Spotlight On: A Flamenco Tribute to Viva Florida 500

Posted on October 17, 2013 by culturebuildsflorida

by Tim Storhoff

As part of the Viva Florida 500 celebrations, native Floridian Clarita Filgueiras has produced a short film entitled “Honoring the Past: a Flamenca’s Journey.”

This 17 minute film presents two Flamenco dances choreographed and performed by award-winning choreographer/dancer, Clarita Filgueiras accompanied by singer Vicente Griego and guitarist Rodrigo Valdez. Clarita descends from a long line of Flamenco artists. Born in Florida, Clarita began her studies in Spanish dance at the age of eight with Jose Molina and Luisita Sevilla. In the late 1980s, Clarita lived in Madrid with her family and studied traditional Spanish dance styles including flamenco with some of Spain’s best artists. Clarita has been a member of the Division of Cultural Affairs State Touring Roster and was a recipient of a 2012 Folk Heritage Award from the Florida Folklife Program.

The short film goes through the process that created the choreography and performance commemorating Ponce de León’s arrival in Florida through the eyes of Clarita Filgueiras. In many ways, flamenco is a great representation of Viva Florida 500. This year through events all across the state, Viva Florida has highlighted the 500 years of historic people, places and events in present-day Florida since Juan Ponce de León named this land La Florida. While Spain’s claim in 1513 marked the beginning of a new era, Florida’s Native American heritage dates back more than 12,000 years, and Florida’s cultural affluence results from the diversity and interaction of cultures in our state.

Like Florida’s rich culture, flamenco is also the result of cultural interactions in a country’s southernmost region. While the music and dance tradition has transformed dramatically throughout history, flamenco originated as a vocal tradition that arrived in Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain where Europe is closest to North Africa, in the fifteenth century. It was brought by the gitano people who were believed to have originated somewhere on the Indian subcontinent before traveling for centuries through parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. When they arrived in Andalusia in the early 1400s, they found a truly cosmopolitan place where people from diverse cultural backgrounds and religions coexisted fairly peacefully. The music the gitanos brought with them already reflected the diverse regions they traveled through. Over time, the music gained more acceptance and popularity in Spain when gitanos performed in cafes where intellectuals gathered. In the nineteenth century, Spanish guitar became a primary feature of the music and dancers became the focal point of staged performances. Flamenco continues to be one of Spain’s defining traditions, and it came to Florida through interaction with Spain. Today, performers like Clarita Filgueiras and her dance company Flamenco Puro continue to further the flamenco tradition in our great state.

For more information about flamenco, the video, or to hire Flamenco Puro, contact Clarita Filgueiras or visit claritafilgueiras.com. To learn more about Viva Florida 500 events, visit vivaflorida.org.

Spotlight on: Italian Culture in Florida & The Italian Family Festa

Posted on March 25, 2013 by culturebuildsflorida

Submitted by Elizabeth Ricci

This is the “Year of Italian Culture in the U.S.” according to the Italian embassy in Washington, DC. 2013 “commences a journey that will communicate and promote Italy, engage and enthuse Americans, strengthen the bonds that unite us and create new ones.” New bonds are being formed and old bonds strengthened every day here in the Sunshine State. According to the National Italian American Foundation, Florida is home to approximately eighteen Italian Festivals and just over one million people of Italian heritage.

Photo by Mike Copeland. Submitted and used by permission of Elizabeth Ricci.

Two Italian-American women in Tallahassee, Shelley Duke and Elizabeth Ricci, recognized the need to celebrate their shared culture and founded the Tallahassee Italian Family Festa in 2010. The event was so popular that it was named “Best Inaugural Festival” by the National Association of Italian Festivals and one of the “Top Ten Festivals” to attend by the Miami Herald. Having run out of specialty Italian food the first year and out of space the second year, the third annual Italian Family Festa will celebrate all things Italian on new grounds and with an abundance of pastries and specialty foods as well as offering cultural activities and “famiglia” fun. An Italian consulate attaché will be on hand with words from the Italian Consul General in Miami.

The entertainment celebrates ancient Italian art forms including the Cirque Italiano, opera, stomping grapes and tossing tomatoes, to name a few. Artists from across the panhandle will create 3D sidewalk chalk masterpieces in the ancient Madonnari tradition which dates back to the 1500s and is named for the “Madonna” when itinerant artists painted streets near the cathedrals where they worked. The event will also feature Italian beer, wine and limoncello, bocce, a gondola, and exotic cars, and cooking demonstrations. The Italian Family Festa is not just celebrating yesteryear, however, as this year the Festa debuts the Italian Idol competition to encourage both young and old to compete in song. With separate competitions for kids and adults, two lucky winners will be crowned for their musical talents in this competition judged by local celebrities.

