Season

November 26, 2008



Art Behind Bars

Season



The Art Crawl wasn’t the only event that we took in over the past week, in fact the Key West Cultural calendar is starting to fill up as the “season” kicks in. Season is basically the time of year when the snowbirds begin to return and the streets start to get crowded with tourists from chillier Northern climes. Many organizations wait until this time of year to plan events and activities hoping to take advantage of the larger crowds.



Kathy & I try to support as many charities and to attend as many events as possible, though sometimes it is difficult to choose with so much going on. This week, we were out for a number of events that included the monthly Walk on White, the annual plant sale at the Key West Garden Club, the 14th anniversary party for Art Behind Bars and the opening of a new art exhibit at The Studios of Key West, The Armory Show. We also made it out to see our friend Rock Soloman performing at The Wagon Wheel bar.



Rock

The Walk on White is held each month, but it really gains in popularity during the season and there was a big crowd checking out the galleries and vendors along White Street. Our friends Carrie Fecca (tiled pottery) and Beth Hodgin (jewelry) had exhibits at the White Street Deli and The Studios of Key West respectively.

Beth's Jewelry

Kathy with a Carrie Fecca pot.

We had been to the plant sale to take photos on Saturday, but we returned on Sunday to actually shop for plants. The plant sale was awesome as there were thousands of beautiful orchids and other plants available as well as delicious food and crafts vendors.



Rosi & the MARC house crew

Sunday evening we made it to two events, the Art Behind Bars party at the Pier House , where Art Behind Bars celebrated their 14th birthday with an exhibit of art created by prisoners. After that we headed over to The Studios of Key West for the opening of an exhibit and presentation on the history of the Armory building that is home to the Studios. Library Historian Tom Hambright presented a wonderful slide show on the history of the building and the neighborhood

Lynn Vantriglia of Art Behind Bars

Tom Hambright presentation

Art Behind Bars

Art Crawl

November 24, 2008



KK

MB



Art Crawl



At the urging of our friend and former fellow student of the Paul Adams photography department at FKCC, Carol Wightman, Kathy & I participated in the first ever Art Crawl at the Studios of Key West on Saturday.

KK

The Art Crawl was inspired by the International Sketch Crawl and basically expanded upon the idea by gathering over 50 artists, photographers, poets, videographers, musicians, painters and other artistically inclined people at 9:30 am on Saturday morning, giving them very brief instructions before sending them out in the neighborhood to create something artistic and return to share the creations over lunch at 1 PM.

MB

When Carol first contacted us, I thought that it sounded like a great idea and it gave me a reason to pick up my camera for something other than documenting stuff for a blog. Of course as the event approached, I must admit that I was rather dreading it as it seemed more a burden on an already crowded schedule than something to look forward to, if it hadn’t been for Carol, we may well have begged off. Thankfully we didn’t because the event was way more enjoyable and creatively stimulating than I’d ever imagined.

KK

MB

When we first gathered, we really didn’t have much of a plan, just to venture out into the neighborhood with our cameras and see if anything inspired us. Thankfully, it was an absolutely perfect day, beautiful sunshine and clear as we wondered about seeking the elusive “inspiration”. Ironically it came, for me at least, in the form of the myriad of yard sales taking place in the area around the Studios. Our first yard sale stop just happened to be at the home of a well-known Key West artist, Lynn Sherman, who not only sold Kathy a beautiful sarong, but also invited for a tour of her beautiful home and studio. Seeing the area where she creates her incredible art sparked something and from that point on, I was much more focused.

Lynn Sherman



Lynn's Studio

At another yard sale, I purchased a .50 cent paper bee that became the centerpiece for a series of photos that I call, “The Secret Life of Bee” which gave me a somewhat easy way to have something to present, while certainly not the most artistic or creative photos, they were certainly the most popular.



The Secret Life of Bee





We ended up over at West Martello where the Key West Garden Club was hosting their annual plant sale and photo opportunities were plentiful despite the harsh light of mid-day before heading back to the Studios to reassemble all the creative people to present their work.

KK

KK

It was truly inspiring what was created in those few short hours. Kathy & I are already looking forward to participating in future Art Crawls, Thanks to Carol and to the amazing staff at the Studios for a wonderful event.