Our Student Art Program has inspired and motivated many students throughout the multi-decade history of the Space Coast Art Festival. Perhaps none so uniquely as Anastasia Dedmon — winning Best of Show at our Student Art Show in 2008 and coming full circle as a professional exhibitor at our 2024 event.
In her own words:
” Art has always been a really big part of my life and I had a lot of support and even went to a school to study in high school, but my family moved here in the summer of 2006 right before my Junior year of school.
I was pretty uprooted and I didn’t have much to connect myself to my passions, but I had a wonderful and supportive art teacher at Bayside High School for my last 2 years who really pushed me to stay involved.”
Anastasia recalls “He wound up telling me about the Space Coast Art Festival and encouraged me to join. I didn’t know what to expect and I was pretty unprepared, but I brought my artwork anyway and I wound up winning Best of Show in November of 2008, my senior year. Because of that experience, I feel like I was given the confidence to continue to pursue art, even outside of school.”
“I continued to work and when I finally found my style and had a body of work, the one place I knew I could go was the Space Coast Art Festival again. This time, as an adult, I was more prepared and I had a strong body of a lot of work. I made friends and I got to share my work with so many people. It really came full circle for me and I’ve continued to do shows now ever since.
… it’s crazy how 16 years can change things. “
Although we can’t track the future of the many, many students involved in our shows and contests, stories like Anastasia’s give us confidence of our impact inspiring and motivating creative young people to continue to express their visual artistic talents.
