Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday November 2, 2013

6pm to 8pm Run Nona at Night. Laureate Park, Crescent Park, (Lake Nona Tavistock Lakes Boulevard Orlando, FL 32827.) Cross the line into an epic block party fueled by 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Samuel Adams, energetic music and incredible lights. Enjoy 4 Rivers Smokehouse specialties all included in your 5k entry fee! Pulled chicken sandwich, chips and lemonade, sweet tea or beer! For non-meat lovers: veggie skewers or chopped salad. Proceeds from the race will benefit the Tavistock Foundation. The Tavistock Foundation serves programs and organizations in the communities where it has significant business interests.

7pm to 11pm Neanderthal Ball. $150 General Public, $100 Science Center Members. Orlando Science Center (777 Princeton Street, Orlando FL.) Step into the Past as we support the future at the Orlando Science
Center’s Neanderthal Ball! Set amongst the prehistoric setting of
“DinoDigs” and the Ice Age theme of “Our Planet, Our Universe” exhibit.
Enjoy delectable food and wine choices under under the star lit sky on
the beautiful SunTrust Terrace. Chisel out your mark at the silent auction. Dress code is cocktail
fun with an accent on “cavemen couture”, with an animal print necktie or
leopard pattern cocktail dress!

8pm Jessica Earley Art Opening. Free. Buy a beer or some art. The Falcon 819 E. Washington Street, Suite 2, Orlando, Florida

Sunday November 3, 2013

11am to 6pm $3 Greek Festival Saturday and Sunday. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (1217 Trinity Woods Lane Maitland FL). All things Greek!

9pm to 11pm Comedy Open Mic. Free. Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave Winter Park, FL 32789.) Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

10pm to Midnight Sick Of It Presents: Rancid karaoke cover set. Free. Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803.) You come up out of the crowd and sing your favorite Rancid songs with a live band…YOU’RE the singer!

Zombie March

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The Zombie March happens every year as part of Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend. This year the convention of horror was being held at the DoubleTree By Hilton at Universal (5780 Major Blvd. Orlando, FL). This is right across the street from Universal Studios which is perfect if people wanted to check out Halloween Horror Nights at Universal.

The Zombie March was scheduled for 4pm on Friday October 25th at Hooters which is about a quarter mile north.of the Double Tree on Kirkman.  I arrived about an hour early and zombies were milling around in the parking lot. Two zombies stood curb side moaning and flailing at passing buses. It was hot in the sun although temperatures are just starting to dip in Orlando. Make up artists were set up on the Porch of Hooters transforming people into zombies.

I sat at a table with a sheriff whose facial skin had been ripped off leaving red bloody pulp in its place. We talked for a bit. He has been coming to Spooky Empire for the past four years and he has seen the convention grow exponentially. He said that the money spent on alcohol probably has kept the convention growing. Attendees can rub shoulders with stars of horror. For instance he bragged that he got to chat with Shannen Doherty one year at poolside. He told me that the make up artist at the far end of the porch was doing the most detailed work, so I thanked him and moved closer to sketch the artist at work.

He was busy adding bruising to the cleavage of a woman who had on a Wonder Woman T-shirt. He had her tilt her head back and then poured blood down her cheeks and neck. Her skin was chalky white and there was a bite wound on her forehead and breast. Zombies don’t understand social boundaries when it comes to feeding. Jason stood rock still watching the make up artist work. Talk powder was added to her hair so she looked like she just rose from the grave.  Wonder Woman put on her red cape and vogued for photographers along with her friend who were all zombie super heroes.

I was still sketching as the make up artist packed away his supplies. I should have come earlier to get several sketches. Zombies got riled up at the sound of a chain saw and they all began to shuffle down Kirkman towards the hotel. Several make up artists remained on the porch painting Day of the Dead ornate flowery skull make up onto the faces of Hooters waitresses. When they all were painted, they posed for photos, being sure to lean forward to showcase their exposed v-necked supple slopes.

