Armory Main Hall Exhibition April 11-May 6
Reception and Community Gathering: April 21, 6-9 pm
Sponsored by At Home in Key West

Carolyn Gorton Fuller’s Legacy Exhibition at TSKW Reflects a Life Well Lived

Carolyn Ann Gorton Fuller’s amazing legacy will be bottled up and brought to the The Studios of Key West, where an exhibition of her life and work will be on view from April 11 through May 6, 2011. The exhibition will be celebrated by the public at a community reception on Thursday, April 21 from 6-9 p.m., during the Walk on White night, in the Main Hall of the Historic Armory. Members of her family will be traveling to join Carolyn’s Key West friends in tribute. Everyone is invited to join in the evening dedicated in honor of this important Key West legend.

From 1968 to her passing on August 7, 2010, Carolyn, a.k.a. ‘The Bottle Wall Lady’, made Key West her permanent residency in the circa 1815 side-by-side weathered conch cottages at 905 and 907 Angela Street. Purchased in her own name with earnings from her lucrative portrait commissions, the property was sold to her in 1966 by Edward B. Knight, an up and coming real estate broker, for “cheap’. Her home, magical and mysterious to the outsider, with the view of The Key West Cemetery from her window, she noted at times is in “a very quiet neighborhood and the people across the street never bother anyone.”

“Carolyn Gorton Fuller: A Key West Legacy” will examine the various themes of her life:
‘Becoming Carolyn: daughter, sister, artist, traveler, teacher, wife, mother, friend’; ‘Painting One’s Likeness: 40 Years Painting Portraits’; ‘Creating a Personal Paradise: Key West Community & Culture’; ‘The Bottle Wall Lady: Myth and Meaning; Behind the Wall’: ‘Projects, Purpose and Privacy; and The Legend & Her Legacy’. Over 100 works and historical archives, spanning over 70 years of work in both painting and sculpture will be on view.

“TSKW was entrusted with both a great responsibility and remarkable gift to share with the community by Carolyn’s daughter Rebecca Ann Fuller,” says Martha Barnes, curator of the exhibition. “The project presented the honor, but also the challenge of exposing to the public a private person, unveiling the life and work of an amazing artist who wasn’t interested in her story being documented.”

Carolyn resisted film offers in her lifetime, claiming, ‘I’m not interested in a ‘be and do’, faked and frozen into a ‘show and tell’. “For that reason,” Barnes continues, “it was with trepidation, sensitivity, understanding and respect that The Studios of Key West accepted the request to present Carolyn’s life.”

Born on December 31, 1921 in Utica, New York, Carolyn was a woman with formal Southern upbringing — where horses sweat, men perspire, and ladies glow —  influenced by her Kentucky born and bred mother.  Carolyn was a woman well-heeled, world-traveled, and highly educated. The first half of her career produced hundreds of canvases: landscapes, street scenes, and primarily commissioned portraits painted from life, and she stood at her easel for 14 hours at a stretch with ten minute breaks on the hour.

Incredibly disciplined and dutiful, caught in a traditional life in society, she found happiness in the solitude of her secluded and humble home in Key West. It was here also, where she returned to her shared love and purpose — sculpture. “Painting and sculpture what could be so great!” exuded Carolyn. She reflected, “Yes, I cherish the things I have done and yes, I miss them. I look back over the years of doing paintings and I see high points sticking up like islands in a sea.”

In college, Carolyn delved into the study of Ethics and formed what would be the core of her values, leading her down her unique path of self-sufficiency. She chose not to settle for compromise or conformity — the false exchange of comfort and security defined as happiness in ‘common society’. She securely stated, ”I never worried about money and I won’t start now. If I run out, I’ll go out for a real long swim – to Cuba.”

Her BA thesis for her fine arts degree from Syracuse University in 1944 was titled “The Art and History of the Major American Indian Tribes”. Fascinated and influenced by the the early Mayan people and their embellished architecture, she wrote, “they altered their buildings and added colonnades, walls or used smaller earlier structures as a foundation for later structures.” Carolyn was awarded the prestigious Augusta Hazard Fellowship presented to the most outstanding painting student graduate at Syracuse. It was this commendation which presented her with a year of study at the University of Mexico in Mexico City and a Solo Show at the Museo Del Prado.

The Bottle Wall, built as a beautiful and practical barrier from flood waters and unwanted wanderers into her garden in the early 70s, was torn down by Carolyn’s own hands in 1991. Tired of finding the perfect bottle to replace those stolen by passersby as souvenirs, and fortified by two very good Beefeater martinis (and the woman was very particular about the way hers were made), Carolyn vandalistically transitioned into a new period of expression.

The granite blocks which had formed the original base to the structure of the wall were delivered by a young man in 1971 who simply asked if he could help her and not, in her words, ‘take-take-take as most people do.’ The building blocks formed the foundation of a forty year friendship between Carolyn and Steve Roe, which continued and deepened through decades of letter writing. The treasured volume of correspondence was saved and shared with TSKW. This resource proved to be a critical scholarship tool to assist with this exhibition.

The current ruins at the corner of Angela and Margaret Streets are the reminders of the wall’s swan song when it was reinvented — from July 4 to December 26, 1993— as Carolyn noted, as ‘Ripples and Reflections’. Made from bits of marble and mirrors — ‘Oreo-size ones‘ — recycled from holes punched through bathroom mirrors for fixtures — delicate arches, resembling mangrove roots and water, were sculpted as a final ill-fated attempt to assist cars from colliding into her corner. Her art and ingenuity helped to have people slow down and observe the world around them.

Wrongly seen by strangers as a lonely recluse, Carolyn was loved and befriended by many, and she adored and appreciated her longtime friends, as well as meeting new ones introduced through bridge games, dinner parties, a Bible study group at The Stone Church, and Pepe’s. For years she drove her Dodge Omni around the island, a car adorned with autumn leaves that were colorfully painted by her friend, local artist Rick Worth. Carolyn attracted attention with walls, a painted artcar, and wearing colorful muu muus while standing 5 foot 10 inches tall in bare feet- in spite of insisting to everyone to ‘leave her ALONE’.

She felt TV was an adventure without risk and refused to own one. She believed we need to teach children ‘you can’t do extraordinary things and be like everyone else’.
Later in life, she designed and published a coloring book for children of all ages titled,

“Carolyn Gorton Fuller’s Key West Portfolio”,

containing her original drawings of 26 Key West subjects with local plants, birds, and color descriptions. The cherished book was carried and sold up and down the Keys, and Carolyn would mail anyone a copy for $15 ($12 plus tax and postage.)

Carolyn’s humor and activism for the protection of her adopted island was read and witnessed through her quips and gripes in her weekly column for the “Key West The Newspaper” (a.k.a. The Blue Paper). She began to have her writings published only after observing the life and culture of her surroundings for thirty five years at the age of almost 80 – suffice it to say she uncorked her bottle and let it pour.

Local acclaimed filmmaker Mike Marrero volunteered his time to capture stories shared by friends and family members and revealing a perspective from her private world behind the wall. The 15 minute short, edited and produced by artist Marky Pierson, will be screened in the Main Hall of the Historic Armory during the reception for the exhibition.T he film by Mike is 15 minutes and the DVD will be available to purchase at the reception for $12.

A 15 minute short film highlighting the life and legacy of Carolyn Gorton Fuller, featuring interviews of family members and friends, will be screened at the reception. The film component to the exhibition was commissioned by Carolyn’s daughter Rebecca Fuller, and the project was managed and developed by Martha Barnes, the Exhibition Curator. Acclaimed local filmmaker Mike Marrero generously donated much of his time and his services to record this important piece of Key West history. Producer Marky Pierson was instrumental in editing the film footage and completing the artistic design of the film. DVD copies will be available for purchase for $12 plus tax.

To see the Carolyn Gorton Fuller chronology and special exhibition thanks, please visit www.tskw.org/exhibitions/carolyn-gorton-fuller

We’re proud of the achievements of our Artist-in-Residence alums, and want to pass on the good news!

Liz Murphy Thomas (AIR April 2011), Vivian Pratt (AIR Dec 2010), and Brad Erickson (AIR October 2010) recently wrote to us to let us know that creative projects they began while in Key West have yielded some very exciting news!

Liz says….

