VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In just a few months, a plain gray wall on 30th Street in Virginia Beach will look much different. Virginia Beach’s Neptune Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the organization has chosen local art teacher Devon Miller to transform the wall into a mural honoring the event.
As a Virginia Beach native, Miller participated in and took home an award in the Neptune Festival Youth Art Show when she was in high school.
She said, “That was my first time winning any sort of merit or any sort of money for something that I created. That's when I realized you can make money doing art.”
Years later, the Neptune Festival handed the First Colonial High School teacher a different type of award. While her mural design for the festival’s 50th year fits in a sketch pad right now, by the last weekend of September, oceanfront visitors will see the large scale of her interpretation of the festival’s motto: “Celebrating the beach life!”
Miller told 13News Now, “Anything I get to do local is so close to my heart. I’ve lived here my whole life, so I’ve been going to these events with my family forever.”
18 artists threw their hats in the ring for the chance to design and paint the mural. Then, the organization chose five finalists. Neptune Festival CEO Kit Chope said picking just one was “agonizing. All of those artists were extremely talented.”
Chope says Neptune Festival staff immediately saw Miller’s passion for art and the area. “We could tell right away before even meeting her how passionate she is for this project and how passionate she is for the Neptune Festival,” he explained.
Public art is at the forefront of festival organizers’ minds this year, according to Chope. This year, staff distributed three-foot plywood discs to 50 local businesses and non-profits, called “rounds of applause.” They have until the festival to paint the discs, which will then be displayed on the boardwalk September 27-29.
There will also be a “young collectors” tent, where kids ages 6-12 can choose a piece of artwork for $5. “It’s about igniting that passion for art that’s important for all of us,” Chope said.
The finished mural will be located at 405 30th St. in Virginia Beach.