New Dali museum under construction

The new Dali Museum

The new Dali Museum being constructed right next to Mahaffey Theater looks exciting. I hadn’t driven down that way until just recently and what I saw took me by surprise. I’m not sure if this is the front or the back of the new museum–that fits with the nature of the art that’ll be inside, I guess–but I love the huge caterpillar of windows climbing up and over the wall.

For more on the new museum, which was begun in 2008, see FAQ. For more photos and a webcam, see Dream. You can stay informed of events at the museum by subscribing to the Zodiac Group newsletter.

Dali and Franco

Dali is not everyone’s cup of tea, some for artistic reasons, others for political reasons (he was a supporter of Franco; see articons). I more-or-less like the art, but I don’t like his politics at all.

That’s always a thorny problem. What do you do about, for instance, composers like Richard Wagner, who was easily both the most influential composer of the 19th Century and it’s most notorious bigot and anti-Semite (see Richard Wagner and Anti-Semitism); or Carl Orff and Richard Strauss, both officials in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi government?

An ethical dilemma

Do you boycott their works? That was the case in Israel until Zubin Mehta performed Wagner there as an encore! Here’s a quote from an article by Lili Eylon in the Jewish Virtual Library describing that event:

In 1981, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Zubin Mehta, offered an encore at the close of a subscription concert. Commotion broke out, with shouts from the audience aiming to silence the music. In introducing the piece from Tristan und Isolde, Mehta had made a short speech in which he spoke of Israel as a democracy in which all music should be played. But, he added, if this particular music offended the feelings of some of the listeners present, they were free to leave. (Two orchestra members had, at their request, been excused from playing the encore). Some older members of the audience quietly got up and went home. A few continued for a while to protest noisily, even running threateningly onto the stage, but the piece was played to the end.

A few years later a survey was conducted on the question – should the Philharmonic play Wagner’s music? Of those questioned, 50 percent were against playing Wagner, 25 percent for, and 25 percent had no firm convictions on the subject. In 1992, the Philharmonic conducted its own poll among its subscribers. The majority was in favour, 30 percent were against. In view of the large minority, it was decided to continue to refrain from playing Wagner, at least for the time being.

In July 2001, the prestigious Berlin Staatskapelle performed the “Tristan und Isolde” overture at the Israel Festival. While the orchestra’s conductor, Daniel Barenboim (himself a Jew), had promised to respect the ban on Wagner’s music, he surprised his audience by asking them if they wanted to hear Wagner as an encore following the scheduled performance. Most of the audience was in favor of the encore, which received a standing ovation from all but a few of the listeners. However, during a half-hour debate that preceded the performance of the overture, numerous Israelis protested and walked out of the theater, some shouting insults as they went.

The controversy over the foreign orchestra’s performance rekindled the debate over what course the Israeli orchestras should pursue. Yaakov Mishori, a leading Philharmonic musician, feels the orchestra should play Wagner. “After all,” he says, “Wagner died 50 years before Hitler came to power. Moreover, he was a kind of private anti-Semite, refusing to sign any public declarations against the Jews. He actually worked with many Jews. Wagner’s public relations man was a Jew named Neumann, Hermann Levi conducted Wagner’s works at the time, and a musician named Rubenstein finished the orchestration of some of his operas.”

“I am opposed to any ban on culture,” says Avi Chanani, director of the classical music division of Israel’s state radio. “Zubin Mehta risked playing Wagner in one fell swoop, but I believe in introducing him gradually, and that is what I have been doing. Wagner was a revolutionary in music. His work is central to the development of European music. Without Wagner it is difficult to understand the history of music. That is one important consideration for playing his music. But what I feel is cardinal in my decision to present Wagner on the radio is my belief that in a democracy, the public has a right to know; it must be exposed to all information.”

I highly recommend reading this entire article. It is extremely well written and very thoughtful.