In addition to being the Year of Italian Culture, in 2013 Florida is celebrating Viva Florida 500 and commemorating the 500 years of history since Juan Ponce de Leon landed on Florida’s coast in 1513. Since that time, many cultures have come together in our diverse and vibrant state, and the Italian Family Festa is just one of the many cultural festivals that occur each year throughout the state.

Photo by Mike Copeland. Submitted and used by permission of Elizabeth Ricci.

The Italian Family Festa will take place on April 13 and 14 at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum. To learn more, visit http://www.italianfesta.org.

Culture in Florida: February

Posted on March 4, 2013 by culturebuildsflorida

by Tim Storhoff

Culture In Florida is a monthly news roundup to show 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.

February went by quickly, but it was another busy month for arts and culture across the state, and as we look forward March will have even more events. Florida Heritage Month takes place from March 15 to April 15, so watch for events taking place statewide.

The many arts and culture events available in the Florida Keys received some well-deserved media attention this month, as articles have spotlighted the importance of arts grants for putting artists in schools and how the Florida Keys offer visitors and residents ‘more than t-shirts and beer’:

The Florida Keys are more than sunshine and saltwater, frozen drinks and four-day cruises. The island chain has always beckoned to a legendary roster of writers, painters, performers and artists, and still calls endlessly to others who appreciate those endeavors.

Artist Mario Sanchez, playwright Tennessee Williams and author Ernest Hemingway never heard the term “cultural tourism,” and certainly weren’t aware that they were giving birth to a new industry while they lived and worked at the intersection of the Atlantic and Gulf. But the arts have become more than a passion in the Florida Keys. They’re an industry — a cultural tourism industry, which has been steadily gaining momentum in Monroe County.

Other cities and areas have also been working to stress the importance of arts and culture in their communities. The DeLand City Commission has partnered with the Florida Museum of Art in the hopes of incorporating public art and redevelopment projects to encourage economic development. The city of Bradenton is using the unique Village of the Arts — billed as Florida’s largest art colony — in a renewed effort to draw tourists to the area, particularly those with an artistic bent. In Boynton Beach the city spotlighted the fifteen large kinetic art sculptures that were installed over the last year, and St. Augustine has been celebrated as a world-class art and music destination.

The famous Florida Highwaymen were busy throughout February with the Third Annual Original Highwaymen Weekend Extravaganza that took place in Davenport at the end of the month, and a special event featuring the artists and their paintings at the Museum of Florida History on February 5. The Florida Highwaymen was a group of 26 black artists who studied painting together and took their unique, colorful paintings of Florida landscapes to sell on the road and door-to-door during a time when many galleries would not let them display their work. Famous Highwaymen paintings have included serene sunsets, sleepy Florida rivers, arching palm trees, crashing ocean waves and bright red palmetto trees.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner with members of the Florida Highwaymen during the February 5 event at the Museum of Florida History. Image courtesy of the Museum of Florida History.

This month, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens remembered Robert W. Schlageter, who grew the institution from a small, locally focused museum to one with a collection spanning 4,000 years of art history. He died Feb. 2 in Clearwater at the age of 88. The Norton Museum of Art has had an Annie Leibovitz exhibition on display all month that will continue through June 9. There have been numerous exhibitions and events statewide related to Viva Florida 500, such as the dedication of the Wild About Wildflowers public art display in Delray Beach, the OLA Film festival took place in Orlando, and the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts in Pensacola featured an exhibition of underwater photographs by Karen Glaser in “The Mark of Water, Florida’s Springs and Swamps.”

The Florida State Fair took place in February, with arts and culture featured as an important element in the fair’s events. Numerous awards for artwork were given out. Commissioner Putnam recognized Reid Risner, the winner of Florida’s 500th Anniversary Youth Fine Arts Competition. More than 200 Florida students submitted entries of fine artwork representing the history of Florida agriculture. The competition’s finalists will be on display for the duration of the fair, along with the winners of Florida’s 500th Anniversary Youth Coloring Competition. A new museum at the fair was also unveiled, “Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition.”

Solomon Dixon was chosen as the featured Florida artist for Black History Month 2013.

February was Black History Month, and numerous events took place across the state to honor the contributions of African Americans through arts and culture. The First Lady of Florida chose Solomon Dixon as the featured artist for this year.

