The Art of Saturday

"Out" by Alfred Phillips will be on exhibit in The Naughty Show at Broward Art Guild.

Broward Art Guild
3280 N.E. 32nd St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-537-3370, Browardartguild.com

The Naughty Show, an art show of erotic and naughty work presented by ArtsUnited Inc., will open with a party featuring decadent desserts and an erotic penny auction and may works.

"Out," Alfred Phillips' painting pictured above, took second place in the show. "It was inspired by a picture I took in San Francisco of a straight couple," he says. "I thought at the time how sad it is that gay people can't be as comfortable 'out' in the open sitting in a public place like that.  To enhance the 'naughtiness,' I added the hand on the thigh to imply more intimacy."

The show will open 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 29. Admission is $10. Fetish/fantasy attire is welcomed, they say.

Tina La Porta's "Medicine Ball (study" will be on exhibit at Rip Her to Shreds in F.A.T. Village.

F.A.T. Village Art Walk
Just west of Andrews Avenue between Northwest Fourth Avenue and Northwest Sixth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Fatvillage.com

F.A.T. Village Art Walk is held 7-11 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month. The next is Sept. 29. Check out Arterpillar's guide to all of the events.

Undergrounds Coffeehaus
3020 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954-630-1900, Undergroundscoffeehaus.com

Retro Craft Show, featuring "retro, vintage, classic, rare, nostalgic wares, toys, clothes, kitchen items, posters, records, T-shirts, shoes, pop culture" and dog and human snacks, a food truck with imaginative hamburgers (4-6 p.m.) and music by DJ Age Galactic, who will spin Motown and other soul grooves, runs 2-8 p.m. Sept. 29.

 MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

LMNT
59 N.W. 36th St., Miami, 305-989-6963, L-m-n-t.com

From Abstract to Realism, featuring the works of four mid career artists, from here and in South America, who have similar herritage and artistic backgrounds, but styles so distinctly different that many viewers may tend to only like one or the other. The mission of exhibition, featuring work by Diego Jacobson, Felix Bonilla, Flavio Galvan and Havi Schanz, is to compel the viewer to open their minds to the "pecrceived opposing styles." The show runs through the closing party at 7 p.m. Sept. 29.

IKNOWART in the Garden at Nikki Beach is 2-7 p.m. Sept. 29.

Nikki Beach
One Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, 305-538-1111, Nikkibeachmiami.com/iknowart

IKNOWART in the Garden, Nikki Beach's new signature art event, will feature works by MANO, Eleazar Delgado and Josepo, complimentary beach-side cocktails and the latest sounds from Nikki Beach resident DJ Felipe Kaval in an area described as "a unique garden setting where the surreal meets the unequaled beauty of nature."

MANO, a Cuban-born self-taught artist will present a selection from Erikae, his recent series that "exaggerates details and abstracts the familiar to revitalize the mystifying beauty and allure of the Geisha."

The event runs 2-7 p.m. Sept. 29. Space is limited, so RSVP is required, and doing so online can earn you a complimentary cocktail.

 PALM BEACH COUNTY

Jerry's Artarama
2505-Q Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, 561-684-7036, Facebook.com/jerrysartaramawpb

The Great 16 x 20 Art Jam where artists bring their tools and creativity to an event where they will be given a free 16 X 20 canvas, refreshments, music easels, work space and Soho paint samples. The art bash starts at 5 p.m. Sept. 29.

The Art of Friday

The Bubble
810 N.E. Fourth Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-562-3804
 
Art and Brand Show, a one-night only local music and art sale with performances by Bonnet People, Therapy (reunion show) and The Goddamn Hustle and jewelry, will include black-and-white photography by Kathy Hunt, Panic Pedals (custom handmade guitar pedals) by Christine Bulger, mixed media art by Brandon Webb, beads by Wendi Lederman, live painting by Lauraly Atria,  Big Beard Comics by Marc Cheever and CD sales by Black Sun Alchemy and Dooms De Pop. The event runs 7 to midnight Sept. 28.

Harold's Coffee Lounge
509 Northwood Road, West Palm Beach

Two + One, an artist showcase featuring work by Anthony Burks Sr., Raymond Burks and David German, will open with an artists' reception from 6-9 p.m.

Local spotlight: Rip Her to Shreds

Tina La Porta's "Medicine Ball (study)"

While the challenges of mother-daughter relationships have been well documented in books such as "Mommie Dearest" and movies such as "Black Swan," curator Milly Cardoso longed to see the subject tackled in the form of an art exhibition.

"I really wanted to explore these relationships, these memories about growing up with a mother who was not a typical mom," she says.

On Saturday, the resulting 10-artist exhibition, "Rip Her to Shreds," will open at the Projects in Fort Lauderdale's F.A.T. Village. The show explores mother-daughter relationships and their inherent frustrations, battles and bonds. Cardoso says it's fitting that the exhibition shares the name of a Blondie song about a fabulous and flamboyant woman, and reveals that the title is a phrase she's used in conversations about her mother.

"Simply stated, she is an extrovert, and I am an introvert," Cardoso says. "She is very exuberant, and I am timid and awkward. Growing up, especially in my teen years, all of my friends thought my mom was so cool, and yes, she is cool. But my response was, 'Really? I want to rip her to shreds.'" ...

Continue reading Arterpillar's story on Rip Her to Shreds at Southflorida.com.

New feature: Dinkydoodles Page!

Ernesto Kunde needs beach umbrellas.

 OK, it's time for yet another new feature on Arterpillar.

