Milford selects artists for Phase 2 of Art on the Riverwalk Tour

The committee overseeing the Art on the Riverwalk Tour project named local Kent and Sussex artists Linda Chatfield, Eddie Filemyr, Gwen Guerke, Marcia Reed, Bill Walton and selected art students at Milford High School working under the guidance of art teacher Nicole Carter to take part in Phase 2 of the project, which features four-foot, three-dimensional recreations of the classic yacht Augusta built by Milford's Vinyard Boat Yard in 1927. These will be displayed permanently along the Mispillion River and throughout downtown.

"The ART project is the good example of the revitalization and rebranding of the town. The six boats of Phase 1 have proved to be very popular, have been getting good press and are attracting visitors to Milford," said Lee Nelson, executive director of Downtown Milford Inc. "It will be exciting to see the new art by these excellent artists on display soon."

Each of the artists will work as a mentor with a high school art student throughout the process. The decorated sculptures will be placed around town during early summer, joining the six already in place.

There were originally seven boat-building yards in Milford, but over time, they all closed. Vinyard Boat Yard was bought by the present owners, Sudler and Joan Lofland. They rescued the Augusta, which was lying derelict in another state, and restored it to its former glory. It is now moored back in the Mispillion River.

This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit http://artsdel.org. ART is also partially funded by a grant from Dogfish Head Brewery.

For more info, contact Lee Nelson at 302-839-1180, email Director@DowntownMilford.org or go to downtownmilford.org.