St Simons Lighthouse Labor Day Celebration

I love the Golden Isles. Georgia’s coast offers a quiet and scenic reprieve. Miles of sawgrass usher you into this island paradise. The magnetic, naturalistic charm of Georgia’s Golden Isles is alluring. Add this with the fabulous Sounds of Motown concert and you got swinging combination. 

Bring a basket and cooler to enjoy music with St. Simons Lighthouse as a backdrop. Relax under the stars with a blanket and lawn chair while sipping your favorite drink. 
Pay only $12 for ages 13 years and older. Admission is free for children under 12 years and Keepers of the Light. This event is September 3 from 7-9 pm. 
The Sounds of Motown ends the 2017 “A Little Light Music” concert series. It is presented by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society and sponsored by Elegant Coastal Living Magazine. 
http://www.elegantislandliving.net/events/a-little-light-music-2017-sensational-sounds-of-motown/
http://www.elainemarieartist.com

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Respect Your Monument

I saw this sign a sign saying “Repect Your National Monuments” when touring the Washington Mall and visiting historic landmarks. Funny how now the fight over monuments has become the battle cry of white supremacists. The removal of confederate monuments nationwide have upset, embolden them and fueled their hatred. 

After all monuments signify who we are. The indefinite closing of the Washington Monument at the Washington Mall speaks volumes about the dysfunction in our government. 

South Beach Finally Gets It After Raucous Behavior

Splash and Color: Art Deco Coloring Book for Kids of All Ages. A coloring book to engage families with Art Deco. I thought it was a good idea a few years ago.

When I pitched my idea about reaching the family market in South Beach a few years ago, I was met with disdain. My plea fell on deaf ears when I approached the Miami Design Preservation League, Delano and the hotels on Ocean Drive about my coloring book and a Coloring Contest to reach the family market in South Beach. I wasn’t surprised by the lack of enthusiasm or vision. Artists have a tendency to be ahead of the curve.

After years of bad publicity and overly aggressive police behavior to control “raucous” behavior Mayor Levine and the City of Miami Beach are endeavoring to change the Art Deco District’s image. They want to make Ocean Drive better for residents and families. The recent Air and Sea Show is a good start. I hope the business community supports the initiatives to make Ocean Drive a safer and better place for residents and families.
http://splashandcolor.com

Hey Mr Trump Art is Business

Art Basel bring tens of thousands of cultural travelers to Miami each year.

As a savy businessman and leader of the free world, I would think you would appreciate that Art is Big Bucks.  I read that in February you visited the National Museum of African American Museum (NMAAHC). I am sure you didn’t have to stand in line like most Americans to visit the museum. I had to get up early three months in a row to get timed tickets online. It took me more than one hour to go through an online que to finally get the tickets.

The point I’m making is that the African American Museum is driving people to Washington, DC. Probably people like me who only decided to revisit DC because of the Museum. According to Skit.com the “African American Museum sets a new standard in Museums as Destination. The large number of visitors in February forced the Museum to offer timed tickets.”
The Alliance of Museums reports that museums “directly contribute $21 billion to the US economy each year and billions more through indirect spending by visitors.” In addition, “There are approximately 850 million visits each year to American museums, more than the attendance of all major league sports events and theme parks combined (483 million in 2011).

Back to the Big Bucks theory. According to the Travel Industry of America “Thirty percent or 35.3 million adults say that a specific arts, cultural or heritage event or activity influenced their choice of destination. In fact, many travelers will extend their stay because of an arts, cultural or heritage event or activity. That mean cultural tourists spend more than the average tourist. This translates to jobs. Hey, I thought you were all about bringing jobs home.

And I know you’re all about business. So is defunding the National Endowment for the Arts a good business decision? 

http://www.elainemarieartist.com

Twelve Dollars Can Save a Lighthouse

For only $12, you can join efforts to save Florida’s Endangered Lighthouses. join the Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation at http://www.floridakeysreeflightsfoundation.wildapricot.org/page-1475853

Last year the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation announced the 2016 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites at the 38 th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference in Tallahassee. The Most Endangered Historic Sites program is designed to increase the public’s awareness of the urgent need to save Florida’s neglected or threatened historic resources, and to empower local preservationists and preservation groups in their efforts to preserve Florida’s rich history.