There’s a lot going on in March. The state finals for Poetry Out Loud will take place in Tallahassee on March 9. Also remember to keep up with the Florida Heritage Month calendar and submit events that are significant to Florida heritage, arts or culture, open to the public, and appropriate for audiences of all ages. You can also check for upcoming happenings at Art & Gator’s Event and Festival Calendar and the Viva Florida 500 calendar.

Florida Heritage Month will take place from March 15 to April 15.

Culture in Florida: January

Posted on January 31, 2013 by culturebuildsflorida

by Bob Evans

Portion of a mural on Gaines Street in Tallahassee celebrating 7 Days of Opening Nights (Photo used with permission from http://www.sevendaysfestival.org)

Happy New Year! January has been quite an exciting month for arts and culture around the state.

First up for 2013 are the many events surrounding Viva Florida 500. This statewide initiative led by the Florida Department of State, under the leadership of Secretary of State Ken Detzner along with Governor Rick Scott, highlights the 500 years of historic people, places and events in present-day Florida since the arrival of Juan Ponce de León to the land he named La Florida in 1513. For a complete listing of events, including options to filter by type of event and location, visit http://www.vivaflorida.org/Events/. Make sure to check out all of the events in your area!

The Bonita Springs Historical Society, in partnership with the City of Bonita Springs, is sponsoring a 14 week series of Florida history programs at the Bonita Springs Community Center. Each Wednesday at 2 p.m. and again at 7 p.m., program presenter David Southall will introduce a different historical era along with the interesting characters and events that influenced those times with a Florida perspective.

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville has assembled about 40 pieces of Florida art in a new exhibition, “La Florida,” showcasing art in Florida from the past 500 years. The pieces range from jewelry of the 1500s to contemporary works by Florida artists. The exhibition will continue until October 6th.

The Marcus Roberts Octet will present the music of Jelly Roll Morton (photo used with permission from http://www.sevendaysfestival.org)

Seven Days of Opening Nights is Tallahassee’s premier performing arts festival, promoting Florida State University’s commitment to the arts. This year, the festival welcomes Christopher Heacox as its new director. Two new murals on Gaines Street are representing the celebration of community inspired by the festival, which continues through February. Notable performances at this year’s festival are the stunningly virtuosic violinist Hilary Hahn, the innovative and visceral choreography of Abraham.In.Motion, and many others.

The 30A Songwriters Festival took place over the weekend of January 18-20 in Walton County and brought over 125 musical acts and throngs of tourists to the area. This event has been growing each year to become one of the best regarded music festivals in the country. Everyone in Florida should be sure to check out the many art and music festivals that take place around the state, such as those in St. Augustine and Lee and Collier Counties.

Thomas Nestor, a St. Petersburg music promoter, is racing to raise funds to convert a historic YMCA building into a concert venue, music museum and space for after-school programs. His success hinges on his ability to secure the necessary $1.4 million in donations to purchase the structure within the next month.

Music is such an important part of a comprehensive education, which is the reason that students at Florida A&M University took the time to create a CD that encourages students to do well on the FCAT, Florida’s statewide standardized test. The Character Center is selling the album for $10 to raise money for its summer camp.

Opening any business during a recession can be tricky, but the Art Gallery of Viera is flourishing. From its new, larger location at The Avenue, the gallery presents exceptional educational programs in myriad media, suitable for all ages. To keep its standards at peak, the gallery only accepts top-quality local artists for membership. The Plum Art Gallery in St. Augustine is also exhibiting local and regional artists through the end of March.

Richard Blanco, a Floridian, made history this month by being the youngest poet to serve as the poet for the inauguration of President Obama. Blanco is also the first inaugural poet who is Latino and openly gay. He personally delivered his poem “One Today” in front of the U.S. Capitol on January 21st.

A manatee making its winter home at Wakulla Springs State Park (photo by Bob Evans)

Finally, if you haven’t been, head over to Wakulla Springs State Park for a chance to see the manatees, Florida’s state marine mammal. The manatees have been making their winter home in the state park for the past 5 years or so, drawn to the water which remains between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Orange City and Blue Spring State Park hosted the 28th annual Blue Spring Manatee Festival on the 26th and 27th, with events celebrating the endangered creatures.

Upcoming:

Remember: February is Black History Month. Governor Rick Scott, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll, and First Lady Ann Scott today invite students in kindergarten through 12th grades to participate in the Florida Black History Month art and essay contests. They also invite students, parents, teachers and principals to nominate full-time African-American educators in elementary, middle or high schools for the Black History Month Excellence in Education Award.

