Revere sand sculpting festival honors armed forces

REVERE ? Master sand sculptors from all over the world were bustling about Tuesday afternoon on Revere Beach, keeping busy with prep work to have their exhibition area and molds ready for the 2014 Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival, set to begin today at 8 a.m.?Thanks to more funding from the Revere Beach Partnership this year we were able to fly in competitors from very far off places this year,” said Meredith Corson, the organizer of the sand sculptures and centerpiece.Corson said the Revere Beach Partnership, which sponsors the event, brought in competitors for this invitation-only competition from Russia, Singapore, Mexico, Belgium, Holland, Canada, and, of course, the U.S.?This year we have 15 competitors, seven new and eight returning, including the winners of last year’s competition and the People’s Choice Award winner,” said Corson. “This year’s festival’s theme is Stars and Stripes to honor our armed forces.”The sculptors are all given approximately 12 tons of sand each, which is brought in from an outside location, and have 30 hours of work time spread out over a four-day period, beginning today at 8 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. Saturday. The competitors are allowed to use molds to assist with the sculpting, but they must be taken away by judgment time, leaving the creations with only water and sand for support.Competitors will judge all the sculptures themselves, excluding their own to keep it fair. The judging system is based on a system similar to schooling grades, with A, B, C, D, so that the judges cannot add scores up in their head to see who has the most during the judging process.?Only sand sculptors are qualified to judge the sculptures because they’re the only ones who realize how using sand as an artistic medium works,” Corson said. “For example, a wood sculptor might know how to sculpt wood, but it’s a very different medium from sand.?Wood can support much more than sand can, so they wouldn’t be able to appreciate the difficulty or artistic techniques of the sculptures.”The sculptures are judged in six different categories: degree of difficulty, wow factor, originality, quality of carving, use of sand and artistic impression.Corson also explained that there are three different awards: the main award, which is a result of the judging, for a cash prize; the People’s Choice Award, which is picked by the beach goers; and the Sculptors’ Choice Award. Although only the main award has a cash prize, many sculptors desire to win the Sculptors’ Choice Award, as it shows that people in their own field truly appreciate their work and artistry.In addition to the 15 competitive sculptures that will be erected, there is also a centerpiece sculpture decorated appropriately for the “Stars and Stripes” theme as well as several other sponsor sculptures for advertising.The festival is free, and the sculptures will stand until brought down by natural erosion, which has been known to takes up to four weeks in past years.