My time in Key West at TSKW was so rewarding. I was welcomed into the Key West art community immediately and I really enjoyed my experiences at the studio including the positive response to my artist talk, the spirited group who signed up for my workshop and the wonderful reception of my photographs at Walk on White. I also had an opportunity to be very productive while I was there. As a photographer who works with issues of tourism, Key West was rife with subjects to photograph. I shot just under 3,000 images while I was there!
Probably the most exciting thing about my time there however is that my photo series, The Land of Sunshine, has been accepted for publication with Stella Luca Press. Stella Luca Press, located in Key West and Jackson, NH, is a new literary publishing company founded by Maureen Tracy Venti that specializes in Art Books and Poetography, the visual art of combining images with poetic lines. This project will keep me busy for the next few months but luckily that means I will be returning to Key West this summer!
I am so grateful to all of the wonderful people I have met at TSKW and Key West. I feel as though I really achieved something meaningful in my time there. It was such a pleasure to work with such enthusiastic and friendly people and I even left with some news ideas for artwork down the road. Who knows, maybe someday I can return to try them out!

Vivian says…

My exhibit at a Gallery in Boston opens tomorrow and I had to email all of you to thank you – you all made this show happen!   Here’s my story.

When I was in Key West several people told me I should go to the cemetery.  When I was there I became obsessed with the play of the decaying flowers against the monuments and took about 180 pictures in one day. (That day was an incredible high!)  After taking them, I became concerned that I might be stepping on Michael Philip’s toes.  I had seen a couple of Michael’s photos in Maureen’s studio and knew he had done something similar.  When I got home and was thinking of using my images for a show, I contacted Michael and Maureen with my concerns and they gave me their blessings.

At my opening in Key West, Michel Appellis offered to work with me to experiment with hanging my work away from the wall and he taught me how to play with the lighting to get focused shadows behind the transparent works.

When I printed the cemetery images on transparent film and hung them several inches from the wall, they were transformed into something magical.  I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night!!

The announcement is below, but be sure to check out my web site www.vivianpratt.com .  These images are under Gallery / 2D / 2011.  I wish you could see the actual show, the photos don’t do it justice.

Brad says….

“Hey TSKW!  Just wanted to let you all know that Milagro will have its first public staged reading TONIGHT (March25)  at the Throckmorton Theater in Marin County, just north of SF.  Thanks again to TSKW and each of you for all your support!”

About the play:  A Midsummer Nights’ Dream meets The Night of the Iguana!  Three America couples — one straight, one lesbian, one gay — in a rustic resort of Mexico’s Pacific coast.  A paradisiacal setting where milagros — miracles — happen.  Get ready for a miraculous, romantic, comic ride!

Event: Forgiveness Part I Screening at Tropic Cinema
Friday, March 18
5-6pm Reception
6-9 pm Screening

Tickets are $25, include a champagne and hors d’oeuvre reception

now on sale at tropiccinema.com

____________

Article Published in Solares Hill, Sunday, March 13

By Shirrel Rhoades

When Helen Whitney came down to Key West to visit her friend Margarite Whitney (not a relative), she had no idea she’d wind up showing a series of her documentary films here. One morning she was on her way to get coffee at 5 Brothers when out of curiosity she stopped off at The Studios of Key West. That conversation led to a stint as a filmmaker in residence at TSKW.

Whitney’s latest documentary — showing in two parts on March 18 and 20 at the Tropic Cinema — is titled “Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate.”  Other documentaries by Helen Whitney will be shown the following week.

Why make a film about forgiveness? “I was asked to do it by a stranger,” Whitney tells the story. A wealthy investor named Paul Dietrich approached her after seeing her work. “It’s a subject that has pre- occupied him for decades,” she says. “Paul is a spiritual seeker with an emotionally rich, layered life.”

But she wasn’t sure she wanted to do it. “The subject comes with an aura of sentimentality, New Age piety, this big rosy Valentine. I was yearning for something small and narrowly focused. The sub- ject of forgiveness is one of vastness. There are no boundaries.”

Yet it was “hard to turn down a fully funded film,” she admits.

“The decision to do it didn’t come like Saul on the road to Damascus. Before making up my mind I spent about three months talking to people about the subject. Strangers, acquaintances. People would come up to me at cocktail parties and say, ‘I have this friend …’ Often they were talking about themselves.”

Finally she gave in.

“Forgiveness is elusive,” says the film’s prologue. True to its statement, this documentary doesn’t offer any Cliff’s Notes short answers. Instead, it shares many instances that involve the act of forgiveness, allowing you to come to your own conclusions.

“While it was once a uniquely religious word, forgiveness now is changing,” we’re told. “And there is no consensus about what it is and what it’s becoming.”

“It’s a complicated subject,” says Whitney. “Jews and Christians have very different ideas about what forgiveness is.” Even so, the people profiled in her two films seem to agree that the act of forgiving is a “profound transaction.” The need for atonement is described as “an ache in the human heart that has endured.”

To explore the subject, Helen Whitney’s cameras take us from the killing fields of Rwanda to a court- room in Oregon.

We sit in the court- room with an impassive serial killer who shows no remorse … until one of his victims’ relatives forgives him. We visit a hospice where an elderly man named Merle Long refuses to die until he finds God’s forgiveness for killing an unarmed German soldier during World War II. “A spiritual ache, not to go into the night unreconciled,” Whitney describes it.

Forgiveness can be powerful and it can be dangerous. We encounter violence when a South African security official seeks forgiveness from a black family for his crimes of apartheid. We hear Don Robeson who has lost 30 years to gnawing anger over being fired from a hospital position. “I can forgive, but I can’t forget,” he says.

Atonement is existential. You’ll meet Katherine Power, the police-killer who when being considered for parole offers to remain in prison in hopes his family will accept her remorse as genuine.

You’ll meet characters with an undercurrent of doubt, “straight off the pages of a Graham Green novel.”

The documentary points out that Muslims pray five times a day asking for forgiveness. The Day of Atonement is an important Jewish holiday. Christ asked God to forgive those who crucified him. The Amish believe in unconditional forgiveness.

To better understand the Amish view, the film exam- ines the schoolhouse shoot- ing in Nickel Mines, Pa. A milk truck driver who lived in the community invaded a small school and shot a number of female students. Yet the five families who lost children extended their forgiveness to the killer, as did the entire Amish community, and invited his widow into their homes. “Their view of forgiveness is unconditional, a duty to God.”

Not everyone agrees. “Some acts are unforgivable,” says Terri Jentz, who was attacked by a young man with an ax while camping in Redmond, Ore.

Unable to get over this near-death experience, she returned years later to the town to find the man who attacked her. Even though the statute of limitations had expired, she located the “good-looking young cowboy” who had tried to mutilate her and a girlfriend and helped bring him to justice on a different criminal charge. “She was able to forgive the town, but not the man,” says Whitney.

The films also explore “intimate woundings of the soul.” When his wife moved away and left the children behind, a devastated husband says, “Forgiveness became a central question in my life.” The divorce affected each of them profoundly. We see it from both sides, how she’d found the responsibility overwhelming, suffered panic attacks, before going on to get her Ph.D. And how he felt abandoned and betrayed until he found “a path to forgiveness.”

The subject is even larger, with the second part examining the public apologies of nations like Poland and Japan and Germany for damages they had caused during World War II. The politics of apologies, acknowledgements, and forgiveness.

Why does Helen Whitney pursue these answers? “Forgiveness matters,” she says. “This is an era of forgiveness and apology.”

Whitney turned away from a life in academia to become a filmmaker. Setting aside her Masters degree in Victorian literature, she went on the road as a researcher for legendary television executive Fred Freed. He created among other shows, “The White Paper Series.” She took a job with NBC News, and that led to making documentaries. Her subjects have ranged from street gangs to life in a monastery to photographer Richard Avedon. “But I have always been attracted by spiritual films,” she confesses.

Helen Whitney will be on hand for a reception at 5 p.m. prior to the Friday showing of “Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate” at the Tropic Cinema. But don’t expect her to for- give you if you don’t come.

Hundreds of people came to The Studios of Key West on February 26 to celebrate the Key West Cruisers: Rolling on the Rock bicycle project.

Over 43 bicycles created by local artists were auctioned and raffled off during TSKW’s signature fundraiser of the year.

The crowds danced to music by Howard Livingston and the MM24 band, and were charmed by auctioneer Charlie Bailey-Gates.

While the tally for the funds raised is still being totaled, the evening was a smashing success, with all 43 bicycles going home with very happy bidders!