White Wolf Cafe

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Paul Horgan posed for the mural I did for the Menello Museum. I had to reconstruct the mural for a book I’m writing on Urban Sketching since the original file was on a now dead hard drive. Paul purchased the sketch I did of him on the evening of the mural’s unveiling. Since he is prominent at the front of the line I felt I deeded to get the sketch back to re-scan. He agreed to meet me at White Wolf Pizza.

White Wolf Cafe, (1829 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL) was once an antique shop but is now a cafe and bar. I sat at the bar and sketched the line of nude ballet sculptures. The bar was empty until Larry finally sat down and started checking his phone for football scores. I ordered a German beer with an orange slice. It as quite good. A saxophone player, Gregory, who is Larry’s son, began to play. He plays at White Wolf just about every Saturday.

All that remains of the antiques are a series of Tiffany styled lamps scattered throughout the establishment. The bar tender was quite intrigued by my progress and wanted to shoot a photo but no one’s smart phone was working. When the sketch was done, I realized that Paul still hadn’t shown up. I got a text from him explaining that the pizza place was down the block. I met Paul and Ed Anthony, half way between the establishments. I believe they were going to check out a show at the Venue. I rescanned his sketch that night and got it into the book. A few days later, I returned the sketch to him by leaving at the Shakespeare theater box office. He is so well known in the theater community that he said I could leave it with anyone and they would know how to get it back to him.

Roger Beebe Multiple Projections

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On September 26th Roger Beebe gave a screening using Multiple projectors at the Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL). The films were often edited in camera with some shots only being 8 frames in duration. One film tracked companies that put A in front of their name in order to get good placement in phone book directories. Pages of phone books were chemically transferred directly to film giving a chaotic, hectic visual. Projectors ran simultaneously projecting on multiple screens.

The experimental films have shown around the globe from Sundance to the Museum of Modern Art and from McMurdo Station in Antarctica to the CBS Jumbotron in Times Square. In these films Beebe
explores the possibilities of using multiple projectors—running as many
as 8 projectors simultaneously—not for a free-form VJ-type experience,
but for the creation of discrete works of expanded cinema.The show
builds from the relatively straightforward two-projector films “The
Strip Mall Trilogy” and “TB TX DANCE” to the more elaborate
three-projector studies “Money Changes Everything” and “AAAAA Motion
Picture” on finally to the eight-projector meditation on the mysteries
of space, “Last Light of a Dying Star.”

Some screens flashed repeated abstract planetary textures , setting the beat like a metronome while other screens showed animated clips of futuristic families. Beebe filmed one gas station using tight shots to create bold abstractions of industrial forms. He returned to the same station to film again, but something had changed, a pole had been removed giving the environment a completely new feel. His work documents suburban and urban sprawl by showcasing the repetitions of form and color that we tend to ignore when we wander the streets. One quick paces sequence showcased everything red, from cars and lights to signs and fire hydrants. Circular red objects pulsed on screen in quick succession.

Take Me Home

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On September 19th I did the last sketch of Urban Rethink (625 East Central Blvd. Orlando FL) which unfortunately has since been shut down. I went to a Filmmaker’s Brown Bag Lunch as part of the Global Peace Film Festival. I assumed I would get to learn about each filmmakers project with some kind of presentation. The dozen or so filmmakers gathered and chatted with each other on the couch and lounge chairs. When the brown bag lunches arrived, they continued their conversations in the conference room and at the scattered tables.

With the sketch finished, I realized that I hadn’t learned a single thing about any of the films. As I was leaving, I stopped to write down some information a poster about some “Shampouch” dog washing event that might be fun to sketch.  A gentleman entered ReThink and glanced around in frustration. I let him know that all the filmmakers had just left five minutes ago. He let out a deep sigh, he had hoped to speak to someone about the film he was involved with. His name is Rick Peete. He had been homeless on the streets of Orlando for two years. Now he helps father John feed homeless people at the Greek Orthodox Church on Robinson Street right across from Lake Eola. In past years, the food sharing program helped 150-200 people a night. That number has swelled to 400 to 500 people a night. On any given evening 15,000 people go to sleep hungry in Central Florida, of those, many are children.

