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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 |
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Epcot’s fourth annual Festival of the Arts is now underway. I missed the first three. Today, I have photos and observations from my recent visit to the fourth. This is not a traditional Yesterland article, but when Epcot closes on February 24, this year’s Festival of the Arts will be history.
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Welcome to Epcot |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Partially demolished Innoventions West |
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Even before you tap into Epcot with your ticket or MagicBand, there are construction walls. There are more walls at the partially completed entrance plaza where the Leave a Legacy “tombstones” used to be. And there are still more walls all over Future World. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Expression Section: A Paint-by-Number Mural |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Guests working on the mural |
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Most of the walls are black and somewhat foreboding—especially with the remnants of Innoventions visible on the other side. But one section is now Expression Section, where guests paint numbered squares to turn a white wall into a colorful, larger-than-life mural. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Wyland Gallery artist Jacinthe Dugal-Lacroix |
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It’s not surprising that the emphasis of Epcot’s Festival is on artists and art—especially, but not exclusively, art featuring Disney characters. Festival Markets, where you can meet artists and buy art, surround World Showcase Lagoon. It’s fun to see how different artists approach similar subjects. There are costly, one-of-kind originals, but also inexpensive matted prints which cost far less than Epcot admission but provide years of pleasure. I was pleased to find two of my favorite Disney artists. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Art of Disney artist Dave Avanzino |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 WunderGround Gallery artist McBiff |
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Dave Avanzino is best known for his Custom Letter Plaques, but also creates other limited fine art pieces. His Disney art is skillful, colorful, and joyful. You’ll find his work at Art of Disney stores. McBiff (David McNeley), a self-taught artist from Huntington Beach, approaches Disney subjects with his own mid-century modern flair. You can see (and buy) his art at the WunderGround Galleries at the Disneyland Resort’s Downtown Disney and at Disney Springs’ Marketplace Co-Op. But not all art at the Festival is for sale. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 2-D chalk art |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 3-D chalk art from the side |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 The same 3-D chalk art from a different angle |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Living Statues |
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Photo by a friendly park guest for Werner Weiss, 2020 “Luncheon of the Boating Party” (1880–81) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Epcot edition |
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Perhaps you’ve seen “Luncheon of the Boating Party” at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. It’s one of Renoir’s most famous paintings. At the Festival of the Arts, it’s one of five “Artful Photo Ops” which you can step into. I should have taken off my MagicBand… and donned a straw hat… and worn a different shirt. It’s not some sort of digital magic; it’s a skillful use of plywood. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Extra cost painting activity |
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The quick-service food and beverage kiosks of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival have been wildly popular, so they also became part of the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival and the Epcot Festival of the Holidays. The kiosk names and menus change, but the idea is the same. It’s not surprising that Epcot Festival of the Arts has its own take on such kiosks too. Here they’re called Food Studios, and their names reflect styles of art—such as The Deconstructed Dish, Pop Eats!, and Mosaic Canteen. I tried two of them. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Goshiki Food Studio at Japan |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Sushi Donut |
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I ordered the Sushi Donut ($8) at Goshiki. A donut-shaped ring of sushi rice was topped with salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber slices, and sesame seeds—and served on a plate artistically decorated with lines of eel sauce, wasabi aïoli, and sriracha. The hole in the center of the donut was covered by gari (sushi ginger). A small cup of Nomi Yasui Draft Lager ($5) made the total $13. I would give this light meal five stars on a scale of one to five. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 L’Arte di Mangiare Food Studio at Italy |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Insalata di Gamberi al Limone di Zagara with Santa Marina Pinot Grigio |
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Later, I ordered the Insalata di Gamberi al Limone di Zagara ($10) at L’Arte di Mangiare. The menu board described it as “Salad of Poached Shrimp in Sicilian Lemons, Arugula, Shaved Fennel, Avocado, and Citrus Dressing.” It sounded better than it was. The salad was minimal—really just a bed for the shrimp—with more spinach (not part of the description) than arugula. I didn’t find any fennel, although a guest at a nearby table had a few shavings of fennel. The shrimp was good, but not amazing. The wine ($9) made the total $19. Two stars. I might have rated it higher if the price had been lower. Over the course of the Festival, six different pairs of Broadway performers each appear five to eight evenings in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series at the America Gardens Theater, with three shows per evening. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Disney on Broadway Concert Series |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Heidi Blickenstaff and Gavin Lee |
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I wasn’t looking forward to a concert of various songs from different musicals. I got in line anyway so I could include it in this article. I like musical stage productions, but I’ve seen revues on cruise ships and elsewhere that promise—but fail to deliver—the “best of Broadway.” When I was there, Heidi Blickenstaff and Gavin Lee performed. Both have impressive resumes of major roles in Disney on Broadway musicals and other productions. To name just one for each, Blickenstaff was Ursula in The Little Mermaid and Lee was Bert in Mary Poppins. Wow! They put on a good show. They proved why they’re Broadway stars. The band was great. The showmanship by all involved was top-notch. In fact, the concert by Heidi Blickenstaff and Gavin Lee was the highlight of my day at Epcot. I wish I could have returned to Epcot the next day—but I had a plane to catch. |
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© 2020 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated January 31, 2020. |
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, Curator of Yesterland, January 31, 2020