TSKW would like to thank all of the artists, sponsors, and bike purchasers who made the project, and the evening such a memorable event

Photo credits: Michael Marrero

Check out more photos at www.flickr.com

Cloud Key, 2011

Mark Rumsey was the February 2011 Artist-in-Residence at TSKW. During his residency Mark produced Cloud Key in the entryway of the Armory, the piece is constructed of folded vellum paper. Rumsey is a Michigan based installation artist working in prints, paper, cloth, space, and light. His has exhibited recently in Huntsville, TX; Portland, OR; Indianapolis, IN; Evanston, IL; Tulsa, OK; Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; and Montreal, Quebec. Rumsey has been a featured artist on Artbistro.com and Artistaday.com. Rumsey has participated in residency programs in India, Turkey, and Belgium and will be in residence at Rondo Studios in Graz, Austria in 2011.

Cloud Key presents a matrix, a filter for light to play through and on, an opportunity to experience an environment, to study the relationship between light and form, between space and viewer. The viewer is required to be active, to participate with the space, to discover the continuously unfolding patterns and rhythms. Cloud Key presents an imagined micro view of the cloud structure, crystalline droplets being played upon by light, translated into a macro scale. The light plays with the natural opacity of the vellum paper from which the droplets are constructed, creating layers of visual relationships. The experience is a condensed and structured mimicry of natural phenomena, akin to watching the wind sweep across a field of wheat or laying on the ground staring up through a canopy of trees.

www.markrumsey.com

Photos courtesy Michael Blades

Purchase a Ticket

(Tickets can be picked up at the Armory prior to the performance on February 11,
or will be available on the day of the show an hour before the concert)

______________________

On February 11 at 7 pm, the passion of Nuevo Tango and the soul of classical music will come alive at the Armory when Herbert Weissberg, former principal flutist with the Vienna symphony and Alexander Swete, world-renowned classical guitarist, join together for a special musical event. Tickets are now on sale for this unforgettable gala concert and reception that benefits The Studios of Key West.

“Audience members can expect to be charmed, dazzled and taken on an exquisite musical journey,”  says Elena Devers, deputy director.  “To have these accomplished musicians perform together in the intimate setting of the Armory is truly a rare treat.”

Though the event takes its name from Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine composer who revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style called Nuevo Tango, the evening will also include selections by four composers from different parts of the world.

The first part of the evening is dedicated to music from the 18th and 19th centuries and will include selections by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Mauro Guiliani.  Selections included in the second half of the evening were chosen to highlight the similarities of feeling and expression among three of the 20th century’s great composers including Béla Bartók, Maurice Ravel, and Astor Piazzolla.

“It’s an incredible honor to have Weissberg and Swete travel from Austria to present this specially chosen repertoire,” continued Devers, “These musicians bring a profound level of technical mastery, a phenomenal depth of feeling, and decades of experience to the stage.”

To complete the magical evening, all ticket holders are invited to an elegant champagne and dessert reception in a private Old Town home following the performance.

Herbert Weissberg studied the flute with Hans Reznicek at the Vienna Music Academy, where he was a conducting pupil of Hans Swarowsky and a piano pupil of Richard Hauser.  His career has involved him in work in chamber music, as a soloist and as a conductor, with concert tours in Europe, America and the Far East, recordings and broadcast performances.

Alexander Swete is Prizewinner at several international guitar competitions such as Havana, Cuba 1988 and ARD competition in Munich, Germany 1989.  In 1991 he was awarded the First Prize in the “Concours International de Guitare” in Paris.  Successful concert tours have led him to all parts of Europe as well to USA, and he has made numerous recordings for radio and television.

There are a limited number of tickets available for this extraordinary evening that benefits The Studios of Key West.  Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased at keystix.com or by calling or stopping by the Armory, 296-0458.

Purchase a ticket

(Tickets can be picked up at the Armory prior to the performance on February 11,
or will be available on the day of the show an hour before the concert)

Click below to hear Alexander Swete play La Muerte del Angel by Astor Piazzolla

Showcasing the Fabulous Florida Keys and the Island lifestyle of the “American Caribbean” the mission of KEY WEST TIME starring Howard Livingston is to entertain and introduce Key West & the Florida Keys to viewers.

Check out episode #7 below, where Howard comes to The Studios of Key West to interview Dick Moody and Fran Decker, two of the artists who created Rolling on the Rock bikes.  The segment also includes footage of all the bikes riding in this year’s Fantasy Fest parade.

The nationally broadcast television show is on R&R TV and Untamed Sports networks.  The show is also seen worldwide on the Internet and on demand 24/7 on www.KeyWestTime.com , www.RRTV.com and wwww.ConchTV.com

Produced by The Conch Republic Media Group, the episodes feature scenes from our emerald waters including fishing, diving, boating, treasure hunting, and much more.

The Studios of Key West Raffle Raises $748.00 for Womankind

Kim Romano, Executive Director of Womankind, expresses her happiness as Jay Scott, Executive Director of The Studios of Key West, presents her with a check.

In September, TSKW welcomed Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls to the Armory stage to help celebrate Womenfest. A raffle held before the show allowed TSKW to raise $748.00 for the organization, which provides healthcare for women of all ages and economic situations.

“This is wonderful news for Womankind.” said Romano, “It will help many local women to receive essential services like pap tests and breast exams this holiday season.”

To learn more about Womankind, and to find out how you can help with their mission, please visit www.womankindkeywest.org.

On view through mid-March – TSKW Sculpture Garden

Lauren McAloon is a TSKW studio artist and staff member who has called Key West home for the past 20 years. She is recognized widely for her site-informed / site-specific installations and smaller scale sculptures continues her exploration of combining naturally produced sound and sculptural elements to reference cultural and personal transitions and immigration. Sixteen foot Aeolian flutes, barbed wire, and translucent boats create an immersive pathway through the side TSKW Sculpture Garden.

Sponsored by Goldman’s Deli and Clean Windows

Reception: January 4, 6-8 PM

On View December 21-January 15

“Those who leave Cuba are afraid they will be forgotten.”

So begins the 2008 documentary created by Key West resident Juan O’Farrill, which details the life and exile of Israel Kantor, a Cuban musician who reached the US through Mexico by defecting from his famous Cuban band, Los Van Van, in 1984.

Kantor passed away in 2006, but his story is captured beautifully in this one hour and fifteen minute documentary which will be aired by TSKW twice in January (Sat, Jan 14 at 1 pm, and Sun, Jan 15 at 1 pm – free of charge).

The screenings are a part of a larger project undertaken by two local men, Leonel Valle and Juan O’Farrill, who will present the next exhibition, World of Dreams: Perspectives from Three Cuban Exiles, from December 21-January 15 in the Armory Main Hall. The exhibition consists of Valle’s poetry hung side-by-side with O’Farrill’s paintings, each man telling his own story through a different artistic medium; each voice as unique as the experience itself.

The Artists:

Writer Leonel Valle came to the USA in 1960 on a regular commercial flight in and has never returned. He asked for political asylum and received it in Miami. He has never been back to Cuba and does not have any relatives or friends over there anymore. He will never go back to Cuba until there is a radical change in the Cuban government.  The Cuba of his dreams no longer exists. It is an impossibility and his poems reflect this fact. It is a poetry of longing, sadness, memories and dreams.

To read a Solares Hill review of Valle’s most recent book of poetry, Click here

Juan O’Farrill came to the United States in 1994. After crossing the Florida Straits in his own handmade raft, the US coast Guard caught him before he could touch US soil and he was taken to the US Naval Base in Guantanamo. After a year, he was allowed to enter this country. He was a political prisoner at 15 years of age back in Cuba before he ever considered leaving there. However, he has a large family in Cuba and has visited there on many occasions. He loves to walk through the streets of Old Havana. His paintings reflect the values and aspects of the Cuba of today, which is where he derives most of his inspiration.

To view a gallery on O’Farrill’s paintings online, click here

Musician Israel Kantor reached the United States through Mexico by defecting from his Cuban famous band, Los Van Van, in 1984. He swam the Rio Grande and entered the country illegally, asking for political asylum in Miami. He lived and performed in Miami until his death in 2006. It was his desire to return to Cuba to sing there, but the Cuban government denied his visit. His music reflects this frustration and desire, since he knew that his much loved Cuba awaited him and his music.

Sponsored by Rudy Molinet Marquis Properties Realty

ReMARCable People – A Photo Essay on the MARC House by Michael Marrero

The Studios of Key West has expanded its hours this weekend to allow the public a last opportunity to see “ReMARCable People – A Photo Essay on the MARC House,” by Michael Marrero.
The Armory will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, but will be open the following hours:  Friday, Nov 26 – Sunday, Nov 28, 1-5 pm each day.  TSKW is located at 600 White Street.