For some time now, I have been thinking of starting a Dinkydoodle page. OK, so that's kind of a made-up word, but this time, I didn't make it up. My mom did. When I was little, I used to play with these toys ... They were plastic and hollow and they had a little part that stuck out of one end and hooked into the hole of another. You could make necklaces out of them, or just link one colored one after another (blue, red, green ... blue, red, green)  and use your imagination. If you were feeling rather special, you could even make a little crown to put atop your head while you ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Anyway, she always called them Dinkydoodles, and I never doubted that they were just that. Later in my life, when the subject of toys would come up I would ask people if they used to play with Dinkydooles and no one had any idea what I what talking about ... Turned out they did play with these things but Dinkydoodles was not really the proper term for them. My mom apparently just made it up, the same way I think she made up that thing about how I would get the curly hair I wanted if I would just eat my bread crusts instead of leaving them behind on my plate.

Anyway, I'm bringing back the word Dinkydoodles and using it here as a blanket term to describe all those unusual things artists search for to make their works, whether it's something they use on an ongoing basis or just something they need for a particular project.

Maybe you use yellow bird cages, purple crayons, egg cartons, game pieces, old watches, heart-shaped stones, metal garbage can lids, record albums, blue wine bottles  ... whatever it is, I'll list it here.

Send me your little listing (Colleen.dougher@gmail.com) with Dinkydoodles in the subject line ...  and unless you tell me to post it for less time, I'll keep this on the Dinkydoodles page for one month. If you want to update after that time, just send it to me again with any necessary updates.

Ernesto Kunde seeks more corrugated aluminum shutters.

Things to remember:

1. The more specific you can be, the better. If you only need Purple Crayola crayons, for instance, please say so. Do the items need to be brand new, or it's OK, or perhaps even better, if they're a little battered?

2. Also, people will need a means for contacting you, so include an e-mail or phone number where people can reach you. Stating what town or you live in and whether you are willing to pick up the Dinkydoodles, might help too.

3. Also, please include a Web site.

4. If you are making something in particular from all those Dinkydoodles you are gathering and want to include a nice pic of one of those things you made already, that would be great too, as I will include some of those.

Be as thorough as you can, as I won't likely have time to follow up and track down all the necessary details.

I think this could be a fun page, and a way for people to help out local artists and get rid of some of the things that they have been collecting but in the end, don't really want or need ... that drawer full of wine bottle corks, Altoid tins or marbles.

The first listing on the page, which I will be adding to the blog this week, is Miami artist Ernesto Kunde's search for beach umbrellas for a project he'll be working on through the end of 2013. See an image of of his beach umbrella at the top of this post. He's also seeking corrugated aluminum shutters (see one of his shutter works pictured here) on which to create works. So if you were lucky enough to get fancy new shutters that take just a few minute to slide shut and have those old ones still taking up room in their garage ... contact Ernesto via at Facebook.com/ernesto.kunde or Ernestokunde@gmail.com.

E-mail me your Dinkydoodle page listings (with Dinkydoodles) in the subject line, to Colleen.dougher@gmail.com. I'll be launching the page later this week.

Saturday: F.A.T. Village Art Walk

FAT VILLAGE ART WALK

It's time once again for F.A.T. Village's end-of-month bash. The art walk, which takes place just west of Andrews Avenue between Northwest Fourth and Sixth avenues in downtown Fort Lauderdale, will run 7-11 p.m. Sept. 29.  Here's a rundown of the events, including a few that serve as excellent warm-ups for the F.A.T. Village Art Walk ...

Steel Magnolias will be showing at 5 p.m., just before the Sept. 29 F.A.T. Village Art Walk.

Andrews Living Arts Studio

23 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-530-1879, Andrewslivingarts.com

Steel Magnolias can be seen at a pre-F.A.T. Village Art Walk performance at 5 p.m. Admission is $24.95. Advance tickets can be purchased at web site listed above.

Chick Flicks is another good warm-up for F..A.T. Village Art Walk

Girls Club

117 N.E. Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-828-9151, Girlsclubcollection.org

High Art will be the featured film at Chick Flicks, which starts one hour before F.A.T. Village Art Walk opens. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell and Patricia Clarkson, the R-rated film is loosely based on the life of artist Nan Goldin, who has a work featured in the current Girls' Club exhibition Re-Framing the Feminine. Doors open at 6 p.m. and screening begins soon after. Suggested donation is $5 and refreshments are available.
 

Medicine Ball (study), 2012, by Tina La Porta

The Projects
523 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale  

Rip Her to Shreds, a group exhibition by artists who offer "new perspectives on themes of femininity, insanity, and mother/daughter relationships" in a show that includes recollections and emotions on the  good, bad, funny and disturbing aspects of unstable development. The show, curated by Milly Cardoso, Director for the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Gallery as well as the University of Miami Gallery in Miami’s Wynwood Art District, will feature a performance by Belaxis Bull at 8 p.m. and include works by Leah Brown, Jahaira Rios-Galvez, Jacqueline Gopie, Donna Haynes, Colby Katz, Pamela Palma, Tina La Porta, Lani Shapton and Jackie Tufford. Read Arterpillar's story on Rip Her to Shreds on Southflorida.com.

The Projects North
 519 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale 

Relapse, curated by Luke Jenkins, is an exhibition of installation, sound, and performance art by Freddy Jouwayed, Luke Jenkins, Raymond Brown, Edward Eden, Juan Maristany, Peter Symons and David Brieski. The show, a sequel exhibition to Habits, Jenkins' previous experimental group show in F.A.T. Village, is billed as "chaotic, immersive, interactive and full of experimental auditory stimulation" and works that "are sure to engage the viewing audience both physically and conceptually."

Iron Forge Press 
537 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-563-5255, Ironforgepress.com

Katlyn Art Show is an exhibition of six works that reflect people, places and things tthat Katlyn Lacoste has encountered in her travels over the last few years. The show was scheduled to open last Art Walk, but postponed until Sept. 29 due to threatening weather that prompted the artist to spend the day putting up shutters.