Director Fabian Morales-Botero spent a year and a half producing a documentary film called, “Take Me Home” that interviewed many of the people who make up the homeless population, who find shelter where they can in Downtown Orlando.  Getting to know these people shattered his stereotypes about “the homeless” and allowed him to see them as individuals with compelling stories to tell, with talents and contributions to make to their community and with fates that could befall many of us given the difficult economic recovery. He also got to know the workers and advocates fond dignity,r the homeless, trying to give them the hand up they need. These people may not have a home, but they have heart and dignity.

A week later I saw Rich Peete walking towards the Greek Orthodox church where he helps to make a difference. I remember how his face glowed as he explained to me how helping others changed his life for the better.

Petrified Forest

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Petrified Forest is located on S.R. 436, just 1/4 mile West of 17-92 at (1360 E Altamonte Dr, Altamonte Springs, FL). This Halloween, experience the night-time terror of Central Florida’s premier haunted scare trail. Within this Altamonte Springs haunted house, you will find over 85,000 square feet of sheer horror right in the middle of the forest.

While at the outdoor Halloween festival, enjoy live bands, food,
Laser Tag, Backstage Tours, and other surprises.

If you are looking for a family-friendly, Halloween event conveniently located just outside Orlando in Altamonte Springs, this is it! The haunted outdoor trail is not just for adults. Even your younger spooks will find something to entertain them. Outside the scare trail, there are events that your younger family members will enjoy.

I contacted  Nichole Scott, the severed head of marketing in order to sketch a spot on the haunted trail. It was still light when I arrived and I parked in a rutted dirt lot along with what I assumed were the cast member’s cars. The attraction is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through November 2nd. On the evening of November 2nd there will be a total eclipse of the moon so it is a perfect night to be scared. Surrounding the trail is a large wood slat wall. The theme of this year’s trail is “The Museum of Mayhem”. Actors sat at picnic tables chatting before the first guests arrived.

Kimmy Clark, a stage manager shouted out, “Whose House?!” “All the ghosts and ghouls shouted back, “OUR House!” “I didn’t hear you, Whose house?!” “OUR HOUSE!!” “Boo Rah!” They all shouted, like marines. The stage manager explained that if a child had a glow stick, then they should ease up. Do to a new noise ordinance, the attraction could only be open till 11pm. Because of this, actors were told to “Scare forward.” By scaring people from behind, they could keep people moving forward. Since foot traffic is high they can’t afford to stop people in their tracks.

I was walked back to the “Haunted Swamp” by Sylvia Viles Vicchiullo. Dry ice vapors and green lasers created the effect that people were walking through water. When I sat, only my head appeared above the green layer of haze. Guests never noticed me. When the actors were kneeling they were “below water” and couldn’t be seen. They could stand up right next to people and scare them out of their whits. The thing most people said as they entered, was “Wow, cool!” As they enjoyed the effect they would be startled by Spencer or Sam, a reptile skinned girl and a vampire in a top hat. In the cabin at the far end of the swamp, human remains were stored in mason jars as a sort of hicks gift shop.

The battery on my book light died and I had to consider the sketch done. I then walked through the whole forest to experience it all. I joined a group of 6 teens at the entrance. One girl screamed before even entering saying she couldn’t go in. Her girlfriend guided her back out. Little Red Riding hood was in my group and I heard her screaming quite often. One emaciated ghoul shouted “I’m a starving artist!” Artists are often a scary sight. At every turn someone would jump out. I took the lead of my little group not because I was brave but because I knew most shocks would happen as actors rushed up behind us.

The trail was incredibly long with black light effects, chain saws and some startling banging from angry spirits. Just when I started enjoying the artistry involved, I would shout out, having let my guard down. Tickets for the trail are $17, but there are many other options like laser tag and VIP tours as well. You don’t need to go to a major theme park to experience one of Orlando’s premiere haunts.