Due to the enormous demand and satisfaction from last week’s Life Drawing Workshop — under the skillful hand and instruction from our TSKW Artist in Resident Sandro Kopp– TSKW has arranged to continue with another session while Sandro is in residence.

An additional class will be offered THIS Friday, November 19 from 6- 8 pm. This is a prelude to TSKW’s weekly sessions which will begin December 1, and will run Wednesdays, from 7-9 pm.

Priced the same as  open sessions ( $15 members/ $20 for non-members) – enrollment is limited to 20, so please call 305-296-0458 to enroll, stop by the office, or you can also visit the Armory Thursday night from 6-9 pm for Walk on White, view work by Sandro Kopp created thus far during his residency upstairs in Space2, and register then.

One MARC house client dreams of being a Motown star, one a fighter pilot, and another dreams of going on a date with Cindy Lauper.  Other clients of the organization dream of being firefighters, policemen and cowboys. MARC house clients have dream lives as unique and distinctive as their own personalities.

“ReMARCable People – A Photo Essay on the MARC House,” is a series of 25 exquisite portraits of MARC House clients taken by photographer Michael Marrero.  The exhibition will be on view from November 5 – 30 at The Studios of Key West. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, November 5 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

“A few years back, I approached Gordon Ross with the idea of doing a photographic project about the MARC House, says Marrero. “I wanted to show people how the clients viewed themselves, and I wanted to give the clients an opportunity to live out their dreams and ambitions.”

Over the course of several months, Marrero spent many hours each week with the MARC House clients, learning about their lives, and joining them on group outings that ranged from dolphin encounters to Tuesday evening bocce games.

Eventually the concept to photograph the clients living their dreams took shape.  The goal was to allow them, even if it was only for a brief moment, to inhabit their fantasy lives.

Marrero created special questionnaire which he gave to each client with questions like, “What did you want to be when you grew up?”, “If you could do one thing what would it be?”, and “what is your favorite profession?”.   He then worked with each client to design a photo shoot that brought to life the amazing dreams the clients had for themselves.

It took the help of over fifty community members and various organizations to source project funding and supplies and to secure shoot locations on the island.  Support poured forth from the community when Marrero reached out to those people who could help the project come to life.

“Whenever possible, the locations had to be authentic and real,” continues Marrero. “As much as I could, I wanted to create a scene for my subjects to inhabit.”

Marrero traveled with one of his clients to Key West High School during a football practice for a photo shoot.  Having always dreamed of being a football coach, the client was photographed wearing the official high school coaching jersey and a hat while a live practice went on in the background.

Many other organizations were equally helpful.  The Key West Fire Department provided full hazard gear and access to a fire truck for a shoot.  The Lower Keys Medical Center allowed Marrero take several portraits in their new X-ray CAT SCAN facility, and the Florida Keys Community College got on board and allowed Marrero to use their science lab, nursing lab and a live welding department class for shoots.

The Key West Police Department lent a squad car and uniform to be used for the project, and many other organizations and businesses provided time, shoot sites, hair and makeup services, and even tuxedos to make the clients’ dreams come to life.

“Mike Marrero has captured what dreams and hopes are made of,” says Diana Flenard, Executive Director of MARC House,” This is a fabulous collection of work that represents the essence of MARC.”

The opening reception on November 5 from 5:30-7:30 pm will be the first time the MARC subjects get see their dream portraits unveiled.  The public is also invited to the reception that evening to celebrate this extraordinary body of work.

To complement the MARC House exhibition, on Saturday, November 13 at 8 pm, TSKW will present “Gordon Ross and Friends: Show Tunes, Love Songs and Decadence” a cabaret by local performer Gordon Ross, who also is the director of development and public relations at MARC House.  Musical director for the evening is Bobby Nesbitt and the musicians will include Skipper Kripitz and Christine Naughton.  A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the MARC house.

Tickets for the show are $30 advance/$35 day of show and tables for 4 or 5 are $150 and can be resesrved as well.  Tickets are available at keystix.com or at The Studios, 600 White Street, 296-0458.

Visit www.marrerostudio.com to see more of Michael’s work.

The MARC House Photography Project was generously sponsored by First State Bank and by the MARC House Plant Store.

Read the full story about Key West Cruisers: Rolling on the Rock at  www.miamiherald.com

Peter Vey at work on his bike

2010 ARTISAN FAIR AT TSKW

The following list of twelve individuals are the fine craft artists whose work was selected from a pool of applications and will be included in this season’s annual TSKW Artisan Fair. The show & sale of the work will be the featured event at the monthly Walk on White community open house scheduled in the Main Hall of the Armory on Thursday, November 18, 6-9 pm. Timed with the busy holiday shopping season in mind, 100% of sales will benefit the exhibiting artist.

Bring your checkbooks to Walk on White!  Every person who makes a purchase that evening will be entered into a special drawing for a $50 TSKW Gift Certificate applicable to a workshop of their choice.

Exhibiting Artisans
Jane Grannis/  hand designed and wheel thrown pottery
Fran Decker/ ceramic tiles made from hand painted Key West scenes
Danette Silvers/ custom designed stationary and unique holiday cards
Katharine Doughty/ one of a kind artist designed jewelry
Claire Perrault / monoprints and small painted works
Sherry Sweet T- Cosmo the Cat / signed books and gift items
Sherry Read / beach combed seaglass frames
Sonia Robinson / original designed cards, painted wooden plaques, & ornaments
Martha Slattery / sculptural necklaces
Simone Laswell / sculptural and functional forms by Renegade Clay pottery artist
Rick Dostel / sculptural shapes and funky fish in metal
Jasmin Ng /one of a kind jewelry with crystals and glass beads

The Studios of Key West is gearing up for an exciting new creative season, and full details of all the upcoming concerts, workshops, classes, and events will be available later this month, when the TSKW catalog hits the streets.  The public is invited to celebrate the new season at a special catalog launch party on October 21 from 6-9 pm during Walk on White.

“In just a few years, TSKW has grown from a brand new face on the cultural scene into a thriving arts organization with strong community roots, says Jay Scott, Executive Director. “This year, thanks to the support of over 125 businesses, and nearly 500 patrons and members, we’re going to be able to offer our most comprehensive season yet.”

Beginning on October 4, TSKW will offer The Artist’s Way, a 12-week course on creativity and living the artist’s life. Led by award-winning writer and experienced facilitator, Rosalind Brackenbury, students will meet every Monday evening from 6-8 pm through December 20.

“I took The Artist’s Way when it was offered last year, and I recommend it to anyone who needs a creative jump-start,” says Elena Devers, deputy director, “It will wake you up, inspire you, surprise you and uncover new possibilities and directions.” The cost of the course is $300 for TSKW members/$350 for non-members.

Other early season workshops and classes include half-day mask and headdress making workshops with John McBride on October 16, a life drawing intensive with Sandro Kopp from November 10-12, and a freeform beading workshop with Poochie Myers on November 17.  Throughout the season there will be a return of many favorite TSKW courses, like Acting with Richard Grusin and Abstract Painting Seminar with Roberta Marks, both beginning in January.

TSKW has also expanded their weekly class offerings and throughout season will present classes with favorite local instructors like William Welch, Judi Bradford, Jim Salem, and Mike Rooney.  Weekly offerings will also include an open life drawing session every Wednesday evening from 7-9 pm from December to June, and the return of popular Painting Boot Camp with Rick Worth every Tuesday evening from 6-8:30 pm throughout season.

Music lovers have learned that the Old Town New Folk series is the place to discover America’s great singer-songwriters. The upcoming season will include some of the greatest performers in the folk genre, including legends like Livingston Taylor on January 7, and some of the hottest up-and-coming acts like Will Kimbrough on December 17 and Susan Werner on January 21.   Tickets for all concerts are now $25 ($30 day of show) and are now available at keystix.com.

Also new this season, TSKW will lead two guided trips to exciting cultural destinations.  On December 2, TSKW will lead a one-day tour to Art Basel in Miami, and from May 11-19, TSKW will lead a fascinating excursion to the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. TSKW will take care of all the details and provide knowledgable guides so participants can relax and focus on the art and culture of each destination.

The Armory main hall and TSKW Space 2 continue to show exhibitions by local and national artists.  From October 11-29, Instruct, an exhibition featuring an exciting variety of new works by over twenty 2010-11 TSKW class and workshop instructors, will take over the main hall.  Bitches, an exhibition by emerging artist Deb Kik, will run concurrently in TSKW Space 2.  The delightful collection, a series of twenty colorful oil paintings of dogs and drag queens, pays homage to Key West’s Fantasy Fest celebration.

