The 64th Catalina Festival of Art wrapped up recently and the cool weather didn’t stop the showing of fine arts and crafts. Organizers said the 56 booths lined Crescent Avenue for this years festival and several locals were among the winners in their categories.
Best in Show went to South Bay jewelry maker Joyce Carol Wantanabe, a frequent participant in the Catalina shows. Young artists got involved in the Children’s Art workshops to create pieces on site.
Wantanabe has been crafting jewelry ever since a family friend taught her how to pearl knot a strand of beads when she was a child, according to her website. She’s been honing her craft and attending the Catalina Art Festivals regularly since her adult son was in middle school. But winning “Best in Show,” was a new highlight for her.
“It was just such a thrill, totally unexpected,” Wantanabe said.
A list of winners follows.
Winners:
Fine crafts
Dacotah Melicher – Honorable Mention
Buck Lopez – 3rd place
Keven Brooks – 2nd place
Donna Denning – 1st place
Jewelry
Katie Valin – Honorable Mention
Chris Driggs – 3rd place
Stephen Weber – 2nd place
Joyce Wantanabe – 1st place
Photography
Juan Rodriguez – Honorable Mention
Hannah Skye – 3rd place
Lesly Lieberman – 2nd place
Daniel Felts – 1st place
Fine Arts
Ron Libbrecht – Honorable Mention
Charissa Smith – 3rd place
Julie Koh – 2nd place
Claudia Nocke – 1st place
Best CATALINA Scene
Daniel Felts
Best of Show
Joyce Wantanabe
Children’s show
Ages 4-7
Camille Moreno – 1st place
Cruz Morones – 1st place
Melody Garcia – 2nd place
Weston Minuto – 3rd place
Age 8-13
Molly Rose – 1st place
Jacob Burch – 1st place
Colin Granberry – 2nd place
Kelton Flynn – 3rd place
Ages 14-18
Juibia Newman – 1st place
Sophia Degnam – 2nd place
