Sausalito Art Festival has Deep Roots
by Laurie Thompson
The Sausalito Art Festival (originally called the Sausalito Art Fair) traces its roots back to the early 1950s, to the heyday of such artists as Jean Varda and Edith Heath whose renown drew other artists to the picturesque waterfront community.
The early years of the Festival featured design and sculpture competitions and included entertainment such as puppet shows, folk singing and dramatic performances. Judges for the second annual Sausalito Art Fair -September 12–13, 1953- included Edith Heath, ceramist; Beatrice Bernardi, weaver; Jean Varda, artist, and others. That year the Sausalito Art Fair was held at Shell Beach and coincided with the Annual Sausalito Regatta and the closing of the Salmon Derby. Advance publicity for the event included a scale model of the Fair which went on display at the Sausalito Arts Center’s gallery at the Trade Fair on Bridgeway. The illustration pictured here shows Arts Center members viewing the scale model of the Fair.
Highlights of the second annual Sausalito Art Fair, as announced in the September 3, 1953 Sausalito News included a “masque” titled Judgement of Neptune with artist Jean Varda in the starring role. That year there was also an open-air dance and a performance by the Silver Strings Mandolin Concert Ensemble of San Francisco. The event culminated with a bonfire and community singing.
Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.