The public is invited to celebrate both exhibitions and to pick up a copy of the new TSKW catalog on Thursday, October 21 from 6-9 pm during Walk on White. The five new studio spaces which have been added at 610 White Street, just two doors down from the Armory, will also be available for tours that evening.

Full details of the concerts, workshops, exhibitions, and classes will also be posted to tskw.org over the next few weeks.  Call 296-0458 for more information.

Two Exhibitions Launch the Fall Season at The Studios of Key West

The Studios of Key West will launch the fall exhibition season with two timely and delightful shows, on view at the Armory from October 11-29.  The community is invited to celebrate both with a public reception during Walk on White on Thursday, October 21 from 6-9 pm. The festive evening will also serve as the season catalog launch party.

In-Struct, in the Main Hall, will feature an exciting variety of new works by over twenty 2010-11 TSKW class and workshop instructors.  The public will have a chance to preview the talents of these inspiring individuals before they register for workshops, and will be thrilled by the diversity of mediums and styles that will be shown.

“Experiencing up close, the brush strokes and mark-making, the color palettes and compositions of the instructors – before they begin their teaching – offers a chance to see first hand whose work you love and who you know you must work with,” says Martha Barnes, TSKW Manager of Programs and Exhibitions. “ And of course it gives the artists  a professional venue to show and sell their work, as well.”

Works by Susan Sugar, painter (Key West/New York), Roberta Marks, mixed media artist (Key West/France), Rick Worth, painter (Key West), AD Tinkham, painter (Key West/ Nova Scotia), Jim Salem, painter (Sugarloaf, FL), Elissa Gore, painter (NYC, NY), Poochie Myers, jewelry maker and painter (Key West), Carolyn Shattuck, book artist (Rutland, Vermont), Priscilla Coote, painter (Naples, Florida), Mike Rooney, painter (North Carloina), Karen Beauprie, watercolorist (Key West), Kim Bernard, sculptor (North Berwick, Maine), Antide Champagne de Labriolle, portrait painter (Paris, france), Vivian Pratt, mixed media artist (Dedham, Mass.), Mitch Lyons, printer (New London, PA), Liz Murphy Thomas, photographer (Springfield, Illinois), Michael Costello, figure painter (Boston, Mass.), John McBride, maskmaker (Trilbey, FL), Sean Callahan, watercolorist (Provincetown, Mass.) and others will be included; along with books by Rosalind Brackenbury and Wendy Call.
Bitches, an exhibition by emerging artist Deb Kik, will run concurrently in TSKW Space 2 on the second floor of the Armory.  The delightful collection, a series of twenty colorful oil paintings of dogs and drag queens, pays homage to Key West’s Fantasy Fest celebration.

“TSKW has provided me with two of my greatest mentors: Rick Worth and Letty Nowak. I’m grateful for all the time they have taken to advance my skills and fuel my artistic passion,” says Deb Kik. “Thanks to TSKW, this is my first solo show in Key West with my two favorite subjects – dogs and drag queens!”

In-Struct and Bitches will be on view from October 11-29.  The public is invited to pick up a copy of the new TSKW catalog at the community celebration on Thursday, October 21 from 6-9 pm, and is also invited to tour the five new studio spaces which have been added at 610 White Street, just two doors down from the Armory.

Full details of the concerts, workshops, exhibitions, and classes will also be posted to tskw.org over the next few weeks.  Call 296-0458 for more information.

Sisters, Mothers, Lovers, Others – Women Visualizing Women is a show of contemporary works by woman artists on the subject of women opening September 7 at The Studios of Key West. The exhibition also kicks off WomenFest Key West’s line-up of events with a late afternoon reception, Tuesday, September 7, 3-5 p.m. in the Historic Armory. The reception is open to the public, with many of the artists expected to be present, and will be on view thru October 6.

The artwork showcases artists living and working in the Keys, including Annamarie Giordano, Susan Sugar, Sue D’Antonio, Elizabeth Devries, Kate Miller, Lauren McAloon, Carol Tedesco, Coco Strauss, Frankie Zeh, Laurie Margolin, Marianne Motches,  Sandy Mezinis and others.

“Women weave together the various rich threads of their lives – friendships, sexuality, family, children, work, spirituality, intellectuality – into distinct and unique lifestyles.  Each woman emphasizes these characteristics differently, subduing some and flaunting others. Likewise, women share the same body elements, but each develops her own look, like refrigerator magnets, infinitely rearranged.  This exhibition attempts to capture some of that diversity, ” says Judi Bradford, guest curator for the show.

With this collection, from figure drawings and paintings to sculpture and abstracted images, the women artists of the southernmost islands see their gender with sensitive insight.

Running concurrently in SPACE 2, TSKW’s newest location to exhibit art, Jimm Sherrington: The Wild World of a Key West Legend launches the season with a sampling of new paintings paired with works from his past 30 years in Key West. Many locals will recall the “Spot Series” of work featuring his beloved canine and best friend.

Known internationally as a master Scrimshaw Artist, his career developed towards commercial lines with illustration and graphic design projects, all the while continuing to paint for pleasure, purpose and the elusive profit.

Jimm is a fixture at Blue Heaven and can be seen on his “en plein air” porch studio intensely responding to the wild world around him.

Both exhibitions will be celebrated a second time,  Thursday, September 16 from 6-9 p.m. during the Walk on White monthly Open House at TSKW.

Images: Clockwise from top left:

“I Love Love” mixed media by Coco Strauss
Encaustic image by Annamarie Giordano
Untitled pastel on paper by Annamarie Giordano
“Difference of Opinion” mixed media on canvas by Marianne Motches
“Cow Jumped Over the Moon” by Jimm Sherrington
The Artist Jimm Sherrington

TSKW would like to thank Tom Pope, owner of the property at 610 White Street, for helping us to create an opportunity for additional artists to be a part of the TSKW community.  Starting this month, several artists who applied and were accepted last May as studio artists will begin moving in to spaces at “610 Studios”.  Just two doors down from the Armory, the property will now be an extension of our artist studios and will be open for the public to tour during the September Walk on White on Sept. 16.  We’d like to welcome the studio artists who are becoming a part of the community, Pam Hobbs, Sally Binard, Brooks Whitney Phillips, and Judi Bradford.

Here’s a profile of our new studio artists.

Pam Hobbs was born in northern New Jersey and moved to Kansas when she was 13. She attended High school and then received her B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute.  Pam was trained as a weaver in the craft department and used fabric, either woven or surface design as her medium. After college, thirty years ago, she came to Key West Florida on vacation and never left. After seeing the colors of the water, sky and the tropical flowers and trees her colors blossomed, as well as her use of different mediums. She likes to portray her ideas and feelings with bright colors and bold shapes. She also like to give people the same directness, boldness, freedom and happiness she feels living here in the lush tropics. Pam’s work can be seen at 7 Artists Gallery in Key West.    www.7artistskeywest.com

Brooks Whitney Phillips was born and raised in downtown Chicago. She attended Franklin College Switzerland where her studies focused on European art and literature before transferring to the University of Denver. Upon graduation she spent three years working in public relations & advertising until deciding to pursue a career as a freelance writer. She was a long-time contributor to the Chicago Tribune for whom she wrote a weekly-syndicated column and feature stories focusing on music and the arts. She has published six children’s books for the popular American Girls collection as well as been a columnist and feature writer for their magazine, American Girl. She has also published two books with Scholastic and served as Assistant Entertainment Editor for CompuServe’s online publishing division. Brooks has lived in Key West for twelve years and is busy raising a young family, contributing stories to Coastal Living magazine, and finishing a novel—this one for adults!

Brooks says, “For me writing fiction is not just about story.  It’s about the rhythm of words, the lyricism of a sentence, the ability to convey senses, to vividly portray place, and from the murky depths of imagination, to ultimately create a language of one’s own.”

To read an excerpt from Brooks’ novel-in-progress, click here

Sally Binard now calls the Florida Keys home after 12 years. She came to the Keys as a biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. With a background in scientific illustration, it was a natural progression to incorporate the artistic vibe of Key West into her art and pursue painting more vigorously. She is looking forward to using her studio at 610 Studios to work on her latest series of paintings on Haiti and its’ people.

To see examples of her work, click here

Judi Bradford has had work in nearly all the galleries in Key West at one time or another, including the late Richard Heyman’s original Gingerbread Gallery, later to become Gingerbread Square.  She has been a founding partner in three Duval Street galleries: Cayo Hueso Graphics 1979, Guild Hall Gallery 1983, SoDu Gallery 2006.