Check out these calendars of events from South Florida, Florida State University, and the Nassau County Library System

Culture in Florida: December

Posted on December 31, 2012 by culturebuildsflorida

Culture In Florida

by Tim Storhoff

December kicked off with Art Basel in Miami Beach. Beyond being a successful and high-profile arts event, it also did a lot to give back to the surrounding community. A number of artists who came to the area for Art Basel stuck around to restore murals in West Grove. Keif Schleifer, an arts advocate and sculptor from Atlanta who organized the effort, said, “We’ve been humbled by this community and the kids who’ve been painting with us since the day we arrived. I see Art Basel as more than an event of the moment. It’s a meeting ground for people to come together and grow something bigger that continues.” Art Basel has also helped transform the nearby Wynwood neighborhood into a more vibrant area for visitors, and the neighborhood’s connection to Art Basel was covered in the New York Times. Those interested in learning from Art Basel’s success should check out 8 Tips for Courting Influencers the Art Basel Way from the pARTnership Movement.

Art Video on December 5, 2012 during Art Basel 2012. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for Art Basel Miami 2012, Courtesy of Art Basel)

Art Video on December 5, 2012 during Art Basel. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for Art Basel Miami 2012, Courtesy of Art Basel)

Other events across the state have been big hits this month too. This includes the Bradenton Blues Festival (mentioned last month), which sold 3126 tickets and exceeded expectations for its first year. Boynton Beach has continued its rebranding campaign with the opening of the Plein-Air Exhibition in the Boynton Beach Library. Many events centered around the holidays. The very first Christmas celebration in North America was held in Florida, and that holiday spirit continues today. Three million lights helped make St. Augustine’s historic district sparkle, the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Estates held their annual Holiday Nights, and the Tampa Theatre had a packed showing of It’s a Wonderful Life. Many other holiday events related to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa were held across the state that incorporated the performing and visual arts in various ways.

We want to acknowledge all of the Florida arts and culture organizations that have recently had success receiving grants. The Miami City Ballet received a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The grant, which will come in $1 million increments over 5 years, is the largest the company has received in its 27-year history. Sixteen Florida Organizations also received ArtWorks Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts worth a total of $412,000. Additionally, the group Citizens Interested in the Arts (CIA) donated $1 million to thirty visual and performing arts organizations in South Florida for the year 2013. On an individual level, Viera resident David Saylor received a great honor when his photo “Discovering Limits” was chosen in Canon’s “Project Imaginat10n” contest to be the inspiration for short films by celebrity directors.

This has been an exciting month for museums across the state. The Safety Harbor Museum and Cultural Center celebrated its Grand Opening after closing in March for a complete remodeling and repurposing, and the staff at the Elliott Museum in Stuart started moving items into their new building set to open March 2, 2013. The Polaseck Museum in Winter Park has acquired a bust of Woodrow Wilson, created by Albin Polasek himself, that was targeted for destruction by the Nazis. This piece of art was believed to have been destroyed during World War II but is now on display in the museum. In Sarasota, the Ringling Museum opened a new exhibition featuring sixteenth century Venetian art by Paolo Veronese, and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm is exhibiting the work of Sylvia Plimack Mangold, an American painter known for her landscapes and “portraits” of trees, as part of the museum’s effort to highlight the contributions of women artists. In a special article for the Gainesville Sun, Rebecca Nagy, director of the Harn Museum of Art at UF, asked how brick and mortar museums can stay relevant in the digital age.

The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. (Photo by Wally Gobetz and made available by a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.)

With the New Year comes the official start of Viva Florida 500, the commemoration of Florida’s 500th anniversary so be on the lookout for related events in January and all year long. Looking forward, the Miami New Times presented “Nine New Years Resolutions for Miami’s Arts Community” and the Carrollwood Cultural Center is already preparing for a busy winter season starting in January.

Happy New Year from everyone at the Division of Cultural Affairs, and we hope that 2013 brings you health, happiness, and many opportunities to experience and share the great arts and culture events Florida has to offer!

Culture In Florida: November

Posted on November 30, 2012 by culturebuildsflorida

By Bob Evans & Tim Storhoff

With so much going on across the state of Florida in the world of arts and culture, we have decided to add a monthly feature to the Culture Builds Florida blog. By looking back at some of the cultural events and news stories that occurred each month, we hope that Culture In Florida will help show 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.