Says the artist in her statement: "I am truly excited to show this show to you and to glide into relationships. May they make us for better or worse they truly shape us. You can never really know immediately the effect someone can have on you. Whether you knew them for five minutes or 10 years. As you look back, you can see the beauty, the charisma, the pain, the traumas and the discoveries. Everyone and yourself can change you. Whether you would like to admit it or not. We are putty."

Judith Schwab's "At the Blurred Edge of the Atlantic" is part of "Making Waves"

Judith Schwab Art Studio
1098 N.W, Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale

"Making Waves," emerged from Judith Schwab's effort to rally support for environmental organizations in the wake of the gulf oil spill. Motivated by the Greek proverb ("A society is strong when the old plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.") Schwab wants to save the environment for future generations. The artist has incorporated lines she selected from the poems of New York poet Charles Adès Fishman into her sculptures. Among them: "At the blurred edge of the Atlantic ... Blackbirds cried out in the cattails." Schwab's studio will be open 7-9 p.m. during F.A.T. Village Art Walk.

Fishman will read his poetry at the Fat Village Art Walk in February 2013, the month before Schwab's "Making Waves" show opens at Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami.

Sara Nichols and Christie Jago of Samsara Folk Art Gallery (Photo by Sarah Dussault/Sun-Sentinel)

Samsara Folk Art Gallery
501 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Samsarafolkart.com

Samsara Folk Art Gallery, run by Sara Nichols and Christie Jago, was launched in Januaray as a pop-up gallery and nine months later it's still going strong. These folk-art loving longtime friends, known as "The Folk Finders," started collecting folk art about 10 years ago, taking road trips to various folk art festivals and meeting the artists. Eventually, they began running out of places to put the art but wanted to continue supporting the artists many of whom became their friends. So they launched this gallery. Not they can continue buying what they love and bringing it back to share with others who love and wish to buy the art.  Read Arterpillar's story about Samsara Folk Art Gallery at Southflorida.com.

Rolling Stock
506 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-822-9725, Facebook.com/rollingstockgallery

Trim, a one-night event presented by Rolling Stock, Atlantic Barbershop, DME, GPK and VOA, will include an art gallery, barbershop, live music, painting, music by DJs Broke and Jux, new works by DME Collective and VOA, and new walls by GPK and DME.

Paul Morris hanging his works at Project Fine Art in preparation for Saturday's art walk.

Project Fine Art
500 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-333-8900, Projectfineart.com

Project Fine Art, which houses the marketing and design studio, Helium Creative and an art gallery, will be showing work by Nikki Rotunda, Paul Morris, Edin Chavez and Janet M. Mueller. Look for the blue doors at the corner of First Avenue and Fifth.

Jean Minuchin's "Works" will be on exhibit during the Sept. 29 F.A.T. Village Art Walk.

World and Eye
109 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-540-9897, Worldandeye.com

Works, artist Jean Minuchin's multimedia exhibition of puppetry, sculpture and poetry will take place in her gallery World and Eye as well as in The Projects, where she will exhibit as part of The Artists of F.A.T. Village. "In creating stories I attempt to look across time and culture and bring to life a personal mythology that includes the problems of the modern world," Minuchin notes. "I am fascinated by the duality that holds both the intricate nature of the human soul and the problems of modern times. At the core I believe my work is trying to reconcile the beauty of the human spirit with the cruelty, greed and blindness of contemporary culture."

The evening's poetry will be part of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, a global event in which poets from 580 cities from 105 countries have registered to simultaneously take part in poetry, art and music events designed to promote social, environmental and political change.

The global celebration of poetry, music, hope and social resistance, will feature Sonia Baez-Hernandez, Desquiasia and Ramon Canales, Cenigma, Oscar Fuentes, Randy Hendler, Jean Minuchin, Allan Pierce, Jaimie Rogers, Laura Sue (The Silver Nightingale) and Marie Whitman. Admission is $15.


Classic: Josiah Sampson | Scooter from C&I Studios on Vimeo.

C&I Studios

541 N.W.  First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-357-3934, C-istudios.com

Classics at C&I Studios, is a look behind the scenes of the shooting of four ads in the C&I Studios, where guests are invited to "come and see the process, drink our drinks, and unleash your inner artsiness....or something." And ... 'Oh yeah, everything is free." Above is Josiah Sampson in a short fashion profile video C&I Studios did just for fun. The fun starts at 8 p.m.

Francesco Sheuat makes excellent use of soda-pop cans.

Francisco Sheuat and Green's Art Studio
115 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, Facebook.com/fsheuat

Sheuat and Green will exhibit mixed-media, abstracts and metal works that illustrate the transformation of disposable or discarded items into art.

Visit other studios and galleries throughout F.A.T. Village:

Alfred Phillips, 113 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-326-3133, Alfredphillips.com
InduArt Gallery, 445 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Induartgallery.com 
Puppet Network, 504 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-766-4741, Facebook.com/pages/Puppet-Network/149334065101692  
Sixth Star Entertainment, 21 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-462-6760, Sixthstar.com.

The Art of Thursday

"Human Structure Divided" by Derrick Adams

General Audience Presents
769 N.E. 125th St., Miami, info@generalaudiencepresents.com, Generalaudiencepresents.com

Architectural Archetypes, a solo-exhibition of mixed-media sculpture and new works on paper by multidisciplinary New York based artist Derrick Adams, is a continuation of the Deconstruction Worker series the artist exhibited earlier this year at Jack Tilton Gallery in New York.

In this show, which references "structures seen in the cityscape and the presence of humanity within as prototypes made and used as a general model for representation,"Adams uses ink, pencil, paint, crayon, printed shelf-liner and other faux surfaces to make "minimal geometric constructions of angular human figures that seemingly live both in a state of deconstruction at the same time as if in the process of being built."

Adams’ practice, which incorporates architectural processes and their varied presentation strategies, is "focuses on the fragmentation and manipulation of structure and surface while exploring the shape-shifting force of popular culture in our lives."