For most of her career in Key West, She had a retail studio/gallery, Lizard Licks, named for the soft sculpture critters I made for retail and wholesale markets.

Judi says, “I am thrilled to be included in The Studios of Key West, where I attend the figure drawing sessions and have participated in two One Night Stands and other events. I love being part of a team and have put a lot of energy into building teams throughout my 30+ years on the island. ”

To see examples of Judi’s work, please click here

Welcome to all the new studio artists!

Local Artists Create Amazing Rolling Art!

Bum Farto Bike by Andy Thurber

Thank you for your interest in TSKW.  We welcome proposals for residencies, creative projects, workshops, exhibitions, and professional development opportunities.

A TSKW Sculpture Garden Exhibit offers participating artists the opportunity to showcase original sculptural artwork in a small, unique garden environment adjacent to the Historic Armory; home of The Studios of Key West, in the much visited heart of Old Town, Key West, Florida.

All program proposals submitted by the deadline will be reviewed for consideration, and acknowledged within two weeks of receipt.

To see an archive of Sculpture Garden exhibitions/installations from the past four years, please check out the Sculpture Garden section at www.tskw.org/campus/sculpture

To download an proposal form, please click sculpture garden proposal

Proposals may include work that is already realized.  Site informed or site specific proposals are especially encouraged.

Artists will be responsible for the transport, installation, maintenance and de-installation of their work. Assistance from TSKW staff as well as volunteers can be arranged. Insurance of artwork, if desired, must be carried by the artist.

Selected proposals will receive an honorarium/stipend of up to $500 for a partial garden exhibit (front or rear) or $1000 for a full garden installation.  Artists will receive 50% of this at the completion of installation and the remaining 50% will be received at the completion of de-installation and the return of the garden to its original condition. TSKW is willing to help artists locate housing options, if needed, to help defray costs during installing and de-installing work.

Deadline: August 1, 2010  We accept proposals year round, this deadline will prioritize applications received for this coming season for accepted artists inclusion in our annual, full color, printed and on-line catalog.
Proposals will be juried by The Studios of Key West Sculpture Garden Committee.

Accepted artists will be notified by e-mail prior to September 7 and additionally contacted to finalize all exhibition details. There will be a TSKW Sculpture Garden Exhibitor contract to review for selected proposals. Proposals will not be returned to artists. TSKW will notify artists whose proposals were not selected via email. These proposals will be kept in the TSKW Sculpture Garden Exhibition Proposal waiting list file for one year.

Works remain the property of the artist, any inquiries regarding the sale of work will be forwarded to the artist or artists representative.  Any sales realized as a direct result of a Sculpture Garden Exhibition will be subject to An agreed upon commission

An agreed upon commission will be charged for any sales realized as a direct result of a Sculpture Garden Exhibition.

TSKW must be notified of any changes to accepted proposals prior to installation, reserving the right to refuse any substitutions. TSKW staff will work with artists to determine placement of work within the garden and will retain the right of final placement decisions.

TSKW reserves the right to use any photos of work and/or artists for educational, marketing and publicity purposes.

Application guidelines for proposals and photos of the TSKW Sculpture Garden and past Exhibitions can be viewed on the TSKW web site. www.tskw.org

Further questions are welcomed by e-mailing lauren@tskw.org

On June 21,  Historic Florida Keys Foundation and the Key West Historic Marker Tour partnered with TSKW for a special marker dedication and reception at the Armory.  Following the dedication, guests were treated to a presentation on the history of the Armory by historian Tom Hambright.

This special marker that was placed  to honor the early preservationists in Key West who saved the Armory from it’s scheduled demolition in 1969. Thanks to their grassroots fight, the State appointed the first preservation board.  Eventually this first board raised the funds needed to restore the building that TSKW now calls home.

One of the only living people who was a part of that group was Ed Knight, who was in attendance at the reception.  From all of us at TSKW, and the whole Key West community, thank you!

To learn more about all the special markers placed around Key West, visit www.historicmarkertour.org/Markers

Rick Worth Retrospective A Smashing Success!

The monumental milestone exhibition “Rick Worth: Painting in Paradise: 25 Year Retrospective” curated by Martha Barnes, presented over 100 works by 80 lenders, along with mounds of archival materials showcasing the significance of the artistic and humanitarian contribution of one special smiling soul and island favorite- Rick Worth. On June 17, the community poured into the historic Armory hall by the hundreds to experience the magical environment created within it. Vehicles, theatre props, novelties and paintings (many never before seen publicly on loan from private collections). From candybars- his “sweet little ones”- to major murals filled the room forming a chronological tour of the last quarter century in Key West. From a pontoon boat to a parade of painted art cars, the exterior of the armory welcomed locals and visitors into the show with the fantasy fanfare Key West is known for. As one patron commented, “when do you get to walk through a six foot mouth with fangs?”

Posted below are a few photos from the magical evening below.

And for those of you who weren’t able to join us, please check out the links to exhibition acknowledgments, the list of lenders, and a chronology of Rick’s life – 25 years of painting in paradise.

Acknowledgements- Rick Worth

List of Lenders- Rick Worth

Rick Worth Chronology

Famed Modern Dancers Visit Key West for Dance Programs

This month, two principal dancers of two of the world’s leading modern dance companies, Martha Graham Dance Company and Limón Dance Company, will visit Key West to share their talents and understanding of the world of modern dance with a series of classes, lectures and films.

As part of their visit, on Friday, June 18 at 3:00 pm TSKW will host an informal talk-back with the two prominent dancers at the Armory. Artistic Director Maurizio Nardi will be joined by leading dancer Daniel Fetecuca Soto of the Limon Dance Company and will talk with audience members about how they became dancers and about the differing artistic visions of their dance companies. The event is free-of- charge.

“Key West Modern Dance” program has been made possible with support from Florida Keys Council of the Arts, and begins its second year in Key West. In addition to lectures and films, Nardi and Soto will also be teaching modern dance classes at CoffeeMill Dance & Yoga Studio at 916 Pohalski Street in Key West. Two classes a day start June 15 for five days. The instruction focuses on modern form and technique for students and pre-professional dancers.

“Key West is one of America’s pulse points for the arts,” said Nardi. “Literature and fine arts and film have a rich heritage here. We want to create the same kind of heritage for modern dance in Key West.”
Leaving a budding dance career in his native Florence, Italy, Nardi came to the United States on a full scholarship from the Martha Graham School in 1998. He joined the world-renowned company in 2002 and has danced starring roles in many of Graham’s signature productions.

A native of Bogotá, Daniel Fetecuca Soto earned a BFA from Folkwang University in Germany. He has won numerous fellowships and commissions including two prestigious Harlem Stage Fund grants. Soto has danced with the Limón Dance Company since 2006.

In addition to CoffeeMill dance classes, Nardi will present a “Modern Dance Film Festival” at Key West’s Tropic Cinema with documentaries about the legendary founders of the two dance companies, Martha Graham and José Limón. Jennifer O’Lear, arts and culture editor of the Key West Keynoter will introduce the short films Wednesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 17 at 7:30 PM at the popular Eaton Street moviehouse. Nardi and Soto will answer questions and talk about the films and their experiences in modern dance following the screenings. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $6 for Tropic members.
Dancer and choreographer Martha Graham founded her own dance company in 1926. The oldest, and perhaps most famous modern dance company in the world, Graham redefined performance dance as decisively as other 20th century artists changed painting, literature and music.
Mexican-born José Limón moved to New York City in 1928 and founded his own company in 1946. Limón brought an athletic, neoclassic vision of modern dance to the stage that influenced both classical and modern choreographers to this day.
For information on CoffeeMill classes, visit keywestmoderndance.com or call 305-296-9982. For film schedules and details about the Tropic Cinema’s “Modern Dance Film Festival,” visit tropiccinema.com. TSKW.com has information about Nardi’s and Soto’s dance talk-back at the Studios of Key West.

TSKW Partners with Womenfest to Create an Unforgettable Concert Event on Wednesday September 8 at 7 pm at the Armory

Though Emily Saliers is known most for being one half of the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls – she stands alone as an incredible, independent artistic force.

Among her many other talents, Emily is an author, an owner of restaurants, an avid wine collector, and has composed a film score all the while writing lyrics & music for numerous albums and touring around the US and the world.

She sings, plays the guitar, banjo, piano, mandolin, ukulele, and many other instruments. Add to that all of her work as a political and environmental activist and you’ve got one amazing woman.