One possible point of view

Each person must decide what’s best for themselves, of course. For me, with just a couple, rare exceptions, I don’t enjoy listening to Wagner anyway because I don’t enjoy extreme chromaticism in music. Same for Richard Strauss although I do enjoy more Strauss than I enjoy Wagner (Strauss can write better tunes). Orff’s music education theories and instruments are still in use in USA schools today. One of Orff’s pieces I do enjoy, but I am definitely offended by what his politics and political activities were, and it’s increasingly difficult for me to listen to Carmina Burana (my favorite piece of his and a good piece to vacuum to) without actually hearing his political views in the music itself (the neo-primitivism; Blut und Boden; Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer; and other rubbish), especially with the sad ascendency–again–of such political views in today’s world.

Unless the association with an art and an artist’s politics is too painful for an individual (and it will be for some), then I think it’s best to judge the art on its own terms but never forgetting the personal failings of the artist. Just because a person has their act together in one area of their life is no guarantee they will have it together in any other area of their life. The art can be good, but the person not. The history of the arts (and many other fields) proves this. So: accept the art, but not the artist.

I sort of like Dali’s art (although I think it relies too much on gimmicks). Myself, I am 100% a Picasso fan (both politically and artistically). But, Dali’s art is fun and he is historically important. So, I am glad that St. Pete is home to the Dali Museum. The new building looks fascinating!

Gary Baldassari, Incorporated Magi audio engineer, instructing Full Sail interns on microphones

Teachers and students

 
The tagline for Inkwatu is “Delights, near and far.” Less poetically put, that simply means that this blog is about things that I find delightful: people, places, things, food…and also the good I see some people do. One such instance is the training of young engineers in acoustic jazz since 1989 by the seasoned professionals of Incorporated Magi. This training is a free benefit that these pros offer at any festival where they have been engaged to provide sound. They’ve been doing this in places such as Pori, Finland; Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina; and, of course, the USA. They do it to keep intact the knowledge of how to provide audio for acoustic jazz.
 
Last year was the First Annual Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party and it was covered by Inkwatu: see Arbors Records. That post covered the event itself with a few asides about jazz in Florida and different kinds of jazz record labels and musicians that part part of the local scene. But, this year, for an Inkwatu post on the Second Annual Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party, the post theme is a little different. It’s a look behind the scenes of the event, especially the teaching by a group of dedicated professionals of hands-on skills to the “next generation” of audio pros.

Gary Faller, audio engineer, with Full Sail intern

Audio engineer, Mike Morgan, instructing Full Sail intern

Dan Czernecki, audio engineer and an alumnus of Full Sail, instructing Full Sail interns

Microphones

At the heart of any sound installation are the microphones. It is through that point in a long chain of electronic processes that the sound becomes an electronic signal. If the microphone is bad (or even inappropriate for the situation), the entire rest of the chain (amplification, recording, etc.) will be bad. The art of the microphone is a skill acquired from long experience and knowledge.

Gary Baldassari with two revolutionary microphones: Grado Holographic Recording Instrument (the sphere on the left) and the HMP-1 Scalar microphone (the stick mike on the right)

Baldassari showing different microphone heads	Baldassari installing piano microphone
DPA 4041 Tube microphone inside piano	close-up of HMP-1 Scalar microphone

The recording room

What the audience heard at the Arbors event was a mix that’s done in the actual hall, intended for the audience in the hall (as well as a subordinate mix that’s onstage, just for the benefit of the musicians). That mix was engineered this year by Gary Faller (pictured above) with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working a number of sessions in the old Roy Disney Post Group studios on the back lot of Disney in Orlando.

In addition to the mixing of the sounds from the stage for the audience at the Arbors event, a documentary recording is made, backstage, in a recording room well isolated from the sounds in the performance room. The Full Sail interns learned what goes into that step as well. An important aspect of this craft is the extensive documentation which must be made at every moment of the recording. The producer, faced with countless hours of recordings, relies upon this documentation. (Think of all those unlabeled cassettes in your junk drawer at home–imagine that times 100!) Engineer, Dan Czernecki (owner of Classical Recording Service, 96 N Lake Ave., Troy, NY 12180-6704 — serving the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area), with whom I’ve produced at least one recording, is a master of documentation and a producer’s delight. Mike Morgan, who also worked the recording room, is an outstanding opera tenor as well as an audio engineer.