Between political elections and the Thanksgiving holiday, November has been a busy month for Floridians. In a proclamation, President Barack Obama announced that November would be National Native American Heritage Month, and November 23 would be Native American Heritage Day. Various events featuring Native American art have been held across the state as a result. Additionally, First Lady Michelle Obama designated two Florida communities as Preserve America Communities: Bonita Springs and Flagler County. This designation will help bring an increased focus to these communities and draw visitors to their events. Over in Collier County, there were over 100 events as part of their “Celebrate the Arts Month,” which was designed to promote the area’s arts community and involve more residents and visitors in cultural activities.

The city of Bradenton has also been busy this month. Bradenton’s Riverwalk is working on rebranding itself as one of the “top riverfront communities in the nation in order to boost tourism.” With events like ArtSlam and the upcoming inaugural Bradenton Blues Festival, it’s well on its way. Headlining for the Bradenton Blues Festival is Grammy Award nominee Ruthie Foster, as well as Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Neal and Southern Hospitality, led by Bradenton Beach resident Damon Fowler.

Visitors enjoying Bradenton’s third annual ArtSlam this month. Photo courtesy of http://bradenton.patch.com

A number of events were held to celebrate Arts and Health Month. From The Society for the Arts in Healthcare website, “Arts & Health Month is a time to host awareness-raising events and heighten media attention for [the] field.” Shands Hospital in Gainesville was host to three events to raise awareness and promote the healing process. The Musicians in Residence duo of Danielle DeCosmo and Cathy DeWitt have been playing music for patients, and Writer-in-Residence Barbara Esrig helped create oral histories with patients, families, and staff. A therapeutic paper-making workshop was also held, taking personally significant pieces of fabric and turning them into works of art.

November has also been a month of beginnings and openings. Artists in Hernando have a new gallery in which to exhibit their work thanks to a generous offer by newly-elected County Commissioner Nick Nicholson. Key West is in the middle of its inaugural Key West Film Festival, screening at the historic San Carlos Institute and the Tropic Cinema until Sunday, December 2nd. Over in Santa Rosa County, the Imogene Theater officially reopened, featuring an original play by local playwright Shay Moran.

Students in Florida have so many opportunities to experience and participate in arts and cultural activities year round, and this month was no different. Janie Howard Wilson Elementary students hosted artist Ruby Williams, who spoke about being successful, as well as her life as an artist. Thanks to a generous donation by Gibson Law Firm in Lake Wales and Miss Ruby herself, the students received two paintings for the school’s art collection. Seminole State College of Florida’s interior design students had the opportunity to decorate the Leu House Museum based on important figures in Central Florida history, such as Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, philanthropist Harriett Lake and former Florida Lt. Governor Toni Jennings. The display will run through December 31st. Palm Beach County high school students have the chance to win cash awards, thanks to a banned book essay contest hosted by the West Palm Beach Library Foundation. In conjunction with its upcoming exhibition, “Banned and Burned: Literary Censorship and the Loss of Freedom,” students will discuss in their essays how a banned book has influenced them, and why they feel that it should be protected. Essays must be 500-1,000 words and should be submitted by December 31st.

Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera rehearsing with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. Photo provided by Tim Storhoff.

There were many events across the state of Florida that showcased the state’s diversity and functioned as cultural exchanges with other nations. One major newsworthy occurrence was the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba concluding their first tour of the United States with multiple performances in Florida. The orchestra visited Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, Naples, St. Petersburg, Fort Pierce, and West Palm Beach during the month of November. Tim Storhoff, an Arts Consultant with the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, attended multiple performances on the orchestra’s tour, and you can listen to his talk from the Kravis Center about their musical selections at the Arts Radio Network. HistoryMiami is featuring a somewhat related exhibition about the guayabera shirt’s evolution through Cuba, Mexico and the United States. “The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story” runs through January 13. The annual Accidental Music Festival in Orlando also featured an exchange with the Symphonic Orchestra of Guanajuato, Mexico.

Upcoming in December:
Art Basel Miami Beach and its many satellite events run from December 6th through the 9th, featuring local young artists like Juan Fernando “Buddah Funk” Gomez. There will also be holiday music events going on throughout the month across the state, and as we approach New Years be on the lookout for Viva Florida 500 events, like this Wall of Florida History exhibit in Leesburg and the newly rechristened Gran Naranja kicking off 2013 in Miami.

Culture Builds Florida

Creating a more successul, vibrant Florida with arts and culture

Tag Archives: Viva Florida 500

Spotlight On: A Flamenco Tribute to Viva Florida 500

Spotlight on: Italian Culture in Florida & The Italian Family Festa

Culture in Florida: February

Culture in Florida: January

Culture in Florida: December

Culture In Florida: November