Culture In Florida is a monthly news roundup to showcase our state’s wonderful diversity, spotlight the organizations and artists that contribute so much to our communities, and stress the comprehensive benefits of arts and culture to Florida’s economy and quality of life.
We are very thankful for the contributions that arts and culture make to the state of Florida! Did you know that the arts and cultural industry generates $4.68 billion of economic activity statewide? Here are a few highlights of how Culture Builds Florida from throughout the state during the month of November:
Awards and National Events
Opera America celebrated National Opera Week from October 26-November 4. This week-long celebration featured numerous events that celebrate the timeless artform of opera. More locally, the botany team at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens was awarded a prestigious grant from the Cactus and Succulent Society of America. The grant will allow the team to care for a federally endangered cactus species known as the Harrisia aboriginum, or the ‘aboriginal prickly apple’. Key West Literary Seminar also announced the recipients of their Emerging Writer Awards.
Openings
In Miami, Bakehouse Art Complex opened ‘Collectivity’, an exhibit that explores the line between the individual and the collective. It was curated by 17-year old Quinn Harrelson and remains on display through March 30, 2019. In Davie, Young at Art museum opened ‘Lightscapes’, one of three new light sculptures where light, color, and sound combine for a multisensory experience.
Several museums celebrated Florida-based artists and Florida history with new exhibitions that opened in November. In Jacksonville, JAX Makerspace opened ‘Ties and Knots: Weaving Narratives of Northeast Florida’ on November 7. This exhibit “explores the dynamic relationship between tradition and modernity, as textiles expand beyond functional art and into the realm of fine art”. In partnership with Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, Art Center South Florida opened ‘Center to Center’, an exhibit focused on the ever-growing community of artists in South florida, on display through January 6, 2019.
Boca Raton Museum of Art opened ‘Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State’, the most comprehensive Florida-themed show of its kind, featuring a major anthology of art made in and inspired by Florida and its people, places, flora, and fauna. History Miami Museum opened ‘A Peculiar Paradise’, a collection of photographs that caputred Florida in 1981 by Nathan Benn. The exhibit features over 100 selections in addition to artifacts from Benn’s career at National Geographic.
Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science opened their newest permanent exhibit ‘Design! Build! Play! KEVA!’ on November 10. The exhibit combines a science lab and an art museum to create a place to explore design and invention. Perez Art Museum Miami opened the most significant presentation to date of the art works of Kingston-born artist Ebony G. Patterson. The exhibition features multimedia artworks that explore the importance of gardens in the artist’s life.
Closings
St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum closed their exhibit titled ‘Clyde Butcher: Visions of Dali’s Spain’. This exhibit featured photographic documentation of Dali’s homeland by the nationally renowned nature photographer. Bay Arts Alliance’s quilting exhibition ‘Maxine Thomas: Through Threads of Time’ ended on November 17. The exhibit featured a wide variety of quilting techniques that used fabrics from around the world. The Sarasota Chapter of the Sumi-E Society of America concluded their 55th annual exhibit at Art Center Manatee on November 30. Sumi-E is the Japanese word for Black Ink Painting. The juried exhibit featured 112 paintings by 18 artists from the United States and Germany.
Special Events
Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science kicked off their quarterly “Discovery After Dark” series on November 8 with their event “Science of Beer”. This adults-only series allows the opportunity to meet other curious-minded people and explore the museum’s interactive exhibits while enjoying food and beverages.
Young at Art museum presented their 13th annual Recycled Fashion Show. This benefit event celebrates the creativity and talent of teenagers from the museum’s volunteer program and at PACE Center Broward. Each teenage designer was challenged to create fashions that “bring awareness to environmental issues using recycled materials”.
Osceola County Historical Society celebrated their 27th annual Pioneer Day on November 10. Residents were able to “step back in time” and learn about Osceola County’s first residents through historic re-enactments, demonstrations, shopping, and entertainment.
Lakeland’s Imperial Symphony Orchestra teamed up with the Mulberry Phosphate Museum to present a free community concert called “FOSSILS!”, which allowed attendees a kid-friendly musical journey through prehistory.
Jacksonville’s Cathedral Arts Project hosted the international dance troupe ILL-ABILITIES on November 5. The all-star team of dancers features differently-abled dancers from around the world.
Miami’s Frost Science museum hosted comic and science educator Rhys Thomas for several presentations of his “Science Circus: The Physics of Fun!”. This popular live show blends science, comedy, and circus acts while exploring Newtonian physics.
Featured Festivals
Filmmaking was frequently celebrated throughout the state in November! Key West and Fort Lauderdale held their annual film festivals, Miami’s Gables Cinema hosted the 6th annual Miami International Children’s Film Festival, and Orlando’s Enzian Theatre hosted their 27th annual Brouhaha Florida Video Showcase, which featured films by local artists, educators, and residents.
In Pensacola, 12 days of artistic shows and events were celebrated during the popular Foo Foo Festival. The annual festival features ballets, operas, culinary events, Naval air shows, and everything in between.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden hosted their 78th annual Fall Garden Festival and Ramble from November 9-11. This lively event featured numerous plant sales, culinary demonstrations, garden demonstrations, and family-friendly education events.
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum also hosted their annual American Indian Arts Celebration. The event takes place on museum grounds in the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, and features traditional and contemporary arts, dance, and music of the Seminole, Southeastern, and other Indian tribes from across the country.
Kicking Off the Holiday Season
Orlando Museum of Art celebrated its thirty-second Festival of Trees. This annual, week-long festival ushers in the holiday season by transforming the galleries into a sparkling winter wonderland filled with trees and decorations available for purchase. Miami’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum started offering round trip adventures to the “North Pole” aboard The Polar Express™ on November 10! Rides are available through the end of December and feature music and theatrical recreations of scenes from the beloved movie.
