The iconic Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach is thrilled to announce the debut of foaVIRTUAL, a 3D immersive online gallery experience that allows guests the unique opportunity to explore and purchase artwork from over 120 Festival of Arts exhibitors from the comfort of home.
In May, the 2020 Festival of Arts Fine Art Show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unlikelihood of mass gatherings this summer. The announcement had a tremendous impact not only on the organization, but also on the juried exhibitors whose livelihood and careers depend on this popular annual event. Determined to fulfill its mission and support local artists, the Festival decided to look towards digital and created its first virtual exhibit. This interactive, cyber-exhibition features nine galleries with up to 17 different artists in each gallery.
“Since the cancellation of our shows, we have been hard at work putting together online and art initiatives,” said Sharbie Higuchi, Director of Marketing/PR at Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach. “All of us at the Festival of Arts felt that if we cannot, for the time being, bring our guests to the Fine Arts Show to see the incredible work of our artists, then we will find a way to bring our artists to our guests.”
Encouraging exploration and discovery of art, foaVIRTUAL features a wide variety of media including paintings, photography, printmaking, sculpture, jewelry, handcrafted wood and furniture, ceramics, glass and more. All the artwork is available for purchase from the artist, and just like the Festival’s summer fine art show, 100% of each sale goes directly to the exhibitor.
“We are proud to be able to find new ways to continue to support our local artists and showcase their work, as we have done each summer for the last 80+ years,” said Christine Georgantas, Festival of Arts Director of Exhibits.
Virtual guests may self-navigate around the gallery or take a guided art tour and are encouraged to read the artists bios to learn more about their backgrounds and careers in art. Those that prefer a quick overview of all the pieces in the gallery, may click on the digital catalog for a full list of art featured in the specific gallery.
“We are already planning future updates, surprises and user engagement opportunities throughout the summer in conjunction with foaVIRTUAL,” adds Higuchi. “We hope everyone will come back often, visit our virtual galleries and discover what’s new.”
Organized by Georgantas and produced by Festival of Arts Marketing and PR Team of Higuchi and Meghan Perez, foaVIRTUAL is available free of cost to the public starting today, July 20, 2020. To explore foaVIRTUAL, support the artists of the Fine Arts Show visit www.foapom.com/foavirtual/.