects Highways 98 and 30A. Use of the area was made possible by The St. Joe Company.

2021 Flutterby Festival. Photo by Erik Olsen.

2022 ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival. Photo by Lynn Crow Photography.

2022 Under The Sea UMA Fundraiser Party. Photo by Lynn Crow Photography.

30A Songwriters Festival January 14 - 17, 2022

More than 5,000 music lovers come together over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January to attend the 30A Songwriters Festival. This unique event is a multi-day music festival featuring over 175 songwriters and musicians performing original songs in various genres ranging from country to blues to soul to Americana in over 30 venues throughout South Walton. The Festival brings together nearly every South Walton community and many businesses to showcase our home as a destination not only for its beautiful beaches but also for its creative excellence, which is the purpose of the Cultural Arts Alliance. 100% of the festival’s net proceeds benefit the CAA allowing us to continue to be a champion for the arts in Walton County.

Presenting Sponsors:

Visit South Walton Grand Boulevard Town Center WaterColor Resort

Flutterby Festival

November 14, 2021

The Flutterby Festival, produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, celebrates the migration of the Monarch Butterfly through our area with art activities, live music, theatre and dance performances, art exhibits, and a butterfly parade.

Presenting Sponsor: Watersound Origins | St. Joe Community Foundation

Under The Sea UMA Fundraiser Event

May 4, 2022

The CAA and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) hosted the fourth annual Under the Sea fundraiser event for the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) featuring Jontavious Willis.

The UMA is the first presentation of the CAA’s “Art in Public Spaces” program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in South Walton.

Several of the sculpture designs selected by jury for permanent exhibition in the fourth installation of the UMA were on display at the fundraiser and throughout the weekend during the ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival before they made the journey to Orange Beach, AL to prepare for their deployment into the Gulf in a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park. All event net proceeds benefited the Underwater Museum of Art.

Presenting Sponsor: Coastal Conservation Association

34th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival

May 7-8, 2022

Returning to its traditional time slot of Mother’s Day weekend, the 34th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival showcased more than 150 local, regional and national fine artists throughout the streets of Grand Boulevard Town Center at Sandestin. The event featured live music, great food, student exhibits, and “ImagiNation: where kids rule.”

Presenting Sponsosr: Visit South Walton | Grand Boulevard Town Center

Learn more at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/signature-events

Photo by Shelly Swanger Photography

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) is proud to announce an expansion of its programs and services with the addition of its Miramar Beach Creative Campus.

The new Creative Campus will be an evolution and collaboration of the CAA’s Foster Gallery and J. Leon Gallery + Studio, which opened its doors in 2020 with the vision to be a high-end gallery attainable for everyone. The Miramar Beach Creative Campus will feature rotating exhibits, special exhibitions, multi-disciplinary classes, a ceramics studio, youth programs, special events and more in the 5,000 square foot space located at 13370 US Hwy. 98.

The opportunity for collaboration was presented when J. Leon Gallery + Studio owner Jason Lindblad decided to dedicate his talent as a visual artist full time, but hoped to maintain J. Leon’s reputation as a cultural destination for artists and art buyers. Lindblad’s professional growth coincided with the CAA’s plan for an expansion of The Foster Gallery, an artist collective opened in 2016 that features CAA member artists and special exhibits. The outcome of discussions and strategic planning was the combination of the two concepts into the CAA’s Miramar Beach Creative Campus, which will allow the CAA to provide increased opportunities for artists and reach new audiences beyond Walton County.

“The CAA is grateful to have an opportunity to expand our support for artists and services and programs to the community,” said CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele. “With an established Santa Rosa Beach Creative Campus at the Bayou Arts Center, the Watersound® Monarch Art Trail and other future opportunities to the east, and increased program offerings in northern Walton County, this growth helps us remove barriers while building opportunities for access to the Arts.”

Over the past six years, the gallery has provided opportunities for hundreds of artists, sold nearly half a million dollars of their work, and has provided the foundation for many to expand their careers and open their own businesses, including J. Leon Gallery + Studio.

“I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to see the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County grow and expand in this future endeavor. Sharing missions in the Arts, it is an honor to have their organization take the lead of our space with hopes of continuing to blossom a creative environment for the area into the future,” said J. Leon Gallery + Studio owner Jason Lindblad. “I am incredibly thankful for the support from the community to J.Leon Gallery + Studio, and for my relationship with The Foster Gallery and the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County. Much like their growth in the arts, I too will be

continuing to pursue my passion in the arts of Illustration and Fine Arts. I am looking forward to their new creative vision flourishing with passion and flair- and wish them all the best with many successes to come.”

While Lindblad will remain a creative advisor to the CAA for the curation of artists and special exhibitions, the CAA is currently conducting a search for a Program Manager who will lead the Miramar Beach Creative Campus gallery, programs, education and outreach. Interested applicants may submit their resume to hello@culturalartsalliance. com. Teaching artists are also encouraged to submit class proposals for the Miramar Beach Creative Campus, Santa Rosa Beach Creative Campus, and our Digital Creative Campus, which will be accepted year-round at CulturalArtsAlliance.com.