Since the Indigo Girls first independently released album, 1987’s Strange Fire, they have sold over seven million albums worldwide, including one double-platinum disc, three platinum discs and four gold discs, as well as earning six Grammy nominations. In 1989, they were nominated for Best New Artist and took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Their 11th studio album, Poseidon and The Bitter Bug was released in 2009 to critical acclaim on their own independent label, IG Recordings, distributed through Vanguard Records.

Spend don’t miss this chance to spend a special evening with Emily Saliers during Womenfest on Wednesday, Sept 8 at 7 pm

Tickets now on sale here
$25 – for general admission OR
$75 – admission to special VIP reception + priority seating (closest to the stage)

It is with great pleasure that The Studios of Key West announces the selection of visual artist Veronika Bunk as the newest member of the studio artist community.

Veronika was selected from nearly a dozen people who responded to our call for applicants in April. TSKW was honored to have so many talented artists apply for the spot, and was thrilled to be reminded once again of how rich our island community is with talent and creativity.

Veronika grew up in Germany, completed her studies in England, and eventually earned a doctorate in Modern History.  Veronika reports that she was hooked on fine art from her childhood, and learned drawing and watercolor techniques from a local artist in her home town in Germany.  She impressed the selection committee with her dedication to her artistic development and her desire to express herself through her abstract paintings.

Though Veronika is relatively new to Key West – having moved here only a few months ago with her husband – she has already become a part of the Key West art scene and has been inspired by the work of many island artists.  She first got involved at TSKW when she took the Abstract Painting Seminar with Roberta Marks this season.

“During class I found that it was the works of my fellow students which helped me progress as much as Roberta’s critique.” says Veronika, “As a studio artist, I would be thrilled to share the other artists’ insights and move forward together.”

Veronika’s artistic style has developed quite naturally into an exploration of abstract expressionism, and she plans to use the studio to work with oil paints and larger canvases. She also hopes to develop her understanding of composition, shape and line through working with collage and linocut.

She reports that even though she has yet to move into the studio, she already feels as if she is part of the TSKW community.

“The courses and shows TSKW has put on has been an inspiration to me since I arrived,” she says,  “They have made me feel part of the community quicker than I would have thought possible.”

Stop by this month’s Walk on White on June 17 from 6-9 pm to say hello to Veronika and help us welcome her to the TSKW community.

The Studios of Key West would like to thank all the artists who applied for the studio artist position.

“Transience in the Plane” acrylic painting by Veronika Bunk

“Childhood Diptych” – Collage by Veronika Bunk

The Studios of Key West continues its program of creative opportunities at Armory this summer with a three-day workshop called “Sensing the Poem” from June 11-13.  Taught by Florida International University creative writing instructor Nick Vagnoni, the workshop is designed to help students explore and capture the sensory details make powerful, memorable poems.

TSKW recently interviewed Nick to find out a little more about his teaching style and what students can expect.

This workshop focuses on paying attention to the senses. Why take this approach to teaching a poetry workshop?

As I said in the catalog, our senses are an anchor. When we interact in the world, we’re engaged with sensory information. It’s not just some vacuum where all we have are our thoughts. So, when we write poetry about the world and our interactions with it, it only makes sense for us to make use of all of these details. That way, by coupling concrete details with thought and emotion, we create a more realistic experience on the page, even if what we seek to depict is dreamlike or fueled by internal thoughts and emotions.

You said that this workshop would be beneficial for writers of different skill levels. What would more experience writers have to gain from this?

Well, I think that the technique of using the senses can’t really be overemphasized, and it’s often a good thing to return to. Aside from that, we’ll be reading lots of different material, so it will be a good opportunity for those who like to read poetry (or want to read more) to learn about some poets they may not be familiar with. While I’ll probably be using some standards like Bishop and Williams, I’m also going to be including some more contemporary poets like Brian Turner, Catherine Bowman, and Spencer Reece.

Also, aside from the workshop being an opportunity to read new poetry, it’s also obviously an opportunity to write new poems. Regardless of skill level, I think a lot of writers (myself included) struggle to carve out the time to write. Whenever I teach, I tell my students that one of the most important things a writing class does is create a time and a place for you to write.

What can students expect from this workshop?

I think part of our process will be slowing down and trying to examine and untangle a lot of the details we take for granted on a daily basis. We operate in a sea of sensory information all the time, to the point where we might not notice a lot of it. My goal is to have writers rediscover things they might normally ignore and then try to recreate that experience of discovery on the page. Imagine, for example, if you were to describe the experience of eating a sandwich to someone who had never eaten one before, or who had never even heard of such a thing. What would you need to do to get that experience across? How would you describe it? What would you compare it to? This is a pretty mundane example, but I think a lot of good writing can come from trying to make our normal world new and strange.

Who are a few of your favorite poets?

That’s always hard, but I often come back to Walt Whitman and Elizabeth Bishop. I also really like Li-Young Lee and Frank O’Hara. Most recently, I’ve gotten into the work of a guy named Zachary Schomburg, who writes this very functional type of surrealist poetry. We may be reading some of his work as well.

How would you describe your own poetry?

Also a tough question. I think it’s in line with the ideas of this workshop. For a long time, I think, as a poet, I clung to images. I felt safe there, just creating pictures on the page. But as I wrote more and read more, I realized that I could let my poems do a little more thinking as long as I grounded them somewhere, gave them a solid place to start from and return to. That’s what I try to do now. I’m not sure if I’ve really answered that question. I think I have.

The Studios of Key West is inviting Monroe County artists and writers to apply for studio space on the second floor of the Historic Armory.  Currently, one studio space is available for $350 per month.  We will also be developing our wait list to be utilized for spaces that would become available in the next 6 months. Those eligible writers and artists residing in the lower Florida Keys who would like to be considered for studio space at Key West’s Historic Armory building should complete and return their application along with supporting materials.

Applications are being accepted now through Friday, April 30 at 4 pm.  Late applications will not be accepted.  The selected artist will begin a one-year lease on June 1, 2010.

TSKW provides a collaborative and supportive environment for creative experience; we offer low cost studio space, lectures, workshops, residencies, and partnership projects; we nurture the creation of work, build audiences, and support the advancement of established and emerging creative people in the Florida Keys.

We also ask that all applicants join our annual membership group, Friends/TSKW.  Membership begins at $50 for an individual and $100 for a family and is fully tax deductible.  Please pick up a membership application packet at the Armory or call 296-0458 to request one to be mailed to your home.

Download 2010 Studio Application

Application Timeline

• Completed applications are due in the Armory office, 600 White Street, by Friday, April 30, 2010 at 4 pm – No late applications will be accepted.

• Interviews with applicants will be completed between May 10 and May 19, 2010.

• Applicants will be notified of the selection results by May 24, 2010.

• A one-year lease with the selected artist will begin on June 1, 2010.

Former Studio Artist Deb Goldman in her studio in 2007.

In Celebration of the Written Word, TSKW Offers Special Workshop, Public Reading, and “SCRIBE” evening

The Studios of Key West is thrilled to welcome celebrated poets Lisa Starr and Coleman Barks in late April as TSKW Poets in Residence. While here, Starr and Barks will present a free public reading at the Armory on Monday, April 26 from 6-7 pm. Immediately following the reading, TSKW will present “SCRIBE”, a collection of local songwriters, poets, and storytellers sharing their work with a live Armory audience from 7-9 pm. Anyone interested in reserving a 5-10 minute spot during “SCRIBE” should contact Martha Barnes, Program Manager at 296-0458.

An inn-keeper, a mother, a basketball coach and a teacher, Lisa Starr, Rhode Island’s Poet Laureate, divides her time among a variety of interests, her children, and her passion for poetry. In April of 2009 Starr assembled more than a dozen US State Poets Laureate in Rhode Island for “Poetry for Hope,” a series of readings, workshops, and public forums featuring the visiting poets and emerging and established Rhode Island poets and musicians at schools, libraries and cultural attractions around the state.

Coleman Barks’ work on Rumi was the subject of an hour-long segment in Bill Moyers’ Language of Life series on PBS, and he is a featured poet and translator in Bill Moyers’poetry special, “Fooling with Words.” Barks was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at the University of North Carolina and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Georgia for thirty years.

As a special component of the residency, Starr and Barks also teach a 3-day workshop, “Poetry and the Extraordinary,” from April 28-30. The Studios of Key West is pleased to offer the workshop at a discount rate of 50% off the normal enrollment fee for TSKW members. The workshop, which was $220, is now being offered to TSKW members for $110 (plus the cost of lunches).