Mike Morgan & Dan Czernecki instructing interns in recording room

A very special piano

A real treat for me, as a pianist, was getting to meet the creator, Justin Elliot (www.classicpianoshoppe.com), of very special piano accessories. Mr. Elliot originally intended his unique piano legs and music rack (see photo) as mere decorative touches. He soon discovered, as did the artists who now demand his piano, that these touches very positively affect the actual sound of the piano. The Yamaha pianos for the event were provided by Steve Trawford of Piano Distributors of Sarasota, but Mr. Elliot fitted one of the pianos for the event with his special accessories. I really like the way it makes the piano sound. He was also the piano technician for the event, carefully shading the quality of sound to work properly with the acoustics of the room, the performance style of the artist, and the kind of music being played. There’s a lot more to being a piano technician than just tuning the piano!

Justin Elliot with Yamaha piano fitted with his accessories

Musicians relaxing

 
It was a personal treat to get to see the great musicians backstage relaxing, practicing, and trading stories. Just the pianists at the event were an impressive list: Dick Hyman, Bernd Lhotzky, Louis Mazetier, Rossano Sportiello, Jeff Barnhart, Chris Hopkins, Norm Kubrin, Ehud Asherie, Tom McDermott, and Mike Lipskin. There were musicians from Israel, Finland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, and Holland. If you’ve not been to an Arbors event, and you like classic jazz, visit the Arbors Records website (www.arborsrecords.com/) and get ticket for next year’s event when they’re available and/or buy some recordings.

pianists Mike Lipskin, left; Louis Mazetier seated; Ehud Asherie, right

Hanging theater lights

The Full Sail students also learned about and assisted with the hanging of lights. Lights and sound are often part of the same production company and they affect each other electronically. The lighting system for the Arbors event was provided by Atlas Production. The folks who hang lights are a lot braver than I am. Not only do they work with real, dangerous electricity (not just electronics), but they do it up in the air!

It’s a joy to see pros teaching the youngsters who will be the pros in the days to come. The apprentice concept is time honored. I’m glad to see the tradition so enthusiastically continued by Incorporated Magi.

Bruce Blackman of Atlas Production finding a hang point for the light bar

Acropolis Greek Taverna

A couple weekends ago, a friend and I went to Ybor City to hear an original play produced by my friend’s former students. Ybor City is an historical section of Tampa. As long-time Tampa residents, my teacher friend and I both had, in our youth, spent many an evening (probably too many evenings) enjoying the party atmosphere of Ybor City. Ybor is much smaller than the Vieux Carré of New Orleans, but has much of the same character and features, including first-class restaurants and a lively arts scene of galleries, music venues, and legit theater.

“Ybor City (pronounced /ˈiːbɔr/) (EE-borh) is a historic neighborhood in Tampa, Florida located just northeast of downtown. It was founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers and was populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly from Spain, Cuba, and Italy. For the next 50 years, workers in Ybor City’s cigar factories would roll millions of cigars annually…The neighborhood has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, and several structures in the area are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, 7th Avenue, the main commercial thoroughfare in Ybor City, was recognized as one of the “10 Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association.”[ref]

Acropolis Salad

We decided to have a light supper before the play at the Acropolis Greek Taverna. There are three of these now (Ybor, North Tampa, and Riverview). I wish they’d open one in St. Petersburg. We both had the Acropolis Salad (pictured above). We thought the food was excellent. The crowd of people eating at their outside tables obviously thought so too. The Acropolis menu sports a large selection of salads, which add to its attraction for me. I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in Ybor. I’ve eaten at most of the other Ybor restaurants and some are definitely gourmet restaurants, but those are, in my opinion, way too pricey. The Acropolis prices are very reasonable. The average entree is $13 to $15, the meal-sized salads, only $5 to $7. That’s affordable!

