Sand in the City Hosts First-Ever Masters’ Exhibition Featuring Local and World-Renowned Sculptors

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Submitted by The Hands On Children’s Museum

Sand in the CIty Masters SculptureThe South Sound’s largest family festival, Sand in the City®,  is bringing expert sand sculptors from the West Coast to captivate festival-goers at its first Masters’ Exhibition.

The masters will soak, stomp and shake sand into works of art Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24, at the Hands On Children’s Museum on Olympia’s East Bay.

Public viewing of the Masters’ Exhibition will take place from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday. Visitors can view the masterpieces and vote for their favorites. The winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Bert Adams, master sculptor and Sand in the City founder, has gathered a talented group of sculptors to wow visitors. Members of this group have participated in or won world sand sculpting competitions. One is even classically trained in sculpture design and has also carved ice and snow. All of the masters are Sand in the City graduates, Adams said.

Solo sculptors are Lisa Donze, Eric Hawley, Sandis Kondrats and Michael Velling. Those sculpting in pairs are Bert Adams and Shiloh Kauzlarich, Tom Rieger and Kate LeGault, Dave Miller and Rocco DeBrodt, Pam Leno and Lorie Gordo, and Jim Butler and Amos Callendar.

Adams said it takes a special person to be a sand sculptor and he is confident this group will put on a great show for families, especially the younger children who already love playing in the sand.

“Watching sand sculpting can be very inspiring for kids,” he said.

sand in the city
Master Sand Carvers will create the beloved, giant sand sculptures at Sand in the City this year. Photo credit: Aaron Barna

Also during the event weekend is a free Beach Party where the public can enjoy giant sandboxes loaded with sand toys and sculpting tools, along with 40 interactive art and science activities in the museum, spread around the East Bay Plaza and streets adjacent to the museum.

Activities include a rock climbing wall, giant bubbles, a Tot Spot Early Learning Center and museum-led art activities. Make-and-take crafts include Hawaiian leis, wax paper flowers and sand bands. Inside the museum, families can learn about the music of the Pacific Islands and make musical instruments and crafts.

Sunday, Aug. 24, is Grandparents’ Day from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Families can enjoy all of the fun activities of Saturday’s Beach Party and participate in additional activities designed for children and grandparents to do together.

During Sand in the City, all event activities and entertainment on the streets surrounding the museum and the East Bay Public Plaza are free. Donations are appreciated and support the museum’s Free Access Program at the Hands On Children’s Museum.

Festival-goers can also explore museum exhibits Aug. 22-24 with a discounted admission rate to the museum of just $5 per person. Families can play and learn in nine themed galleries and 150 hands-on exhibits, including MakeSpace in the Arts & Parts Studio, where kids can tinker, design and build using real tools and materials.

For the price of admission, festival visitors can also explore the museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center, including new exhibits opening on Sand in the City weekend such as the giant trike loop, stage and Children’s Garden in the Outdoor Discovery Center.

For more information about Sand in the City®, visit www.hocm.org/sandinthecity.

 

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