The CAA’s Miramar Beach Creative Campus will officially open September 7th, but minimal changes will be made initially. The CAA will work with existing artists in both galleries to ensure all artists feel welcomed, represented and supported during the transition. “The expansion, along with the addition of a Programs Manager and other future staff will enable the CAA to be more inclusive to artists without the existing requirement of working at the gallery,” said Steele. “We want our Creative Campuses to be centers for creativity that nurture the artistic process, allow artists the freedom to create, demonstrate, teach, exhibit and sell their work, and encourage their growth.”

For more information about the CAA and its facilities, events, programs, and employment and volunteer opportunities visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com.

“The CAA is grateful to have an opportunity to expand our support for artists and services and programs to the community”

-CAA Executive Director Jennifer Steele

Photo by Jim Clark Photography

PRISON ART PROGRAM EXPANSION OF CAA’S

The CAA’s Prison Art Program began in 2020 through a collaboration with Walton County Correctional Institution (WCI) Restorative Justice volunteers Libby

Fisher and Erica Averion who were actively and regularly volunteering with the residents of WCI and were aware of the need for arts engagement and resources within the prison system.

The CAA funded the first phase of the program, which included participation by men in three WCI dorms who created original work for an online exhibit called “Conscious Expressions: An Insider’s Perspective,” which

was then shown in public at Emerald Coast Theatre Company and Perla Bakery through Summer 2021. In February 2022, the CAA expanded the program to include weekly onsite art instruction, materials, and a venue for public exhibition of the students’ work with a plan to continue to fund the program indefinitely.

From April through June, the residents participated in a weekly class led by artist and instructor Bradley Copeland who challenged them to let go of any predetermined plan and allow the enjoyment and exploration of the process to guide them.

Throughout the three-month program, the class experimented with a number of activities focused on surrendering control, abandoning preconceived notions of art, and creating without any direction or intention; then they were instructed to find shapes and images within and make something from the nonsensical scribbles, splashes and smears.

- Instructor, Bradley Copeland

“Instead of learning how to paint inside the lines, these men have been learning how to see differently. The paintings created in this program left plenty of room for happy accidents and magical messes, reinforcing the idea that all parts of the process are completely essential to the final piece, regardless of how messy, ugly or accidental.”

The result was a special art exhibition titled “Surrender: Letting Go To Gain Perspective.” The show features more than 30 original paintings and works on paper created by residents of the Walton County Correctional Institution (WCI).

Want to view pieces from “Surrender” special exhibition?

Photos by Jim Clark

Erica Averion and Bradley Copeland at the opening

“Painting with this method (or lack thereof) shows us the beauty in mistakes and helps us make sense of the mess in front of us,”

SCAN to learn more about CAA’s Prison Art Program

HEATHER MOTTER Arts Educator of the Year

CAA Member Artist, KIM EIFRID hand-crafted the awards for recipients.

CELEBRATING OUR

VOLUNTEERS

We are grateful for the volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to make the mission of the Cultural Arts Alliance a priority in our community. The continued support was celebrated at The Foster Gallery in May during our Member Spring Fling where awards were presented for Arts Partner of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of a Lifetime and Arts Educator of the Year!

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

2020: Kara Wootson*

Doug Foltz*

Debbie & Bob Krall

ARTS EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Jennifer Rhea*

Heather Motter

ARTS PARTNER OF THE YEAR

The Alys Foundation

JUNIOR VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Madison Morris VOLUNTEER OF A LIFETIME Donnelle Clark

DONNELLE CLARK Volunteer of a Lifetime

DOUG FOLTZ Volunteer of the Year 2020

photos by Lynn Crow Photography and Jim Clark Photography.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Nearly 1,000 volunteers are needed each year to help the CAA accomplish our mission. Volunteer opportunities exist in many areas, from administrative to logistics to production and beyond. In addition to CAA’s annual signature events, opportunities exist throughout the year to volunteer your help with initiatives such as Art in Public Spaces, CAA fundraising, publicity, and art workshops.

DEBBIE & BOB KRALL Volunteers of the Year 2021

KARA WOOTSON Volunteer of the Year 2020

ART IN

PUBLIC SPACES

The Watersound® Monarch Art Trail (MAT) is an outdoor sculpture project created by the CAA with support from The St. Joe Community Foundation.

The MAT includes eight original sculptures designed specifically for installation along South Watersound Parkway’s existing mile-long walking and bike path that connects Highways 98 and 30A. Use of the area was made possible by The St. Joe Company. The sculptures are complemented with seating, lighting, signage, and native landscape. Additionally, the Otocast phone app provides insight into the artists’ creative process through audio recordings, descriptive text, and geo-locators.

The pieces selected for the project are Tetelestai with Butterfly by Jeffie Brewer (Douglas, AL), Kaleidoscope by Jonathan Burger (New Bern, NC), The Grandchildren

Return by Grace Cathey (Waynesville, NC), Dancing Monarchs by Peter Hazel (Reno, NV), The Golden Flight by Rachel Herring (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Roost and Puddle by Anthony Heinz May (Oregan), The Milkweed King by Mark Metz (San Pablo, CA), and Friend of Mine by Andrew Hamilton Reiss (Redding, CT).