The Silver Meteor Gallery

The play we’d come to see was being presented at the Silver Meteor Gallery, a tiny theater fashioned from a tin-roofed, Florida “cracker” house just south of the railroad tracks behind the historic Columbia Restaurant (see picture of Columbia Restaurant at end of article). We wondered if the Silver Meteor Gallery got its name from the Silver Meteor passenger train that runs from New York to Miami, which shares much of its track with the Silver Star that services Tampa.

This Metromix Tampabay article on the Silver Meteor Gallery (2213 E. 6th Ave., Tampa, FL 33605; 813-833-6368) and its resident theater company, Hat Trick Theatre, states: “The Silver Meteor Gallery has a history of giving rise to scrappy theater troupes. The PAC’s Jobsite Theater started here and now Hat Trick Theatre is camping out, applying for arts grants and soliciting corporate sponsorship. Humor keeps this professional company afloat. The shows produced here are offbeat, often outlandish takes on the trials and tribulations of life.”

Poor, Dirty Girl, the play we saw, although not a Hat Trick Theatre production, is just such alternative, fresh theater. This play, written by Gianfranco Settecasi who co-directed the play with Elias Inaty, is a comedy set in 1942, Saleté, France. Real talent wrote and produced this play. This was not a “student” production. What impressed me most was how the voice of the play was consistent, every moment. It didn’t wobble from one style to another; it was its own, unique, quirky style from beginning to end. That takes skill.

Although the writer, directors, and cast of this play are young, primarily recent graduates of local, distinguished private schools, even the mechanics of the production were well thought out and executed, complete with novel merchandising (t-shirts with clever lines from the play), professional quality program design, and effective underscoring.

Art produced by the young should never be dismissed just because of the age of its creator. Felix Mendelssohn wrote his famous Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was only 17. Shostakovich’s First Symphony was written when he was 19. Picasso was admitted to the Barcelona School of Fine Arts at the age of 13. Steven Spielberg was already active in his career at age 22. And, of course, the most famous wunderkind of all, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was composing and performing on piano and violin by age 5!

I predict that someday we’ll hear from the young actors, directors, and playwright of Poor, Dirty Girl in a professional, New York City context. Watch, especially, for the names Gianfranco Settecasi and Elias Inaty.

Columbia Restaurant

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FRAN SIMS BEADED HANGING (SHOWN HORIZONTALLY)

Arts & Crafts

Whenever I’ve felt like “running away from home” (from responsibilities, from humdrum, grinding routine) I’ve fantasized about quitting all jobs and surviving by selling homemade art (water colors, photos, prints, whatever) along the side of the road. So far, I’ve not actually done that, but people, indeed, do just that. There’s an en plein air (Fr. open air) oil painter who sells his wares along the Gandy Causeway. He has my admiration.

Locations such as Florida, Hawaii, any beach town, certain picturesque cities (New York, San Francisco, Paris, Santa Fe) seem—for some reason—to foster artists and craftsmen. I think it’s the romanticism of the locale. It brings out the urge to create. (Or perhaps, it’s that romantic locales attract people who like to create things.)

Back in the early 70s, if you mentioned “crafts” one immediately thought of the dreaded macramé wall hanging. Thankfully, crafts have moved beyond that into a plethora of cottage industries—the products of the arts and crafts themselves as well as the supplies for those crafts. Some examples of crafts are quilting, weaving, knitting, tatting, glass blowing, pottery, sewing, and stained glass.

