The coast at Tybee Island was lined with artists during this year’s Sand Arts FestivalPhoto by Joseph Jacob

By Nicholas Lawrence

Audio specialist

Yesterday was Tybee Island’s annual Sand Arts Festival. Participants could go to the beach of Tybee Island and compete to win monetary prizes in multiple categories. Patrick Moore, a foundations study professor who has been with SCAD for 6 years gives some insight to this years event.

“Well we have sand castles and we have sand sculpture and we have relief and we also have some wind projects, and each category usually has a project that is really quite large.”

Quite large is an understatement if you’re only used to the generic sand castles children make. The event drew just as many onlookers as it did artists for the sheer size and detail displayed.

“I was just passing sand castles which usually is pretty big and the teams usually four people and a couple of helpers participate, and I’m watching a castle go up right here that’s really quite large and I think will be you know probably in the mix in the competition. I also observed some thematic projects some of the sculptures included a piece from the Titanic and there’s also a really nice crab developing over here that’s very anatomically correct and shows a lot of detail.”

District talked with some of the individuals and teams participating. One team called, “Save the Sea Turtles” , used sand to sculpt an enormous turtle. However other artists like Madison Burger, a SCAD alumni from Allentown Pennsylvania, had other visions.

“I had in mind what I was gonna’ do but I’m kind of winging it right now. It’s gonna’ be a face with like a giant beard and then something’s coming out of the beard. I just like to do crazy weird creatures so something like that.”

It is a great event for SCAD students after midterm exams as Patrick Moore explains.

“It’s really a wonderful event for SCAD students, lots of fantastic projects on the beach usually every year. I think SCAD students really go all out and it’s kinda a lot of fun. I think especially coming right after midterms gives students a chance to blow off some steam and have some fun which is well earned and deserved.

Sandy in Savannah this has been Nick Lawrence reporting for District.