An original painting by David Lambert, a Belhaven resident of over 14 years, will be the featured artwork for the 2010 Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights street festival which is set Saturday, August 14.  His painting will be featured on this year’s festival poster and t-shirts and is titled, “Jungle Boogie.”

The painting will be auctioned during the sixth annual festival, 5:30-9:30pm, Saturday, August 14, along Carlisle Street and Kenwood Place in historic Greater Belhaven.  A limited number of signed prints also will be available for purchase at the festival.  Lambert is generously donating of all proceeds from the sale of the original artwork and prints to the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation.

Lambert’s artistic approach promises an exceptional piece for this year’s festival.  His paintings are unmistakable in their use of bright primary colors, bold outlines and funhouse perspectives.  His paintings and sculptures are independent objects and at the same time a part of a larger whole. They have a past, a visual family tree by which you can trace the story of their influences. 

Lambert’s paintings and sculpture have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the country as well as Istanbul, Ankara and Berlin.  His works are in the permanent collections of the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA; Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS; Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS; Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS and Delta State University, Cleveland, MS.  He is a three time Mississippi Arts Commission Fellowship Recipient.

Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights – The Hottest Festival in Town - has become an end-of-summer tradition.  It is a celebration of all things that make Greater Belhaven special – the art, music and food – and was named a Top 20 Event in the Southeast for the month of August by the Southeast Tourism Society.  Festival-goers will enjoy children’s activities, art and live music.  Businesses from Greater Belhaven and the Belhaven Market will be selling a variety of items including food, arts and crafts.  Six stages featuring musicians with a Greater Belhaven connection will highlight the entertainment.

It will be a fun, affordable evening for the whole family with admission prices of $4 for those 13 and older and $1 for children age 12 and younger.  Beverages, including soft drinks, beer and bottled water will be for sale as well.

For more information, call the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation (GBNF) at 601-352-8850 or go to www.greaterbelhaven.com. Become a fan our the Bright Lights Belhaven Nights Facebook page at www.facebook.com/belhavennights, and follow the foundation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/greaterbelhaven.

The Foundation, which is a non-profit group governed by a board of directors with representation from Belhaven and Belhaven Heights, works to improve and revitalize the area through long-range planning, economic restructuring, historic preservation, green space enhancement, and improvement of Fortification Street, the major east-west corridor between the two neighborhoods.