Think about that list for a minute: they’re all time-honored activities aren’t they? Their roots are in pre-history, skills that enabled us as a species to survive the elements. Therein lies the answer to the question that always arises: what’s the difference between “arts” and “crafts”? For me, “crafts” are arts that facilitate survival and “arts” are crafts that make life worth living. To make life worth living is to facilitate survival. It should be clear there’s little difference between the two. Imagine a beautifully hand-crafted wooden boat; it gets you across the river, but it’s a beauty to behold. I believe, there’s really no meaningful difference between arts and crafts beyond the fact that some arts are more utilitarian than others—it’s all still art. Examples are the absolutely gorgeous jewelry designs of a friend of many decades, John Beeman, and the works of Full Blown Glass mentioned in the Inkwatu article on the Creative Clay Folk Fest. They’re all utilitarian; they’re all art.

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FRAN SIMS BEADED CUTLERY AND BOWL

Shows & Stores

Arts and crafts have a long history in all countries, including our own. I’m thinking of beautiful Shaker furniture, Amish quilts, Appalachian dulcimers. And, it’s not just “folk” arts. Tiffany, Steuben, Fabergé…commercial? Of course. Crafts? Yes. Art? Definitely.

The values of arts and crafts found expression in the “official” Arts and Crafts Movement in the early part of the 20th century. Inkwatu covered that movement in the post on the Craftsman House. If you want to see some outstanding, locally produced glass and pottery do check out the Craftsman House and while you’re at it, get a light lunch there.

In another Inkwatu article, we covered the St. Pete Shuffle Holiday Crafts night. I’ve been to two of those so far and have found items to purchase I’ve enjoyed. There are many such venues for craftsmen to locally display and sell their work. One of the biggest and best attended is, of course, the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market (Inkwatu article). There are numerous annual events such as the St. Pete Beach Corey Area Art & Craft Fair that just concluded on 1/31-2/1, 2009. For a complete list of Arts and Crafts shows in our part of the country visit Where the Shows Are!!!–over a hundred in Florida, alone. Last year, I attended a private crafts show presenting works of about eight different craftsmen in the home of the artist, Fran Sims, whose beaded jewelry is featured in this post.

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ASSORTMENT OF FRAN SIMS BRACELETS AND NECKLACES

Fran Sims

Fran’s specialty is beading, an ornamental craft. Each piece has a personal history such as the hanging pictured at the top of this post that depicts significant images in the life of the person for whom the item was made, or the stones in the necklaces in the picture at the end of this post, necklaces made of beads created by a women’s project in Kenya. About these beads, Sally Adams, of St. Petersburg’s Buttons, Bangles, and Beads, writes:

These colorful, oh-so-smooth beads are made by African women at a women’s project in Kenya. Although they have had little formal schooling, they are highly skilled at making these beads and, in some cases, are the sole providers for their children and extended families.

The project was started over twenty five years ago, and has supported hundreds of women, who, otherwise, might have been unable to provide this support. They receive fair wages, have excellent working conditions, receive assistance from the project for their children’s school uniforms and tuition, and are provided medical assistance through a weekly clinic on the project’s grounds. The project has been accepted by the World Fair Trade Organization—an accolade for projects in developing countries.

Sims, is currently headed to Tucson for the world’s largest bead show, the Tucson Bead Renaissance Show, where hotel rooms are turned into vendor rooms. Conferences, shows, and events for all of the crafts I listed in the lead of this article abound around the country. Locally, St. Petersburg.com‘s listing for “craft stores” yields 41 entries, from national chains such as Michael’s to many small specialty crafts shops for specific arts.

I recommend an excursion to one of these stores to just wander around and see if something strikes a resonant chord somewhere in your being. Such an experience is what happened to Sims who, while visiting her brother in Alaska discovered the fascination of beading during two days of unrelenting rain. Later, while visiting other cities as part of her profession, she began to visit beading stores in those various locations. And…an obsession is born. That’s how it is with crafts.

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ASSORTMENT OF FRAN SIMS BRACELETS

Beads & Beading

If beading, specifically, interests you, Sims recommends these two magazines:

• Bead & Button Magazine
• Bead Style Magazine

There you’ll learn about the world of beads made from almost every conceivable substance including—but definitely not limited to–crystal, glass, wood, clay, polymer, shell, and metal. Stores, such as St. Pete’s Buttons, Bangles, and Beads offer classes in specific crafts.

