
DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709260424

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 20   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: ART BEAT  

SOURCE: MARY ELLEN RIDDLE 

                                            LENGTH:   97 lines

GET INTO ART AT THE 8TH ANNUAL EXTRAVAGANZA

L ET'S HEAR IT: Art Rox! Louder: Art Rox!

That's this year's theme for Artrageous Art Extravaganza, the Outer Banks' cultural arts festival held annually the first weekend in October.

An apropos theme for the two-day event sponsored by the Dare County Arts Council because for seven successful seasons, crowds of young and old alike have come to boogie down to the beat of their own brand of creativity as well as to enjoy the creations of local visual, culinary and performing artists.

This year is especially exciting to Artrageous coordinators. The arts council scored a coup by locating the event at the Dare County Family Recreational Park in Kill Devil Hills, which is grassy, has a pavilion, picnic area and bathrooms.

``It's the first year it hasn't been held in a parking lot,'' said Donna Griffin, who co-chairs the event with Lynette Brown.

Saturday's focus includes creative booths for kids, a children-only auction, professional artist booths, live music and two collaborative art happenings that the public can join in - including the Jasper Johns Collaborative named in honor of the 20th-century artist who has been called the father of Pop art.

``His whole idea was using things other than the usual things,'' Griffin said, ``taking the ego out of it and leaving things to chance.''

Past years have seen youngsters moving like a cloud of butterflies seeking nectar, from booth to booth, all designed to stimulate their artistic juices. This year they can participate in face painting, rock painting, poster painting, or fashion maracas and hats or sculptures out of recycled materials. The Scrap Exchange from Durham, a non-profit recycling group, will provide some of the building blocks for such endeavors as well as on-site seminars on recycling.

On Sunday evening, the Village at Nags Head Beach Club will come alive at 5 p.m. when the adult art auction kicks off with a cocktail hour and preview. Expect live music and tasty appetizers. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Come 6 p.m., seats will be filled with excited art lovers looking to take home their pick of local art created by the likes of watercolorist John Silver, photographer Ray Matthews, hat maker Genna Miles, glass painter Ellen Jones, printmaker Maggie Stewart, fiber artist Majid Elbers and many more. Work created by the children's Youth Freestyle paint-in - individual paintings created by last year's Artrageous poster contest winners - also will be auctioned.

Gerbo Taylor, 12, from Nags Head is one of eight children who will be painting in the collaborative to the theme Art Rox. The title provoked an interesting reaction. Taylor thinks of ``a birthstone, some purple/emerald rocks,'' he said.

Longtime volunteer Helen Hoppe, who's in charge of the kids' collaborative, sees a duality in the theme. ``Well, it can be `It's cool like art rocks' or `art rocks in nature,' '' she said.

The theme conjures up sunsets to 15-year-old Kyle Whitfield from Kill Devil Hills. ``It's kind of like nature's art . . . nature's way of expressing itself,'' he said.

This is Griffin's sixth year with Artrageous and Hoppe's fifth. They are just two of many local volunteers whose numbers over the years have blossomed into the 50s.

All the food and supplies for Saturday's and Sunday's events have been donated by local businesses. There is no entry fee to Saturday's event. Donation jars will be set up at each activity booth. A dollar contribution is suggested per activity.

This year's profits will be used to benefit a variety of non-profit organizations including the Youth Center Inc. and to set up an art scholarship fund for local youths.

``I think it's a great idea, because there's no money available for kids to go to an art camp or a music camp or for kids to participate in anything art-related,'' Griffin said. Last year's event raised $10,000.

Colette Corbin, a 15-year-old from Kill Devil Hills, sums up the impact Artrageous has had over the years: ``I've been going to Artrageous since they had it down here,'' she said. ``It's always been fun.''

Or, rather, Artrageous! ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE

Participants in the Youth Freestyle paint-in include: Allison Yerby

of Kitty Hawk; Adam Hoffman of Colington; Gerbo Taylor and Sarah

Zork, of Nags Head; and Laura Jolly and Kyle Whitfield, of Kill

Devil Hills.

Graphic

HOW TO JOIN 'EM

What: 8th Annual Artrageous Art Extravaganza, a two-day cultural

arts event with kids' booths, an auction and live music and

paint-ins

When: Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 5

starting at 5 p.m.