His exhibition will open in a new project space owned by Lissette Garcia, a Miami-based art advisor and independent curator and Genaro Ambrosino, owner and director of Ambrosino Gallery. The show opens 6-9 p.m. Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 10.

Cafeina Wynwood Lounge
297 N.W. 23rd St., Miami, 305-438-0792, Cafeinamiami.com/wec-wynwood-exhibition-center

Small Works, an exhibition presented by Miami's Independent Thinkers, will feature work by Ahol Sniffs Glue, Alfredo Perez, Buddah Funk, Choose Your Peace, 305 Kid, Denise Diaz, Emerson Calderon, Humberto Vento, JeanPaul Mallozzi, Jel Martinez, Katia Danilova, Juan Erman Gonzalez, Mary Larsen, Ryan Hayoun and Tracy Cristal. The show will open with live jazz from Wendy Pedersen from 7 p.m. to midnight Sept. 27 and run through Oct. 1.

Those who arrive early can enjoy happy hours, which includes $4 beer and wine, $5 tapas, $6 well drinks and $7 specialty cocktails from 5-8 p.m.  

De la Cruz Collection
23 N.E. 41st St., Miami, 305-576-6112, Delacruzcollection.org

Ana Mendieta in Context: Public and Private Work, Miami-based artist and activist Cesar Trasobares's illustrated overview on Ana Mendieta's development as an artist, will focus on the works she created from 1981 to 1983. The talk will cover the contexts of her work (site, performance, video, drawing and sculpture) and will reference other artists' works as examples of the historic and anthropological sources of her iconography.

For 40 years, Trasobares, who served as Executive Director of Miami-Dade County's Art in Public Places Program from 1985-90, has been organizing exhibitions and written texts about Cuban American Art in the United States. He is currently writing Among Friends, a personal memoir about his friendship with Ana Mendieta, Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Carlos Alfonzo.

His talk will begin at 8 p.m. Sept. 27, just after Dim Sum, which will be served at 7:30 p.m.



ActivistArtistA Gallery
422 W. Industrial Ave., Boynton Beach, 786-521-1199, ActivistArtistA.blogspot.com 

They don't call him Renda Writer for nothing

The Writing's on the Wall, an art exhibition in which Renda Writer, a poet and artist who has had a very long and involved relationship with yellow legal pads and blue ink, will exhibit and offer for sale all of his writings, some of which have been incorporated into collaborations with other local artists including Invi, DC One, Niki Lopez, Jeff Dekal, Mo Brenner, David Mann, Rei Ramirez, Sole Del Real, Kimmie Lovin, Craig McInnis, Carlos Solano, Jonathan Fields, Cierra Robinson, Gina Bentivegna and Byron Keith Byrd.

The exhibition will also feature music by DJ Stevie D and visitors may buy food truck edible, H2Yo water or a copy of Coping Mechanism, a book of Writer's handwritten poetry accompanied by illustrations by INVI. In keeping with the theme, the entire floor of the gallery will be painted like a yellow legal pad and feature a collaboration of Renda Writer's handwritten poetry and Chan Shepherd's art. Oh, and Renda will also introduce his new jewelry line.

The show's closing party is 9-11 p.m. Sept. 27 during the monthly art walk for Boynton Beach Art District  (B-BAD).  Read Arterpillar's Sun-Sentinel with Renda Writer.

Locust Projects
3852 N. Miami Ave., Miami, 305-576-8570, Locustprojects.org   

Art Pharmacology No. 4: Miami as Public Art Playground is the fourth in a series of talks presented by LegalArt, a non-profit downtown Miami art space that offers artists programs, legal assistance and referrals and a live/work residency program, and Art Practical, a San Francisco-based online magazine that's participating in LegalArt’s Residency Program and will publish a November issue about Miami’s art scene.

The discussion, which will be moderated by Tess Thackara and include speakers Brandi Reddick, Agustina Woodgate and Misael Soto, will address questions such as "What place does Miami take as global model for public art?" " What impact — concrete or intangible — does public art have on the community?" and "When public art is sanctioned, where does the underground go?"

The events run 6-7 p.m. Sept. 27.

For more event listings, visit Arterpillar's Art Guide. 

Sunday: Average Joe Art Sale

Average Joe Art Sale: Odds 'n Ends Edition offers a place to wind down the weekend by checking out art, buying it, playing ping pong, smoking a hookah and mingling with local artists

See work by Diana Contreras at Average Joe Art Sale.

Say organizers, "We'll have a fresh batch of artists in the house along with our resident artists, selling everything from original works, to limited edition prints, and merchandise (apparel, accessories, and more). The best part? We're capping the selling price at $250 per item. You can walk away with an original piece of art to brighten up your place or to offer as an amazing unique gift for less than the price of an iPod." If you want to spend more, you can check out some of the artists studios.

Resident artists include Lorie Setton, Kazilla and Vince "Bad Panda" Herrera. The visiting artists will include Evoca1, Esther Weinbach, Rei Ramirez, Diana Contreras, Rod Deal, Jay Bellichi, Dorandy Mercado, KneeSomnia Art, WHUT X BM, Buddah Funk, Marc Paperscissor, JNGL, Claudio "CPI" Picasso and Alex Yanes.

The day will also include music by Jolt Radio, sandwiches and Subvert Ales (billed as "beer with an attitude") by Ms. Cheezious, and a sale of painted plates and other goods from Art That Feeds, a program by the nonprofit organization Touching Miami With Love, which offers support to at-risk youths in Overtown.

The event runs 3-9 p.m. Sept. 23 at Yo Space, 294 N.E. 62nd St., Miami, Yo-miami.com. For more info, e-mail Info@yo-miami.com.

Local spotlight: Samsara Folk Art Gallery

Sara Nichols and Christie Jago of Samsara Folk Art Gallery (Photo by Sarah Dussault/Sun-Sentinel)

In Fort Lauderdale's F.A.T. Village, there's an art venue called Samsara Folk Art Gallery.

