Amazing art and artists
The Ocala Arts Festival on Oct. 26 and 27 will bring more than 140 artists to town and the featured artist is Ocala’s own Jordan Shapot.
“Palm reaching for the Sun (Silver River).” [Photo courtesy Jordan Shapot]
It’s almost time for one of Ocala and Marion County’s best loved traditions, the Ocala Arts Festival. The event will take place Oct. 26 and 27 and will span numerous city blocks all around the downtown square. It is organized by the nonprofit Fine Arts For Ocala, or FAFO.
While the event will feature more than 140 artists from around the nation, in over 16 different media, the community can take pride because this year’s featured artist is one of our own: Jordan Shapot.
“I’m truly honored to be selected as this year’s featured artist,” Shapot said. “It feels special to be recognized among so many talented individuals. This will be my fourth year exhibiting at the Ocala Arts Festival, which has become one of my favorite events of the year. It’s a humbling experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent Ocala.”
Artist Jordan Shapot, right, talks with Angi Grabbe in his booth at the FAFO Ocala Arts Festival in downtown Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
“While my work continues to be heavily influenced by color and light, it has become more expressive over time, moving further away from realism. I’m intrigued by the idea of using my art to create atmospheres that invite the viewer to engage more deeply, encouraging them to become part of the visual conversation,” he explained.
Shapot said he plans to display between 20 and 30 pieces of artwork at this year’s festival.
“I’ve been hard at work on some new paintings that I’m excited for people to see. And yes, they’ll be available for purchase—wink, wink,” he noted.
“My parent’s street.” [Photo courtesy Jordan Shapot]
“At Shapot Art Gallery,” he continued, “we have two exciting shows coming up: the group exhibition ‘Home,’ with an opening reception on Nov. 9 and ‘BLUE: A Not So Solo Show,’ curated by Malcolm O’Mari Davis, on Dec. 21. Additionally, we’re hosting the self-guided Ocala Studio and Gallery Tours every first Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the open critique, ‘Everyone’s a Critic,’ every first Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. I also have a few other exciting projects and collaborations that I’ll be announcing soon.”
Festival organizers
Detail from “My parent’s street.” [Photo courtesy Jordan Shapot]
In 1988, FAFO added the Symphony Under the Stars event held each Mother’s Day, in partnership with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, which quickly became another much-loved local tradition. Proceeds raised from that event help to put on the art festival.
This year’s Ocala Arts Festival chairman is Teddy Sykes, with co-chair Ryan Neumann. Sykes is a local artist and IT professional who has lived in the Ocala area most of his life. Neumann is a resident artist with the local Magnolia Art Xchange and artist member of the Marion Cultural Alliance. Recent achievements include his being one of last year’s FAFO Emerging Artists.
“We feature five to six artists annually through our Emerging Artists program, which supports new artists with no prior experience in large festivals by guiding them through the entire process. This year we have five artists in the Emerging Artists category, whose work will be exhibited alongside the others,” FAFO Administrator Ashley Morgan shared about this unique aspect of the festival.
The judges
The festival judges this year are Robin Perry Dana and Victoria Billig. As an art consultant over the last 10 years, Dana has directed clients in building private art collections and represented dozens of contemporary artists. She also serves as creative director of NativeHouse Studios. Dana earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Agnes Scott College and a master’s in fine arts in photography from the University of Connecticut. She taught photography at the University of Connecticut, Agnes Scott College and the University of Georgia, as well as study abroad programs in Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Italy.
Billig is assistant director of museum operations at the Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida. She earned a master’s degree in interdisciplinary arts from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining the Appleton, she held positions at the Pelham Art Center in New York, the NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale and the USF Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa. She is a board member of the Magnolia Art Xchange and sits on the Marion County Tourist Development Council. She has participated in panels and juried art shows and festivals across the south.
“Between the two judges, we look for a variety of perspectives, career trajectories and demographics, and it helps if they’ve judged shows like ours before, so they know what to expect,” Morgan noted.
More than art
In addition to being able to wander city streets enjoying the many displays of art, festivalgoers also can see a wide variety of entertainment offerings at the gazebo stage on the downtown square and at the nearby Citizens’ Circle campus. Attendees can stop in at a number of local eateries all around the square and there also will be several food trucks and food and beverage vendors throughout the festival site.
Morgan said she and nearly two dozen volunteer board members have “worked tirelessly throughout the last year to ensure this year’s festival is even more successful and fun than ever.”
“Last year, we introduced several updates to the event that were well received by guests. While we have several new ideas in mind, we decided to concentrate on enhancing and expanding the aspects of the event that our guests already know and love before we move forward with introducing new features,” she said.
As for Shapot’s selection as this year’s featured artist, Morgan noted, “We wanted to take the opportunity this year to show appreciation and support of our local arts community here in Ocala. With so many talented local artists, many of whom have previously participated in the Ocala Arts Festival and won prestigious awards, it was difficult to choose just one to be our featured artist this year. Jordan’s artwork is vibrant and fun and represents the energy and growth the Ocala arts community has been buzzing with in recent years.”
The Ocala Arts Festival is free to attend. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Pets are allowed and parking is available throughout the downtown area.
To learn more about Jordan Shapot, go to jordanshapot.com and find him on social media.
For more information about FAFO and the Ocala Arts Festival, go to FAFO.org and find the organization on Facebook and Instagram.
“Morning light on the Silver River Shoreline.” [Photo courtesy Jordan Shapot]
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