There’s simply no excuse not to get out there and have some fun either by visiting a show to view and maybe purchase someone else’s work or by creating and displaying your own. Even though I poke fun at macramé, maybe you’ll be the artist to change my mind about that medium!

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AFRICAN BEADS IN FRAN SIMS JEWELRY

EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AT THE 2008 CREATIVE CLAY FOLKFEST

This past weekend I attended the Creative Clay Folkfest, the second annual Street Arts Festival. Creative Clay (1124 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL. 33705; 727-825-0515) is an organization in St. Pete with widespread and enthusiastic support in the community. Their mission, as expressed on their website, is “to make the arts accessible for every interested member of the Tampa Bay community regardless of age, gender, ability and/or race.”

Their website continues: “Since 1995, Creative Clay has been providing local artists with developmental, physical and/or emotional disabilities an opportunity to pursue their passion for art making. Our arts programs consist of studio and community based activities for exploring unique personal realities in an inventive, professional environment. Creative Clay is committed to promoting the work created by its member artists through bimonthly art exhibitions in our downtown gallery and various public venues throughout the greater Tampa Bay region.”

The Annual Folkfest helps bring attention to Creative Clay, its mission and clients by presenting the work of Creative Clay students alongside the work of professional folk artists, accompanied by non-stop first-class musical entertainment.

SOME OF THE CREATIVE CLAY ARTISTS AND FRIENDS AT THE CREATIVE CLAY GALLERY TENT DISPLAYING STUDENT WORKS

The pairing of professional folk art with work by the students of Creative Clay is inspired. The juxtaposition reveals the strength and beauty of expression every person is capable of making. There was one painting by a Creative Clay student I was captivated by: a repeating series of bottles (you can see it in the slideshow of artwork near the end of this post). I wasn’t surprised to learn later in the day that it had been chosen for a recycling themed t-shirt design. I suspect that t-shirt was part of Artworks, a “supported employment initiative, artworks at its core is truly an entrepreneurial approach to program sustainability. Utilizing designs created in the Creative Clay studios, the artworks project is to support the majority of its diverse and innovative cultural arts programs with revenues made through the sale of licensed products such as t-shirts, mugs, glasses, greeting cards, recycle bags, and temporary tattoos.” [Quote from Creative Clay website.]

ARTIST STEPHANIE SCHORR OF CRAFTSMAN HOUSE

The list of professional artists with stands at the Folkfest is simply too long to list–over 45. Pictures of the work of some of my personal favorites are in the slideshow at the end of the post. Pictured immediately above is artist potter, Stephanie Schorr of Craftsman House. (Please see an earlier Inkwatu post on the Craftsman House–they are a place you want to visit!) In addition to the luscious clay art on display, Stephanie’s real-time demonstration of throwing pots on a wheel engaged people in a way a mere display cannot. So too, the live demonstration of glass blower Brent Earnest (pictured below). Of course, just the radiant smile and presence of Missionary Mary L. Proctor (pictured immediately below) was irresistible to anyone. The same is true of her artwork which captures her personality perfectly.

ARTIST MISSIONARY MARY (missionarymary.com)

There was a concert stage with two days of wall to wall music: Saturday, September 27th, the lineup consisted of Del Suggs, Green Grass Boys, James Peterson, The Porchdogs, Lonely Heroes, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Heavy Pets and Sunday, September 28th, the marathon continued with Katie Grace Helow, Paper Cranes, Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets, Lucid Druid, Pickford Sundries, Headlining: Rod MacDonald, and an all artist Beatles Tribute. The quality of the music was so high—and I’m saying that as a musician myself—that I could have listened to an entire evening of some of the groups. I’m impressed with the quality of the local music groups that support this festival.

There was also a Family Stage of performance activities presented by the 4-H Club with kids shows, demonstrations of shell art, butter making, doll making, fiddling, and balloon sculpture, plus hands on drumming and dance, paper making and yoga exhibitions. No one was left out! When you see the Folkfest advertised next year, please make plans to attend.