Sara Nichols and Christie Jago have run it for nine months, without so much as a sign bearing the gallery's name.

This "pop-up" gallery that never left continues to pop up each month, an evolving space filled with folk art, as Samsara's co-owners define it. On Sept. 29, it will open again for the F.A.T. Village Art Walk, which takes place every last Saturday of the month.

"I always tell everyone that we buy directly from the artists," Nichols says. "We know them, they're our friends. We love them."

The women, known as "The Folk Finders," travel to annual folk art festivals, collecting works and stories. Rather than take art on commission, they buy it outright.

Jago and Nichols, whose husbands work in South Florida's yachting industry, met 25 years ago. While traveling through Georgia, where both own property, the women began buying folk art and soon started attending folk art festivals where they met more artists. After several years of collecting, they were running out of room.

"These [folk artists] are so genuine and they're not making millions of dollars," says Jago, whose background is in interior design. "We said: Well, if we can't buy more folk art, we can't help the artists or support the art."

So she and Nichols, who has been working in real estate for 10 years, started selling the art, too. ...

To continue reading Arterpillar's story in the Sun-Sentinel's Lifestyle section.

The Art of Saturday

Kyle Robert Willis created this Darjeeling Limited Piece with a Bic Pen. See it at By Way of Wes Anderson at Green Room in Fort Lauderdale.

Green Room
109 S.W. Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-449-1030, Greenroomlive.com

By Way of Wes Anderson, billed as a celebration of the critically acclaimed catalogue of Wes Anderson through artwork and sound, will feature music by Saskatchewan and Levek, who will perform originals and and pieces found within Wes Anderson's film soundtracks, and an exhibition of Wes Anderson-themed artwork curated by Kristin Frenzel and Gina Bentivegna.

There will also be themed items for sale by Indie Craft Bazaar vendors, local recipes from Riverside Market, screen-printed shirts by The Fine Print Shoppe, a commemorative photo booth by Ian Witlen and Digital Cypher Photography with Body Art by Keegan, conceptual DJ mixes, post- modern beats by Jolt Radio and Andie Sweetswirl and a premiere of Subvert's upcoming adventure, Triumphant Vision and giveaways.

The six-hour events starts at 10 p.m. Sept. 22. Admission to the 21-and-up show is $5. Tickets are available online through Ticketmaster.com or at Revolution Live box office (100 SW 3rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale).

Museum of Contemporary Art

Joan Lehman Building, 770 NE 125th Street, North Miami, 305-893-6211, Mocanomi.org

Pablo Cano: The Toy Box Revival is a musical production and exhibition featuring marionettes in a setting that the Miami made from found objects. Based on Claude Debussy’s 1913 children’s ballet La Boite a Joujoux, a solo piano piece designed for marionettes, but never realized during the French composer’s lifetime, it includes "French folk melodies, parodies of other composers, quotations from Debussy’s works and choreography by Cano’s longtime collaborator Katherine Kramer in a work first presented at MOCA in 2004. The show opens with a performance at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 and runs through Nov. 11. Other performances will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 28, 2 p.m. Oct. 13, noon and 2 p.m. Oct. 14 and 2 p.m. Nov. 3. Performances are $10 for MOCA members, North Miami residents and City of North Miami employees; $15 general admission; and $3 for children under 12.

"Orange Crush" by South Florida Cultural Consortium winner Phillip Estlund

University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University
Schmidt Center Gallery and Ritter Art Gallery
777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, 561-297-2661, Fau.edu/galleries

New Art: South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual and Media Artists Fellowship, an exhibition of the 11 consortium winners, will include works by Ernesto Oroza, who will present an installation of colorful abstractions and close-up images of recycled plastic goods in Cuba, where some residents have become “designers of necessity” because of the scarcity of industrial and architectural products.

Phillip Estlund, who makes surreal collages, often constructed from interior design and architecture magazines, and creates sculptures that reference the raw material of residences affected by natural disasters, decay or neglect, will also exhibit as will Mark Moormann, a documentary filmmaker who will present selections from two recent projects that profiled the Thessaloniki Festival in Hialeah and Stetson Kennedy’s struggle against racial injustice.

Other exhibiting consortium winners are Nellie Appleby (Monroe County), Domingo Castillo (Miami Dade), Clifton Childree (Miami Dade), Jiae Hwang (Miami Dade), Nicolas Lobo (Miami Dade),  Tom Scicluna (Miami Dade), Eric Landes (Broward County) and John Sanchez (Broward County).

The artists, each of whom will receive a $7,500 or $15,000 grant, were selected from more than 300 artists from Florida's five southeastern counties who submitted work that underwent a two-step judging process by a regional and national panel of visual arts professionals.

The show will open with a performance from Miami band Gold Dust Lounge and a cash bar, 6-9 p.m. Sept. 22 and run through Dec. 15. Admission is free. Regular gallery hours are 1-4 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Visitors must obtain a $2 parking pass or use the limited metered parking. More extensive parking directions are available online at Fau.edu/galleries.

The Art of Thursday

Bardot
3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami, 305-576-5570, Bardotmiami.com

One Night Stand, the latest in a series of Locust Projects-produced social events where creative producers collaborate, will feature feature a pop-up vinyl record shop and classic R&B and blues sounds from Sweat Records and signature cocktails served by the spirited mixologists from Bar Lab. The event runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 20. Admission for non-members if $10.  RSVP to Info@locustprojects.org.

Stage 84
9118 W. State Road 84, Davie, 954-474-5040, Stage84fl.com

Dr. Sketchy is a monthly evening of drinking, eating and drawing a model that poses for periods ranging from 5 to 20 minutes. September's model is Morgan La Rue. Bring your "sketchpads, i-pads or do-dads," a hard drawing surface (if you have one) and your pencils, pens or crayons. No easels. Artistic skills are not a prerequisite. If you can doodle an image on a cocktail napkin, you will be welcome here. The next session runs 7-10 p.m. Sept. 20. Tickets are $10 in advance (Drsketchysofla.com) or $12 at the door.

