Manteo was filled with talent Aug. 14 and 15 when over 60 East Coast artists gathered along the town’s waterfront for the 38^th Annual New World Festival of the Arts.

Artist Nora Hartlaub, owner of the OBX Art Truck and adjunct professor at Elizabeth City State University, judged the show. Photography, mixed media, jewelry, ceramics, watercolor, basketry and wood design were some of the media presented.

Hartlaub carefully selected the following winners:

Best In Show: Kristen Dahms from Hampton, Va. (mixed media paintings)

Second Place: Pete Lewando from Avon (photography)

Third Place: Maureen Hearn from Copper Hill, Va. (jewelry)

Honorable Mentions: Skip Stang from Ayden (metals), Pembroke Bryant IV from Manteo (jewelry), Meg Rubino from Kitty Hawk (watercolor) and Donna Silvestri from Richmond, Va. (jewelry)

“Kristen Dahms’ textured and layered works evoke the depths of imagination inherent in the natural world,” said Hartlaub. “Her pieces impressed me with their labor intensiveness and light-heartedness, two opposing concepts that she marries successfully in her complex pieces.”

Dahms uses nature and animals as the foundation of her paintings. Her art focuses on the exploration of color, layering, texture and patterns. Dahms starts by using coffee to stain her paper then moves on to utilizing watercolor paint, ink, chalk pastel, oil pastel, color pencils and markers to add details.

“It is an honor to win Best In Show among many talented artists,” said Dahms. “The show is in a gorgeous location on the Manteo waterfront.”

New World Festival of the Arts is the Outer Banks’ longest running art show. The festival was started by Manteo businessman Edward Greene in 1981.

New World Festival of the Arts is presented by PNC Bank and sponsored by the Town of Manteo, Kitty Hawk Kites, Manteo Rotary Club, Atlantic Elevators, Outer Banks Ace, McCown & McCown, Lone Cedar Café, White Doe Inn and Holiday House Weddings and Events.

This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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