By Jane Bartnett
It’s official. “The 2024 Crystal Classic is a go! It is with great pleasure that we announce the November 15-18, 2024, Siesta Key Crystal Classic will be moving forward as planned,” reported Ann Frescura, Executive Director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce.
Presented by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, a portion of proceeds from the Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival, an event that draws some 40,000 attendees annually, will go to the Siesta Key Scholarship Fund for Ringling College of Art & Design.
Master sand sculptor Brian Wigglesworth, the creator of the Crystal Classic along with representatives of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, began the tradition in November 2010. Since then, the sand sculpting festival, which draws artists and visitors from around the world, has grown to become a premier event.
The 24 artists taking part in this year’s 2024 Crystal Classic will arrive at the beach on Wednesday, November 14. Each sculptor will begin with a fresh pile of Siesta Key sand. Sculpting begins on Thursday. Each artist will work for eight hours a day through Saturday. On Sunday, four hours are allowed for final touch ups. In addition to their own creations that feature eight solo sculptures and eight team sculptures, the artists also work together on a large “community carve.”
Artists taking part in this year’s 2024 Crystal Classic come to Siesta Key from Canada, Hungary, Latvia and the Netherlands. Participating American artists hail from California, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas and Sarasota, Florida.
The Amateur Contest will also take place on Saturday, November 16. Online registration for amateur carvers must be completed by November 13 at 3:00 p.m. at SiestaKeyCrystalClassic.com.
2024 Artist Teams
Brian Wigglesworth and Matt Long
Founding artist, The Siesta Key Crystal Classic
2023 People’s Choice Award – Duo Sculpture – A tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett
“With the help of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and local businesses like the former Best Western Siesta Key, Smith Architecture and others,” said Wigglesworth, the festival became a reality. After a successful art career, he returned to sand sculpting. Wigglesworth and his partner, sculptor Andy Daily, own the “Sand Venture Crew” company based in Sarasota, Florida. Their clients include Hyundai, Marriott, New York Life, L’Oreal, Peterbilt , Margaritaville Clothing and The Inns of Sanibel. Matt Long has placed in four world championship competitions and was a cast member for the two-season run of the Travel Channel Show Sand Masters. In 2001, he began creating sand sculptures around the world. . His work has appeared in locations as diverse as Thailand, New Zealand and in New York City’s Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza. He also designed and patented the Can You Dig It Sand Tools that are used in all his team building events.
Marie-Line Gagne and Isabelle Gasse
2023 Sculptor’s Choice Award – Duo Category
Marie-Line Gagne became a professional carver seven years ago. She began working in snow and ice and now enjoys creating sand sculptures on beaches around the world. Isabelle Gasse began her career at a snow sculpting event in Quebec, Canada, at age 16. In 2021, she gained international recognition for her sand sculpting and now works in sand, wood, snow and ice.
Matthew and Ian Deibert
2nd Place Doubles Winners – 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
3rd Place Doubles Winners – 2021 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
The award-winning father and son team of Matthew and Ian Deibert make their home on the New Jersey shore. The pair compete together and as solo artists. In 2018, they won the “people’s choice award” at the Virginia Beach International Championships and in 2013, they captured the Travel Channel Sand Wars show competition.
Matthew, a former Atlantic City lifeguard and retired Atlantic City firefighter captain, holds a degree in graphic design. He began competing and working as a sand artist professionally 25 years ago. Ian, a graphic artist, began sculpting with his father as a boy on the New Jersey beaches.
Karen Fralich and Dan Belcher
3rd Place Doubles Winners, 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
Karen Fralich is a four-time World Champion and four-time North American Champion. She is the only woman to win the Solo Canadian World Championship and has competed in 92 master level international sand sculpture contests. She is a native of Ontario, Canada. Dan Belcher has won 14 world championships in the Team, Doubles, and Solo categories. He has competed in hundreds of events around the world. A landscape architect, the Missouri native began his sand sculpting career in 1990.
Joaquin Cortez and Craig Mutch
North Texas native Joaquin Cortez and his Canadian partner Craig Mutch bring diverse backgrounds to their work. A visual artist, Cortez studied computer animation before he discovered the art of creating sandcastles. Sand sculpting is Mutch’s primary medium, although he also sculpts in snow and ice. His work has been shown at Whistler in Canada’s British Columbia and at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He works as a set artist/sculptor for feature films.
Edith van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger
Dutch sand sculptor Edith van de Wetering travels the world to compete in sand, snow and ice sculpting competitions. What began as a hobby during her days as an architectural student became her career. Her husband and sculpting partner, Wilfred Stijger, also of the Netherlands, began sculpting on Dutch beaches before entering competitions in festivals around the world.
Morgan Rudluff and Amanda Bolduc
Morgan Rudluff, a full-time massage therapist from Oakland, California, began sand sculpting in 2007. Amanda Bolduc, a master sculptor, has competed in semi-pro competitions throughout the United States. She competes annually at the Snow Sculpting Championship in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. A resident of Maine, she began sand sculpting on the beaches of Florida.
Greg J. Grady and Delayne Corbett
Marine Corps veteran and New Hampshire native Greg Grady is a self-taught artist and a 2nd generation sand sculptor. He has competed professionally around the globe for the past 15 years. Delayne Corbett, a multidisciplinary artist and sculptor from Canada, is known for his creations in stone, ice, snow, and sand. A film industry artist, he has contributed to such notable projects as the 2022 film “Prey.”
Solo Artists
1st Place Solo Winner – 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
Ludo Roders comes to Siesta Key from the Netherlands. In 2021, she won the top prize at the Dutch television show Ice Masters. Her sculptures depict dreams and reality, reflecting a magical and poetic image.
2nd Place Solo Winner – 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
2023 Sculptor’s Choice Award in the Solo Category
Gazendam’s professional sand sculptures reflect his architectural training. He first discovered sand sculptures as an architectural student.
Carl Jara
3rd Place Solo Winner – 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
People’s Choice Award Solo Category – 2023 Siesta Key Crystal Classic
Professional sand sculptor Carl Jara has won over seventy medals and has competed against “almost every sand sculptor in the business.” He is the exhibits creator for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Agnese Rudzite- Kirillova
Latvian native Rudzite- Kirillova’s work has been seen around the world. She holds a master’s degree in sculpting. The theme of women’s emotions is a strong influence in her work.
A painter and sand sculptor from west Michigan, Emerson Schreiner holds prizes from the Siesta Key Crystal Classic, the Texas Sand Fest, and South Padre Island’s Sand Castle Days. He runs the Galveston, Texas branch of Sandy Feet Sand Castle Services. He has taught sandcastle lessons for 13 years and creates sand sculptures for events and competitions.
One of the youngest professional carvers in the world, Sèveline Beauregard is an award-winning sculptor. She owns Sculpture BeauRegard in Quebec, Canada. Her father and sister, Guy and Mélineige Beauregard, are both international carvers.
Dean Arscott is a sand sculptor with Team Sandtastic, a professional sand sculpting company in Sarasota, Florida. A graduate of Sarasota’s Ringling College of Art & Design, he creates commercial projects for corporate events, resorts, and global brands. He was born and raised in central Maryland.
A professional sculptor from Budapest, Monostori trained as a stone sculptor. He lived and worked in Portugal as a stone sculptor and began sand sculpting in 2003. He has shown his work throughout Europe, in Australia, China, Qatar and Chile. He also sculpts in bronze and concrete.
Crystal Classic Information & Tickets
For information on tickets, parking, vendors and special event information, visit The Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival website at https://www.siestakeycrystalclassic.com/ and on their social media pages.