One Struggle: Many Voices runs 8-10

Undergrounds Coffeehaus
3020 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954-630-1900, Undergroundscoffeehaus.com

One Struggle: Many Voices is One Struggle South Florida's progressive open mike for acoustic musicians, poets, comedians, crafters and artists who are invited to "Come, show and sell your radical stuff." Works should be small so they can be displayed at the artists table and 45 percent of the money from sold art works will go towards One Struggle, mainly for newspaper printing costs. Artists should contact Onestruggle.southflorida@gmail.com. Requested donation: $5. The open mike runs 8-10 p.m. Sept. 20 and will continue to be held on the third Thursday of each month through 2012.

Yo Momma was in the House ...

Wexler at Yo Momma in the House

Yo Momma really was in the house, as were all her adoring fans, at Yo Momma in the House. The Sept. 19 show at 12345 West Dixie Studio and Gallery in North Miami drew 70 works, all of them about Myra Wexler a.k.a. Yo Momma. The place was packed with artists, all chit-chatting about the art, the hefty turnout and who knows what else.

The show was to include works by 50 artists, but apparently, somehow, around 70 came through and it was pretty fun to see all the different takes on one single person. The slide show above contains some photos from the exhibition. To read the descriptions, click the lower right hand corner of the slide show ... and then click on "show info" (at top) for titles  ... or just view the Flickr set. 

It was a fun night out. Captions will be forthcoming tomorrow.

Wednesday: Yo Momma in the House

"Obey," a mixed-media work by Monique Lassooij will be on exhibit at Yo Momma in the House

Yo Momma in the House is a show by curated by Myra Wexler, the 64-year-old Hollywood artist a.k.a. yo Momma, and featuring works by her posse of artist friends all of whom created portraits, caricatures or representations of Wexler.

Some know the collage artist best for the seasonal monthly Musing With Myra sessions she holds at Wynwood Kitchen. Others may have seen her stickers on the street. They depict the white-haired Wexer with her face partially covered in her "Art Is My Weapon" bandana, along with her name "Myra" and her command: "Obey Yo Momma."

Art Angels: Jeremiah, Myra and Justin by David Siqueiros

Wexler a.k.a. Yo Momma, provides much support to artists, many of whom find opportunities, including solo exhibition, through her monthly networking sessions. Miami artist Ernesto Kunde says he's met tons of people through her networking sessions, and Vince Herrera says a commission he did for a Pembroke Pines Teen Center and a solo show he'll be having at Blu Moon Studio were both obtained through people he met at Musing With Myra session.

Wexler, who prides herself on her people skills, has plenty of friends in the art community, and around 50 of them have been churning out works for her show.

Derek Wilson designed an Obey Yo Momma! T-shirt and Ernesto Kunde made "Love to Love You, a portrait of her on wood.

"Musing" by Diana Contreras

Other works will include "Obey," a mixed-media work by Monique Lassooij, and "Musing," a portrait in which Diana Contreras painted Wexler, as an elegant, graceful ballerina holding a crown. "This act symbolizes how she shares the spotlight with all the artists and fabulous people she meets," Contreras says.

One of the show's main focal points will be "Art Angels," a photograph of Wexler by David Siqueiros who met Wexler in Februrary when the artist dropped into his studio, took one look at all the images he shot of Warhol images and suggested he start photographing her. 

"We instantly hit it off and it was there I took the first photo of her," Siqueiros says. "She came off that cool evening as a bit of a fashionista because she was wearing a Denim and Company corduroy coat with a pin at her throat accented by her wildly coiffed white mop at the top of her head. She looked to me what Andy Warhol's sister might resemble and she fit right into the installation."

In "Art Angels," Wexler is indeed looking Warholesque. But instead of the Chanel and Ralph Lauren models who accompanied Warhol in a portrait, Wexler is flanked by Justin Vallee and Jeremiah Taylor of the art duo 2Square. "They're my art angels with their tattooed bodies and they've entrenched themselves at that Marcel Fashion building in Wynwood," she says. "They've done 20-some odd murals. They live in their van. It's phenomenal."

The artists who created likenesses of Wexler seem to think she's pretty phenomenal too. You can check out all of their images at Yo Momma in the House, which runs 6-10 p.m. Sept. 19 at 12345 W. Dixie Studio and Gallery, 12345 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami. Call 305-893-9495.

Artist Opportunities

One Struggle: Many Voices debuts at Undergrounds Coffeehaus on Thursday.

∗ One Struggle: Many Voices is One Struggle South Florida's progressive open mike for acoustic musicians, poets, comedians, crafters and artists who are invited to "Come, show and sell your radical stuff." Works should be small so they can be displayed at the artists table and 45 percent of the money from sold art works will go towards One Struggle, mainly for newspaper printing costs for One Struggle. Artists should contact Onestruggle.southflorida@gmail.com. Requested donation: $5. The open mike runs 8-10 p.m. Sept. 20 and will continue to be held on the third Thursday of each month through 2012 at Undergrounds Coffeehaus, 3020 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale.

∗ Artists of Palm Beach County is accepting entries from Palm Beach County artists for pARTicipation 2012, its winter exhibition that opens Dec. 14 and runs through Jan. 12 at Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach. Applicants may submit up to three images of 2D and 3D work for the exhibition, which will be juried by Suzanne Scherer and Pavel Ouporov who have collaborated on paintings, prints, video, and performance art since 1989, and are known for egg temperas that address contemporary social issues. Entry fee is $25. Deadline is midnight Nov. 1. More info can be found at Artistsofpalmbeachcounty.org.