To register for the workshop, or to reserve a 5-10 minute spot on stage for “SCRIBE”, call The Studios of Key West at 296-0458.

Nancy 3. Hoffman and Vicky Rosenblatt Wrap Up The Studios of Key West’s New Cabaret Serie

The Studios of Key West’s finishes out this season’s Cabaret Series in style when a charming duo of French-style chanteuses take to the Armory stage. Vicky Rosenblatt and Nancy 3. Hoffman will create an unforgettable cabaret evening filled with song, humor, and plenty of old world charm when they present “Under Key West Skies” on Saturday April 10 at 8 pm.  Tickets are now available for $15 at the Armory or through www.keystix.com

Vicky Rosenblatt is fondly remembered for the special cabaret nights she presented at The Woodenhead Gallery.  She has a penchant for music with poetic lyrics, and weaves a spell over her audience with songs that touch the heart. Nancy 3. Hoffman is known and beloved on the island for her quirky wit, and will bring her international repertoire, her accordion, her high-heeled shoes, and plenty of surprises to the evening.

“We are delighted to be part of this cabaret series and thrilled to perform in such an excellent venue,” says Nancy 3. (or Trois in French), “together Vicky and I make a great twosome, a tag-team match up of singers with different styles who really complement each other.”

The program will include romantic French songs such as “Under Paris Skies”, “La Vie en Rose”, and the theme from “Moulin Rouge.” A mix of songs from the Great American Songbook will be included, as well as beloved movie themes.

Tickets for “Under Key West Skies” are $15 and are available at www.keystix.com or at The Studios of Key West, 600 White St.  Call (305) 296-0458 or visit www.tskw.org for more information.

TSKW recently enlisted the help of local media company, www.conchtv.com to produce a short video telling the story of our organization.  Thanks to the good folks at Conch TV -  Gail, Craig, and Matthew – for helping us define the amazing community that is The Studios of Key West.

The Studios of Key West invites the community to bring ideas, art making supplies, friends, and family members to the Historic Armory at 10am on Saturday, February 6 for the annual Art Crawl event. Participation is free and begins with a continental breakfast and a chance to meet other creative people before hitting the streets of Old Town.

Following the morning gathering, participants will explore the island’s neighborhoods, sties, and side streets to paint, draw, write, photograph, and capture local scenes. After a day of plein air art-making, armed with new creative works based on the island’s unique sense of place, participants will regroup at the Armory for a 4pm celebration, salon style display, and reception.

“This is an open access invitation to join our creative community, bring your favorite medium, and help us fill the streets of Old Town with artistic pursuits at every corner,” says Eric Holowacz, executive director of The Studios of Key West. “We are calling all local and visiting poets, photographers, painters, film-makers, and others wanting to create new works. Join us for the 2010 Art Crawl.”

All ages, mediums, disciplines and individuals are encouraged to take part in this free artistic outpouring. Interested artists should arrive at the Armory, 600 White Street, by 10am on Saturday, February 6. Breakfast and coffee will be provided, but participants should arrange their own lunch.

“We’ve even added a plein air competition to the event, with a distinguished juror and generous cash and donated prizes,” says Program Manager Martha Barnes. “This new element is the Key West Quick Draw event, planned for plein air painters and sketch artists from the Keys and beyond.”

Quick Draw entrants will have their blank canvas stamped at 10am, and must return to the Armory with a finished work by 3pm. Award-winning artist Priscilla Coote will serve as Quick Draw juror, and will announce the three cash prize winners and three honorable mention artists at the reception. Registration for the Key West Quick Draw is $20 and will be taken before 10am on the event day.

The 2010 Key West Art Crawl is sponsored by Old Town Trolley Tours. Support has also been provided by Florida Keys Council of the Arts, the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and and the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about this event, and other upcoming cultural opportunities at The Studios of Key West, contact 296-0458 or visit.

A look at last year’s Artcrawl

One Non-profit Helping Another

Historic Florida Keys Foundation has long been known as a guardian of heritage properties up and down the Keys. This season, they have also provided critical support for TSKW, helping sponsor our season of cultural and creative activities. They join hundreds of our local benefactors in a desire to see the Armory used for an array of cultural programming, free public events, lively concerts, lectures, and exhibitions. We are grateful to one of the island’s leading heritage organizations for lending a helping hand.

The mission of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation is to promote historic preservation through education, advocacy, collaboration, and stewardship. The Foundation oversees the leases on four historic state-owned properties. They directly manage Old City Hall, while the Oldest House, the Armory, and the Truman Little White House are on long term leases to other non-profit entities that manage them on a daily basis. The Foundation provides staff for the Monroe County Historic Preservation Program, conducts walking tours at the Key West Cemetery, to raise funds for cemetery preservation and education, and will soon host its 29th annual Preservation Awards program. This past year they also provided funding to help with the restoration of the Schooner Western Union. Learn how you can support the good work of the Foundation by visiting their website at historicfloridakeys.org or calling (305)292-6718.

TSKW Presents next exhibition, Chicago Artists Works on Paper, from January 14 to February 4

Thanks to The Studios of Key West’s innovative Cultural Manager Residency Program, the island will soon have the opportunity to view and acquire works by over a dozen prominent Chicago artists. The Historic Armory will host Chicago Artists Works on Paper, an exhibition of almost 30 drawings and mixed-media works, January 14 to February 4, made possible by a new partnership between the Second City and the Southernmost Town. The show also includes a silent auction of 14 original works on paper, donated by each of the participating artists, set for the evening of January 21.

E. W. Ross, former Dean at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and director of its Ox-Bow summer campus in Michigan, was invited to spend January 2009 in The Studios of Key West’s Mango Tree House. While here as resident cultural manager, Ross escaped the Windy City’s winter, explored our tropical environs, and began thinking about new collaborations and exchanges. After much planning and effort, he returns this season as curator of Chicago Artists Works on Paper and repeat Cultural Manager in Residence at The Studios.

“Last year we began inviting some of America’s cultural leaders and arts administrators to spend time in residence on our island. And soon we had dozens of leading creative figures planning their retreats,” said Eric Holowacz, executive director of The Studios. “It has become both a strategic and hospitable way to explore new programming, and generate important connections to the mainland and the world.”

Chicago is home to 30,000 studios artists, roughly the entire population of Key West, and has long been established as a global center of arts and culture. Following his residency last year, Ross began inviting a diverse group of visual communicators to consider lending work to a special exhibition in Key West. He describes the results like this:

“The fourteen artists in the show are as diverse as the work itself. It is an intergenerational group. Amy Stibich, 24 years old, is showing paper collages and drawings that relate a bit to David Hockney’s use of color and play. She is just at the beginning of a promising career. On the other end, Karl Wirsum, one of the highly influential ‘Hairy Who’ group of the late 1960’s, is an important Chicago artist with work in the collections of many major museums. His color lithographs are as vibrant and well designed as any anywhere.”

Chicago Artists Works on Paper includes 28 pictures, ranging from straight up water-based media to a variety of printmaking, including wood block, lithography and photo etching. Viewers will discover an exquisite landscape study by Susan Kraut, playful puns in Oli Watt’s prints, and the exquisite mysteriousness of Jeanine Coupe-Ryding’s photo etching.

Also contributing to the exhibition are Jose Andreu, Isak Applin, Linda Cohn, and Willie Kohler. George Liebert, Bobbi Meier, Olivia Petrides, Tony Phillips, and curator E. W. Ross round out the extraordianry Chicago line-up.

Thanks to a generous gesture form all of the participating artists, local art collectors will also have the opportunity to acquire 14 of the pictures included in the exhibition. Ranging in value from $200 to $1500, these works will be available by silent auction, opening on January 14 and closing with final bids at 8:00pm during the January 21 reception. Those interested are encouraged to bid just like the people of Chicago vote: early and often. Proceeds will support the current season of The Studios of Key West.

“When Ross told me that the artists had offered to help our organization by donating a work, I was deeply touched,” said Holowacz. “I knew that a true partnership had begun, and that this exhibition would be the start of many other cultural connections and collaborations between the Windy City and our tropical retreat.”

The Studios of Key West is a now in its third season, and offers workshops, lectures, concerts, exhibitions, and cultural opportunities for everybody. To learn more about Chicago Artists Works on paper, or to find out about other upcoming events, contact The Studios at 296-0458 or visit www.tskw.org.

This project is generously sponsored by the Southernmost Hotel Collection.