Upcoming in December
Art Basel and Miami Art Week; international opera superstar Stephanie Blythe pays a visit to Palm Beach Opera; and many wonderful holiday events statewide.
Have an event you’d like to see featured as part of this blog series? Please fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/rNFpweK1euL3y9YH2. Note: submission does not guarantee inclusion.
Founded in 1993 by a visionary group of local plant enthusiasts, Naples Botanical Garden is a 170-acre, world-class garden paradise that features plants from around the world. In 2017, Naples Botanical Garden became the youngest garden in history to receive the prestigious Award for Garden Excellence from the American Public Gardens Association. They are steadfastly committed to their local community, to award-winning horticultural design, and to comprehensive approaches to sustainability. The garden welcomes over 220,000 visitors per year in their themed gardens that include an orchid garden, a water garden, and a children’s garden, among many others.
Naples Botanical Garden presents their year-round W.O.N.D.E.R. in the Garden program, which began in July 2010. An informal educational drop-in family activity for children of all ages, W.O.N.D.E.R. is an acronym for “walk, observe, navigate, discover, explore, read.” The fun and engaging lessons are based on a monthly theme such as:
The program is appropriate for families with children of all ages, from toddlers to teens, and approximately 9,000 children and families have participated in the program since its inception.
Located in Delray Beach, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens opened in 1977 with a mission “to engage a diverse audience by presenting Japanese cultural experiences that educate and inspire”. Drawing upon a century-old connection between Japan and South Florida, the museum has served as a cultural center for Japanese art exhibitions, tea ceremonies, educational outreach programs, and Japanese festivals. The Morikami Collections house more than 7,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, including a 500-piece collection of tea ceremony items, more than 200 textile pieces and fine art acquisitions.
One of the many cultural programs that Morikami offers is their Stroll for Well-Being program. In 2006 Morikami received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to conduct a research study with Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. Researchers undertook the study to determine whether or not garden visits were as effective as, or more effective than, art therapy in relieving symptoms of depression in older adults. Art therapy has been shown to decrease depression in the elderly by allowing elders to express feelings of sadness and loss. The study showed that walking the gardens was as effective as art therapy in alleviating the symptoms of depression in older adults. As a result of this study, the Stroll for Well-Being program was born.
Over 1000 people have participated in the program since its public introduction in 2008 and since 2011, the program has been generously funded by Astellas Pharma US, Inc., which has allowed Morikami to offer the program free of charge to participants of nonprofit therapy groups including veterans, caregivers, cancer survivors and those experiencing chronic illness and grief, among others. Participants are initially offered three months of membership to Morikami and invited to attend three walks and meetings during this time. After this initial membership period, participants in the program have unlimited opportunities for up to a year to visit Morikami to leisurely stroll the garden path, and enjoy the peace and serenity that the garden has to offer. Strolling the garden itself is entirely a personal activity. Past participants have reported that the Stroll for Well-Being program has helped them to effectively reduce stress and alleviate sadness.
In 2014, representatives from the program presented the research at the North American Japanese Garden Association Conference to great enthusiasm. Many gardens throughout the United States have implemented their own programs modeled after Stroll for Well-Being, showing that museums can be places of therapy and stress release in addition to being important cultural centers. Recently, Morikami began expanding the current program to add physical exercises and visualizations to the guided garden strolls, allowing participants to experience the calm and release of the garden whether they are able to attend in person or not.
Founded in 1924 as the Jacksonville Fine Arts Society, MOCA Jacksonville is a private nonprofit visual arts educational institution and cultural institute of the University of North Florida. MOCA Jacksonville serves the community and its visitors through its mission to promote the discovery, knowledge and advancement of the art, artists and ideas 
of our time.
Since its inception in 2017, Art Aviators has served hundreds of children throughout the region. From 2008 to 2015, Art Aviators was implemented in Duval County schools, and the curriculum was also adopted by the Coral Springs Museum of Art in South Florida. Today, the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville offers free monthly workshops for families of the ASD community to enjoy as well as free spring and summer art camps. Art Aviators harnesses art as a powerful proven means of promoting expression and social interaction among children with ASD and their teachers, caregivers, and peers. It is our hope to be able to export this exciting curriculum to museums and organizations nationally to give them a resource to serve the ASD families in their communities.
Emerald Coast Theatre Company exists to inspire, educate, and empower the community and artists of all ages to achieve the highest level of cultural excellence through collaboration, productions, and educational programs that promote lifelong learning and provide excellent, professional entertainment in the Emerald Coast Community. The company was founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team, Nathanael and Anna Fisher, who serve as producing artistic director and associate 
artistic director, respectively.
What started as an afterschool program with ten students at Destin Elementary has now grown to a comprehensive, multi-level education program with over 400 students enrolled per year, serving children in Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties. Four of the original ten students are still involved with the company, and ECTC has developed satellite programs at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City and at Rise Dance Center in Destin.
Most of Emerald Coast Theatre Company’s camps and classes are production-based, meaning that every student enrolled has the opportunity to participate in a fully-staged production. The classes meet for two hours a week for ten to fifteen weeks. Nathanael and Anna are passionate about fostering community. The primary goal for ECTC is to create a space where children really feel like they “belong” and can explore and develop their creativity in a welcoming and safe environment.
As they continue to grow and evolve, ECTC is committed to expanding beyond their immediate area and aims to reach schools in the north of the county, where there is a higher population of Title I schools. They have started a scholarship program to make theatre accessible to all children and are also actively seeking grants to help sponsor more Title I schools for their Theatre for Young Audiences program. They are also committed to reaching the growing homeschool population in the Destin area, and are continuing to expand their homeschool programming.
DCA: Tell us a little bit about yourself. 
Culture Builds Florida 