∗ The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (LWCRA) has announced that it will offer live/work affordable housing for artists relocating to Lake Worth. The project is being designed as live/work studio space coupled with affordable townhome residential units and is being marketed to artists looking to relocate to the city. Construction of The Urban Arts Lofts, located just west of Dixie Highway, is slated for completion by spring 2013. Find more info at Lakeworthnsp.org/urban-arts-lofts.

 ∗ Green Room has issued a call for works by Art Institute students and recent alumni. Those interested in participating should contact Vaughn Reynolds.

∗ Speaking of Lake Worth, LULA Lake Worth Art has issued a global call to artists for mail art submissions. Deadline is Jan. 18, 2013 and the mail art works will be exhibited through 2013. Those deemed negative or indecent, however, will be rejected. Details can be found at Facebook.com/events/470300769654365.

∗ Lake Worth Art League has ongoing calls to artists for its upcoming shows. Entry fee is $20 for the first painting and $5 for each additional painting. Intake times always run 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  and intake dates are as follows: Oct. 8 for Captured Visions, Nov. 5 for Point of View, Dec. 3 for Holiday Expressions, Jan. 7 for New Images, Feb. 4 for Light and Shadow, March 4 for Spring Fever, April 8 for Student/Teacher/Member show, May 6 for Thoughts and Imagination. For the run dates of each show and other important details, visit Lwartleague.org.

∗ Tom Rossetti Fine Art has issued a call to artists for nautical- and marine-themed works for AquaMarine 2012, an exhibit that will run Oct. 3 through 31 (with a reception 8-10 p.m. Oct. 12) during the month of Fort Lauderdale's big boat show. Entry fee is $20, $10 for each additional entry. Pre-register online by Sept. 28. Intake is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29. The show's judge has yet to be announced.

∗ A call to artists has been issued for art (of any kind, including performances) for  The Devil Made Me Do It. Intake is Oct. 24 through 26. (For more info contact Marc Captain Cheever). Intake fee is $15. The show, which runs 6-11:30 p.m. Oct. 27 has a $10 cover (which includes beer).

∗ Green Room in Fort Lauderdale seeks artists and live painters for for it's Zombie Walk Art Show that starts 10 p.m. Oct. 12. Drop off is 6-9 p.m. Oct. 10 at Green Room. Interested artists should e-mail Gina at electriccanvas@yahoo.co.

∗ Flor500 invites 500 Florida artists to depict 500 native wildflowers selected by a team of scientists. According to the announcement, "These are the same species that grew in our state when Juan Ponce de Leon landed in 1513 and named it "La Florida”– from "flor," the Spanish word for flower. " The artwork, along with information about each flower will be posted online and the deadline for submissions is Dec. 1 .FLOR500 is described as "a participatory art, nature, and history project marking the importance of the moment when the history of Florida changed forever and giving us a glimpse of what its landscape was like 500 years ago." The project, developed by Xavier Cortada, director and artist-in-residence of FIU’s College of Architecture + The Arts | Office of Engaged Creativity, will commemorate Florida’s quincentennial in 2013. For more info, call Christopher Rodriguez, 305-535-1459 or e-mail Flor500@fiu.edu.

∗ For more artist opportunities, visit Arterpillar's Artist Opps page.

Flashback: Appropriated Gender opening at 1310 Gallery

I went to the Appropriated Gender opening on Saturday night. So many interesting works of art were spread across three floors, from Kandy Lopez's attitude-filled giant portraits to the thoughtful craft-inspired works of Martin Casuso, an adorable painting ("Kissable") of one of JC Bravo's big-headed cabezones and a latch-hook rug by Kathleen Kranack that will remind you, "It's Your Fault."

Artist Karla Caprali has three works in Appropriated Gender.

I could go on about some of the works, which include sculpture, installation, videos, photography and nail salon performance art in an elevator (which is a tad too claustrophobic for me) but you can see the work for yourself as there are more opportunities to do so.  I will say that I found much of the work to be thought-provoking and a nice balance of things that could inspire laughter, thoughtful consideration, enlightenment, sadness, or empowerment. Some works may even make you cringe or squirm a little uncomfortably.

I'm increasingly impressed by the the shows Lisa Rockford has been curating at 1310  ... and not just based on the art but all the other things that go into launching shows and getting the exhibitions and artists the attention they deserve. For this show, Rockford recruited 13 judges including art writers, professors, gallerists and collectors who agreed to vote for works and provide written feedback to the artists they selected. She also offered visitors a chance to vote for their faves and distributed programs that served as a guide to the works and the artists who created them.

Curator Lisa Rockford making it all look easy.

Despite the work that goes into orchestrating such a show, Rockford seemed surprisingly unstressed at the opening, where she, among other things, distributed ballots, answered questions and used her little camera to document the crowds ... Clearly, she loves what she's doing, and I think her passion and hard work show through in Appropriated Gender, which will also be open 5-9 p.m. Oct. 6 for the Art Fallout Tour and again for a closing party featuring live music by Killmama and The Astrokats from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 12.

The slide show above contains a few photos from the exhibition. To read the descriptions, click the lower right hand corner of the slide show ... and then click on "show info" (at top) for titles  ... or just view the Flickr set.

Local spotlight: Myra Wexler a.k.a. Yo Momma

Imagine getting dozens of artists to paint portraits or caricatures of you for free, and giving them a deadline to do so. Myra Wexler did just that — and the resulting group exhibition, titled "Yo Momma in the House," opens Wednesday at 12345 W. Dixie Studio and Gallery in North Miami.

When the 64-year-old Hollywood collage artist talks, people listen. Painters, photographers and street artists think she's the best thing since stickers and stencils.

Myra Wexler a.k.a. Yo Momma *photo by Jill Slaughter

Perhaps they're heeding the warning on the stickers Wexler and artist friends have slapped around South Florida. Each sticker depicts Wexler's face partially hidden by a bandanna with the words "Art Is My Weapon" and, below that, "Myra" in big, white letters. At the bottom, in red, is her simple command: "Obey Yo Momma."

