OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) — The Coast’s artistic expression will be on full display during the Peter Anderson Festival.
One of the festival’s regularly featured artists makes his work stand out by reshaping what may be old into a new creation.
“I want to spark inspiration in folks to look at old objects in a new way,” said John Walrod.
Walrod hunts for antiques and things people no longer use and turns them into art.
“The work is called ‘assemblage art.’ I take found objects like antiques, vintage stuff, and I make what I call ‘4D assemblage art.’ When people look at it, they go, ‘Oh, my grandmother had that mixer,’ or ‘My father had that toaster.’ There’s a historical connection that it forms.”
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Walrod shows his work at art festivals across the Southeast. Of course, there’s one he never misses — he’s had a booth at Peter Anderson Festival for roughly 15 years.
“Every year has been phenomenal for us. It’s usually a record show for us during a year. The streets are packed with folks that just love art.”
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Getting his unique creations to the festival is an art form all on its own.
“We show up at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning. A couple thousand pounds of equipment goes in and it has to be open by 9 a.m. because that’s when the show officially opens. We’ll bring the booth in, set it up, then we’ll strap all these steel grids and hang the artwork on the steel grids.”
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It’s hard work getting ready, but worth it.
“The crowds start coming down the street; they’ll walk into your booth, look at your stuff, get a smile on their face, be drawn into the work and start laughing.”
Each one of Walrod’s creations comes with its own story.
“This piece is called ‘Ghost in the Machine,’ then there’s a double helix that spirals down to the base that represents DNA, so the ‘Ghost in the Machine’ is also like the DNA formula for life.”
When “Ghost in the Machine” is bought by an art lover, its story will live on with them. Walrod will turn his attention to the next piece.
“I’m more interested in making more art. It’s important to me that it finds a home — and it will, because people love this piece — and I’ll make something else.”
Check out Walrod Art and the hundreds of other booths at Peter Anderson Festival on November 7-8 in downtown Ocean Springs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on Walrod Art, visit their Facebook page.
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