Sculpture Key West & Stephen Marley

March 8, 2009



Ribbon Cutting -Sculpture Key West

Sculpture Key West & Stephen Marley



When I first moved to Key West many years ago, one of my favorite things to do was to attend the frequent Reggae concerts that were held here at various venues many of right on the beach at places like the Pier House or the Reach resort. Key West was a stop on every major Reggae band’s itinerary and we were constantly getting to go see the likes of the Wailers, Third World, Steel Pulse, Pato Baton, Mutabaruka and Alpha Blondy. Then suddenly it all just stopped and for years, few if any bands were coming here.



Todd & Lisa

Now it would seem things are heading back in a positive direction as we attended our second Reggae concert in the past 6 months, with yet another one already announced for next month. This time it was a show by the second son of Reggae legend Bob Marley, Stephen Marley. It was held on the pier at the Ocean Key House and the place was packed.

Esme & Cayman

Stephen Marley has been performing onstage since joining the Melody Makers at the age of seven. He has been performing and producing ever since, most recently producing two Grammy nominated CDs for his younger brother Damian. He has finally stepped out into the solo spotlight, releasing his solo debut CD, “Mind Control” and going on this tour to promote it.



The show was great, the weather perfect and the entire evening was amazing and enjoyable musical feast. I have included a youtube video of a different Stephen Marley live show so that you can get a feel for it.



The other big event that I went to was the opening of the Sculpture Key West 2009 exhibit at Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. The annual sculpture exhibit is a juried show of art from all over the US that is exhibited at various locations throughout town. The Ft. Zack portion provides wide open spaces for the sculpture to be featured.







I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed by this year’s selection. While there are some very cool pieces, overall the show lacks the punch it once had and really only 4 or 5 really caught my attention. The opening was held on a blustery and unusually cold day which actually helped out my favorite sculpture, “Threshold” by local artist and friend Lauren McAloon who created huge flutes from rudders from the makeshift boats used by Cuban refugees. The piece is beautiful both to the eyes and ears.

Lauren





Other hi-lights for me included works by local artists Anja Marais and John Martini as well as a wonderful piece by a young couple from Memphis called “Post Consumer Suffocation 1: Greenhouse”. The piece is a green house which is made up of sealed plastic bags with dirt and seeds planted that will change over time as the plants grow and eventually die from suffocation. It is a wonderful, interactive piece that will have me returning to watch its progress. There was also a piece made entirely of salt licks which will disintegrate over time that will be fun to watch change.



Greenhouse artists Nathaniel Hein & Jennifer Gonzales







Finally a great new restaurant opened last week and we had to be among the first to give it a try, Braza Leno- a traditional Brazilian Steak House. The place has a fixed price for the magnificent salad bar and 17 cuts of meat that are brought by Gauchos throughout the meal and sliced to individual taste. It was a fantastic and fun evening of eating.

Jim Kilroy at Braza Lena

Stephen Marley

Sculpture Key West