Wexler is Yo Momma.

It's a persona she created, with the help of artist friends, after meeting TMNK (aka Nobody), a New York street artist known for his imagery of a dripping rifle below the phrase "Art Is My Weapon."

Wexler has earned the artist's respect. As TMNK noted on his blog in November, "There is no one up earlier and who has more visibility or notoriety in the Miami art scene than Myra Wexler. Myra is like a BNE sticker, she's everywhere, and she is a street artist, or what she calls a 'sticker artist.' ...
 Momma so gangsta museums and galleries often consult with her. Dammmmmmmmn, that's my Momma."

Continue reading Arterpillar's story on Wexler in the Sun-Sentinel.

Also, see the slide show above to preview a few of the images from the exhibition. To read the descriptions, click the lower right hand corner and then click on show info (at top) for titles  ... or just view the Flickr set.

Saturday: Seen and Heard @ Bear and Bird

 Seen and Heard: A Magical Evening With Mr. Entertainment and Friends, which opens Saturday at Bear and Bird Gallery in Lauderhill, is described in the form of a poem, which makes a refreshing change from most press releases: "What is to be seen if you shall go? Well, all the screen prints at the current art show... Mr. Entertainment too and some of his band. They'll sing and be crazy, I hope you understand. But that won't be the only thing heard. Mr. Entertainment will give you the word...  About a parking lot portrait artist named Joaquin, who is so much a part of the rock and roll scene."

As Steve Toth, a.k.a. Mr. Entertainment, puts it on his Facebook: "The Pookiesmackers are playing a rare show west of I-95 this Saturday at the ever so cool Bear and Bird gallery located conveniently in the ever so cool comic book super store named Tate's. There will be wine and snacks and music too! We will be performing in the round a la the Elvis 68' Comeback Special (sans the black leather outfit) The theme of the art show is screen printing and I will be telling the story of Joaquin, whose art I've screen printed and have in the show. "

Then event runs 7-9 p.m. (music is at 8 p.m.) Sept. 15. It's the perfect chance to catch Bear and Bird's show Screened In: Serigraph Art Prints For a Happy Home, featuring artists such as Bee Things, Cushy Gigs, Goodnightkittens Design, Iron Forge Press, Jill C. Weisberg, Terribly Odd and others.

What? You have to eat dinner instead? No problem. Bear and Bird offers a list of some of their favorite places to eat, all of which are really close to the gallery.

Bear and Bird Gallery is located upstairs at Tate’s, 4566 N. University Drive, Lauderhill. Call  954-748-0181 or visit Bearandbird.com.






 

Saturday: Appropriated Gender opens at 1310 Gallery

Appropriated Gender, a group exhibition curated by Lisa Rockford and featuring work by regional and national 44 artists who explore gender perception and self-identity in their work, will open Saturday at 1310 Gallery in Fort Lauerdale. Rockford says the exhibition, which includes photography, video, collage, painting, digital art, sculpture, assemblage and installations, reflects a range of aesthetic approaches, from "witty, campy, or humorous to observational, intuitive, and personal in a smorgasbord of visual delights."

Among the works are Ben Morey's, "Six Unmanned Vehicles (Or Six Counts of Vehicular Manslaughter)," an installation featuring "truck nuts," some of which Morey sculpted and some of which he appropriated from now-castrated tricked-out trucks in strip club parking lots.

"I find the illegality of displaying the nuts themselves to be interesting and felt that in order to truly "castrate" or bring them into an objective, clinical spotlight I needed to illegally source some of them myself," Morey explains. "There will be an essay to accompany the installation that will go deeper into the idea and many ideas within my work that are coming out in this piece in general available via a QR code that viewers can scan at the show. "

Rockford was also charmed by “Entertainment for Men," Samantha Nye's series of intimate, nude painted portraits depicting everyday women, ages 27 through 90, who were invited to peruse vintage issues of Playboy magazine and reenact a pose.

"Domesticated" by Marina Font

Other artists on the hefty and impressive roster include Sonia Baez-Hernandez, JC Bravo, Randy Burman, Karla Caprali, Toa Castellanos, Martin Casuso, Jessica Concepcion, Mark Cranford, Cynthia Cruz, Wendy Doscher-Smith, Natasha Duwin, Shady Eshghi, Andrea Favelli, Patrick Flibotte, Marina Font, Nolan Haan, Marla Stefanie Hernandez, Joseph Herring, High Strung Art Collective A, Ian Honore, Sibel Kocabasi, Paula Kolek, Kathleen Kranack, Kandy G. Lopez, Carol-Anne McFarlane, PJ Mills, Tabatha Mudra, Jorge Pacheco, Penny Perkins, Jami Nix Rahn, Rosemarie Romero, Jessica Rowshandel, Patricia Schnall Gutierrez, Carrie Scozzaro, Carrie Sieh, Karen Starosta-Gilinski, Jonathan Stein, Kristina Thalin. Kira Tippenhauer, Maria Eugenia Vega and Gabrielle Wood.

The show opens 7-10 p.m. Sept 15, and will have a second opening 5-9 p.m. Oct. 6 as part of the annual Art Fallout tour, where two shuttles will provide free transportation between several downtown art venues that will be open simultaneously. The show will close with yet another party featuring live music from Killmama and The AstroKats from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 12.

Read Arterpillar's Sun-Sentinel story on Appropriated Gender. Some images from the show are in the slide show above. To read the descriptions, click the lower right hand corner and then click on show info (at top) for titles  ... or just view the Flickr set.

1310 Gallery, located in Sailboat Bend Artist Lofts, is at1310 Middle St., Fort Lauderdale, 305-975-6262, Sailboatbendartists.com.