Take a virtual tour at CulturalArtsAlliance.com/monarch-art-trail

Roost and Puddle by Anthony Heinz May

Dancing Monarchs by Peter Hazel

The Golden Flight by Rachel Herring

The Milkweed King by Mark Metz

Kaleidoscope by Jonathan Burger

Underwater Museum Of Art Grows

On June 21st, nine new sculptures and a Super Reef Anchor Point were added to the nation’s first permanent Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park in South Walton, Fla.

The 2022 installation includes the following pieces of sculpture: Currents and Tafoni by Joe Adams (Ventura, CA), Pirate Shipwreck by Sean Coffey (Pittsburgh, PA), Bloom Baby Bloom by Brit Deslonde (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), The Seed and The Sea by Davide Galbiati (Valreas, France), Fibonacci Conchousness by Anthony Heinz May (Eugene, OR), New Homes by Janetta Napp (Honolulu, HI), Arc of Nexus by Tina Piracci (Richmond, CA), We All Live Here by Marisol Rendón (San Diego, CA), and Common Chord by Vince Tatum (Santa Rosa Beach, FL).

With support from Visit South Walton, Walter Marine/The Reefmaker, and the Florida Department of State; Division of Arts and Culture, the sculptures were deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA and FDEP permitted artificial reef project that includes nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in 58 feet of water. This installation joins the 25 sculptures previously deployed on a oneacre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park, expanding the nation’s first permanent underwater museum to a total of 34 sculptures. The UMA patch will continue to be filled with several new sculptures annually.

Individual sculptures are sponsored by Beachy Blooms, Buddy’s Seafood Market, the 2021-22 CAA Staff, the Ellis Family, Hilton Sandestin Golf Beach Resort & Spa, the St. Joe Community Foundation, SWARA, and Walter Marine / Reefmaker.

Admission to the UMA is free, however, the site is only accessible in person as a dive location. Divers who wish to visit the site can take a dive boat .93 miles off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park. The coordinates for the new Super Reef UMA entrance are N 30°18.754 / W 86°09.521. Out of respect for the art, boaters are asked to anchor on or near the Super Reef Anchor Point to protect the sculptures from unintended contact or damage.

Artists interested in submitting artwork for consideration to the 2023 UMA installation can visit UMAFL.org to complete a pre-application in anticipation of an Artist Call announcement later this year.

Visit UMAFL.org for more information about dive shops, tours and obtaining your certification while visiting South Walton.

The Seed and The Sea by Davide Galbiati

We All Live Here by Marisol Rendón

Photo by Visit South Walton

Common Chord by Vince Tatum

Photo by Spring Run Media

JOSEPH MESSER

COUNTY ARTIST OF

Joseph Messer is the type of artist who understands how to break away from his own tendency towards perfectionism to create truly unique art. His process-based craft involves a photography and collage technique where the coveted sugarwhite sand and sunsets of South Walton are often the subject matter. He carefully lays out photos previously taken and then snaps shot after shot as saltwater and sand swirl over top.

After he finishes photographing the sunsets, he tears the photos apart and tapes them to another printed photo from a previous session that he has also digitally manipulated. Messer doesn’t leave a single scrap of paper or tape behind. Depending on the results, he might return to the beach with more photos from the day’s photoshoot to repeat the process.

The final result will be a fragmented collage of sunset colors swirling with other beach scenes and blue painter’s tape.

The 26-year-old is thrilled to be recognized as the Walton County Artist of the Year. He said that vulnerability is a big part of art and recognition of this magnitude feels like a gift. As a way to give back to the community and start a new career, Messer is working to get a teacher’s license so he can eventually teach high school art. He hopes to be able to inspire students to create art beyond what they might think is possible. “I’m really thankful and very excited to get involved with the community,” he said. “I want to keep exploring all of the art possibilities that are here.”

Learn more about the Artist of the Year program at VisitSouthWalton.com/community-programs/artist-of-the-year

Joseph Messer received the Award of Excellence at the 34th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival. Photo by Lynn Crow Photography.

Sea Landscape

Hurricane

THE ART OF

Looking after our mental health is more important now than ever. Music is a great way to positively boost your emotional wellbeing.

Music boosts your mood, creativity and productivity at work. It improves your memory and brain power and can make you feel more positive and relaxed. Music is also a great social connector that can help to build bonds with others around you.

FOR

WELLNESS

IMPROVES FOCUS

Music helps the mind to focus and increases the brains ability to process information.

LIFTS MOOD

Playing uplifting songs helps the brain release dopamine.

EXPRESS EMOTIONS

Music is a great way to express emotion and creativity.

BOOSTS CONFIDENCE

Music helps with anxiety and confidence.

HELPS YOU RELAX

Calming sounds improves mood and helps relax body and mind.

EXPRESS NEGATIVE EMOTION

Music is an incredible way to help us deal with negative emotions.