By Khalida Sarwari
Hundreds of regional artists are expected to gather at West Valley College on May 5 for Saratoga Rotary’s 56th annual art show. As in years past, the event will showcase thousands of artworks for sale.
The free event, one of the largest juried art shows on the West Coast, will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every piece was selected by a panel of three jurors in the categories of photography, painting, fiber arts, ceramics, glassworks, woodwork, sculpture, jewelry and mixed media.
“It’s a great community event,” said Dave Anderson, city manager and chairman of this year’s program. “You’ll find people from all over the community there.”
The artwork has been a central part of the show, but Anderson said there are some added features this year. Instead of various food booths, there will be 10 gourmet food trucks, including two selling desserts. The trucks will be stationed at two different locations on the West Valley campus.
The switch from booths to trucks was made to comply with stricter health regulations and because it is less labor-intensive, Anderson said. The food truck companies are Oaxacan Kitchen, Speedy Panini, Blast Off (which will have traditional diner fare), We Sushi, Bigg Shrimp’n, Grilled Cheese Bandits, Mogo BBQ, Babaloo (featuring Cuban cuisine), Fairy Cakes and Treatbot.
Eight Saratoga wineries will sell wine at booths stationed at four corners of the pedestrian walkway in front of the main stage area, which will be located near the student activities building.
This year’s event will also feature a stage with live entertainment, including a fashion show where the work of some of the fiber artists in the show will be displayed. A variety of musical acts will take the stage, from Dixieland and jazz bands to Chinese dancers, rock bands and orchestras. The lineup includes Tsunami and Dolce Musica.
Attendees are encouraged to bring along their children as there will be an area dedicated to the little ones, complete with clowns, face painting and games.
Other components of the show include a silent auction of restaurant, day spa and condo packages.
This year’s show will feature 200 artists. Although there is a core group of artists that participate every year, about 30 percent of the artists are new, according to Anderson. Only half of the artists who apply are admitted, and all undergo a strict judging process.
“Jurying ensures we have extremely high-quality art on display for people to buy,” he said.
Unlike in years past, the show will not feature the Saratoga Idol competition, and the reason for that, according to Anderson was to “get back to the basics.”
“My inclination was to simplify the show,” he said.
After paying for the operational cost of the show, proceeds will go toward the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation, which has granted more than $2 million to local nonprofit groups over the years. Last year’s event raised about $70,000, according to Chuck Swan, finance director for the art show.
For more information about the Saratoga Rotary Art Show, visit saratogarotary.org/artshow.