Florida Keys Reef Lighthouses was on the Most Endangered List
 The Florida Keys Reef Lighthouses are an important piece of Florida’s history. The six reef lighthouses are Carysfort Reef (6 miles south of Key Largo), Sand Key (7 miles southwest of Key West), Sombrero Key (5 miles south of Marathon), Alligator Reef (4 miles south of Islamorada), Fowey Rocks (6 miles east of Key Biscayne) and American Shoal (5 miles south of Sugar Loaf). Built between 1852 and 1880, these lighthouses are made of cast iron with a skeletal design to let as much wind and waves pass through in order to withstand hurricanes. These lighthouses were constructed to warn ships of the hazardous reefs below the surface. The Florida Keys Reef Lighthouses are currently owned by the US Coast Guard. The Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation is applying for ownership of all but Fowey Rocks, which has been transferred to Biscayne National Park. With the Coast Guard facing budget cuts and many boaters relying on GPS for navigation, the proper upkeep of the lighthouses has been lacking. All lighthouses now have corrosion showing, and vandals leave the doors and windows open causing damage on the inside (Fowey Rocks has been secured now). The need to save these lighthouses as pieces of history now doubles to protect the reef. Should the lighthouses be left to decay the structures would fall on the reef causing damage that cannot be repaired.

“Art, like morality consists in drawing the line somewhere” GK Chesterton.

 

http://www.elainemarieartist.com
http://www.elainemarieartist.wordpress.com

TGIF: Doubling as an artist and street cop on Aviles

Aviles Street in St. Augustine, Florida.

After seven intensive days painting as a Plein Air artist in St. Augustine’s Glided: Impressions of the Flager era, I was ready to put my watercolors and pastels away and cool my brushes.

As I was leaving the Gilded Art Walk reception, a fellow Plein Air artist mentioned a one day event on Aviles. It seems the Art Gallery owners on Aviles Street were inviting artists to paint one day then exhibit the art afterwards.

Since my car was still loaded with art supplies, I decided to participate the next day.

An artist paints in front of Georgia Nick Gallery.

I arrived early the following day for the event. I stopped by Georgia Nick Gallery to receive a badge and gift bag. I found a place on a busy corner to paint.

Intersection where I doubled as an artist and traffic cop.

I found a vantage point on a busy corner. Doubling as artist and traffic cop, I painted and hailed traffic for cars driving nearby. It seems the drivers were blind sided and needed help crossing the intersection.

My painting, “Afternoon on Aviles.”

After a few hours of painting and hailing traffic, I was pleasantly surprised at results of the painting. I didn’t see much potential in the watercolor wash initially. But as I begin to use complementary pastel colors I could feel the painting coming to life.

http://www.elainemarieartist.com

TGIF: No means yes in South Beach

The Jewish Museum Florida FIU was designed by Henry Hohauser who attended Pratt Institute.

South Beach is a place of defiance. I once heard someone say, people come to South Beach to do every “God forsaken” thing they wouldn’t do anywhere else! No means yes in South Beach.

It should come as no surprise that the Jewish community in South Beach has often defied the status quo.

Thousands of people come to Art Deco Weekend each year.

Barbara Capitman, a Jews, defied the establishment. Capitman fought city officials “tooth and nail” to preserve the historical buildings that light up Miami Beach and make it the second most popular place in Florida. If not for her vision and perseverance, there would not be an Art Deco District. The over 800 Art Deco buildings that remain are testaments to Capitman’s defiance. The Art Deco District was the first 20th century neighborhood placed on the National Register of Historic Places much to her efforts. The Miami Design Preservation League continues Capitman’s legacy.

Miami Design Preservation League poster rallying the community.

What’s more, Henry Hohauser, an architect who was Jewish, built over 300 Art Deco buildings. Hohauser lived in an era when signs “Gentiles Only” and “No Jews Allowed” were commonplace in South Beach. Jews were not even allowed to live beyond 5th Street.

An Art Deco chandler and displays inside the Jewish Museum.

Visit one of Hohauser’s buildings and experience first hand the story of Jewish culture in Florida. Hohauser’s building, once a synagogue, is now the home of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. Eighty stained glass windows, a copper dome, and chandeliers are reminders of the days when Hohauser and others worshipped in the synagogue. Taste and see the Jewish experience during the Jewish Food Tour that leaves from the Museum. Learn how the Jewish community thrived despite many obstacles.

Enjoy Falafel and Israeli salad on the Jewish Food Tour.

Facing off with those who thought South Beach should be known only as a place for “fun in the sun,” Holocaust survivors garnered public support for the building of the Holocaust Memorial. A memorial garden and a sobering sculpture recall those who died and remind all who visit: “we shall NEVER forget.”

A bronze sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly at the Holocaust Memorial.

The impact of Jewish culture permeates every aspect of the city. Mount Sinai Hospital was built because Jewish doctors weren’t given staff privileges at area hospitals. The Bass Museum scheduled to reopen in the fall, is named in honor of John and Johanna Bass, Jewish immigrants who bequeathed over 500 works of art to the City of Miami Beach.

The Bass Museum in Miami Beach during Art Basel.

It is said that obstacles are opportunities. Fighting bias and opposition, the Jewish community realized that no means yes in South Beach.

http://splashandcolor.com

https://jmof.fiu.edu

http://holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org