JUST A COUPLE OF THE MANY FINE ENTERTAINMENT ACTS
DEL SUGGS (left) & GREEN GRASS BOYS (right)

Creative Clay began non-profit operations in 1995 and began a Daily Arts Program that year with a $1,000 start up grant from the Pinellas Park Knights of Columbus. It began Artlink in 1999 which continues “with funding from the Pinellas County Dept. of Cultural Affairs, The Able Trust, Target and Publix Super Market Charities. [with] Start up funding from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council.”

They started the aforementioned Artworks in 2001 “with a $30,000 grant from The Able Trust, [which] evolved into first arts related supported employment program in the State of Florida”…a “social entrepreneurial venture & strategy for program sustainability.”

In 1999 they began Smart Art “with a grant from the City and County Social Action program” and began a Community Arts Program in 2003. They expanded their mission to Japan in 2003 continued now in over 25 agencies throughout Asia.

These various endeavors, to some extent, continue thanks to Medicaid Waiver funds from the Companion category of APD funding and Vocational Rehabilitation funding from the State of Florida.

Their site states, “New this year, secured with $104,000 annual contract with the Pinellas County School Board. Plans for ongoing funding and expansion through 2012 w/ Federal DOE grant.” Also new is the “Summer Arts Camp, 2009 — Inclusionary K-12 summer arts camp for typically developing children and children with disabilities. Start up grant from Queen’s Court, Rays Foundation & Rotary Club of St. Pete, component of Peace Project.” They have “Start up grant funding pending with Allegany Franciscan Ministries; possible continued funding through Society for Arts In Health Care, SKOLL Foundation, Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts” for their Peace Project, begun in 2008.

All of that, and much more, is detailed on their website, but I felt it important to show the strength of their support in the community by quoting extensively here. The list of sponsors for the Folkfest is equally impressive. This is truly one of the grassroots success stories in St. Petersburg, thanks to the guidance of Grace Anne Alfiero, Executive Director, and Jenny Lee, Assistant Director as well as many, many others who volunteer their time, money, and talents.

GLASS ARTIST BRENT EARNEST

I first learned of Creative Clay from Allen Loyd, a friend and fellow member of the St. Petersburg arts community, when he took me to see pictures done by some of his Creative Clay students on display at the main branch of the St. Petersburg library. Allen, along with many other area artists, teaches as part of the Artlink project at Creative Clay which [website quote] “pairs professional artists from our community with member artists attending Creative Clay’s Cultural Arts Program. The artlink project and many of our exhibits have been recognized with regional, state and national awards such as The Dr. Spelios Award for accessibility from The Able Trust and a prestigious LEAD award from VSA arts of Florida and The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. Both The St. Petersburg Times and Creative Loafing have named artlink the best socially responsive arts exhibit. A film crew from WUSF Channel 16 followed the artlink teams in 2002 and as a result an award winning documentary was produced entitled Creative Hearts. In 2003 and in 2007 Creative Clay staff and artists traveled to Japan to assist and participate in the implementation of the artlink project in over 25 agencies. Now a global arts initiative, artlink continues to be a model for socially responsive arts programming and exhibitions.”

Creative Clay will have its annual fund raising event, New Year’s in November, Friday, November 7, from 7 – 11 p.m. at Fox Hall on the campus of Eckerd College. It will include dinner and entertainment and have original artwork by Creative Clay member artists available for purchase along with a raffle of original artwork by Folkfest St. Petersburg artists. For more information, call Creative Clay at 727-825-0515.

Be sure to read Creative Clay’s blog at creativeclay.org to keep up on news and coming events.

INSIDE CREATIVE CLAY AND JUST A FEW OF THE MANY PEOPLE THAT MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Creative Clay YouTube Video

I assembled all the photos in this post, plus a number of others, into a YouTube video with an upbeat, original music track and narration based on the Creative Clay post. I’ve embedded it below. Hope you enjoy it.