Leaving was a real adventure. The cast lot I had parked in was blocked off by several cars. Some teenage girls were back in the woods and one had her shirt off, I don’t know what that was about. A parking lot attendant helped me back out and inch my way through a ditch to get out. My little Prius isn’t build for off-roading and it bottomed out but never got stuck. I literally had to drive through the unpaved forest to find a way out. That in itself was worth the adventure in an evening full of uncertainty and fear of being trapped in tight spaces.

The Barber of Seville: Press, Blogger, Tweet Night

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On October 23rd there was The Barber of Seville: Press, Blogger, Tweet Night, at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre (401 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL), which was the final dress rehearsal before the show opened. An usher informed me that there was no photography allowed, but I was ready with my sketchbook. I had to use the book light to see, but thankfully there was no one seated near me. The Orlando Philharmonic’s semi staged operas usually have the orchestra on stage but for this production they have been moved to the music pit. Emily Lindahl, the Philharmonic)s PR person, said that the musicians are much happier down there. For her there is magic in seeing the musicians lit from below like a Degas painting. It feels more like an age old opera. Projections kept the simple set lively.

The Barber of Seville  by Rossini opened October 25. The 3-hour production left me plenty of time to sketch in the first act. Since I was busy sketching, I didn’t have time to read the subtitles. In general the Opera seems to be about a lecherous barber Wooing a married woman. She instantly fell in love when he sang to her as she stood on her balcony. There were several funny scenes where her husband wandered outside and the barber hid by lying on his back like a rug, or pretending to be a bush. The old man must have pretty bad eye sight. No wonder his wife’s attention wandered.

I only know the music because Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd performed in dueling barber chairs. One scene reminded me of the one aria sung by Citizen Kane‘s mousy girlfriend. The opera was actually based on the novel Salammbô by Gustave Flaubert, which was a much more straightforward sword-and-sandals story of a princess, barbarians and that sort of thing. Susan Alexander Kane just didn’t have the chops for the job. In the Orlando Philharmonic Barber of Seville production however the music was sublime. My mind just always wanders as I sketch.

Mark your Calendar! You only hare one more chance to see the Barber of Seville!  

The next performance is October 27, 2 p.m.

Venue: Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre

Address: 401 W. Livingston St.

Phone: (407) 770-0071

Web Site: http://www.orlandophil.org

Price: $20-$82

Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday October 26, 2013

10am to 6pm Central Florida Veg Fest 2013. The event is free! Parking for attendees is $5 per vehicle at the west side of Festival Park. From N. Primrose Drive, head east on E. Livingston Street to the parking entrance at the midpoint of the park on the right. Please carpool or ride your bike to the free bike valet off Festival Way. Orlando Festival Park near downtown Orlando. The event will include healthy living and eco-friendly exhibitors, speakers, and presentations; non-profits; fun and games for kids; dog and cat adoptions; restaurant booths; food preparation demonstrations, and live music and entertainment. Central Florida Veg Fest will draw both committed vegetarians and those who want to learn more about how to protect our health, the planet, and its inhabitants. You can promote your business or group to thousands of people who want to learn more about vegetarianism and the varied products and services that support a veg-friendly and an eco-friendly way of life. All money raised will be used for local vegetarian education and outreach.

11am to 8pm. Spooky Empire. The Double Tree By Hilton at Universal (5780 Major Blvd. Orlando, FL). One day tickets are $45 at the door, or $65 at the door for a weekend pass. Spooky Empire has quickly become one of the most respected horror event
promotions companies in the United States, bringing to life two of the
most popular horror conventions in the nation, with fans attending from
all over the world.

9pm to 2am. The Biggest Halloween Party of the Year Returns! Free. Put on your dancing shoes and do the Monster Mash for a night of dancing, drinks and fun at Eden Bar. We will have horror films on the big screen outside, a DJ spinning all night long, specialty Halloween cocktails and jello shots, and delicious treats like hot dogs, loaded tots and dirty chips. Throughout the night, secret judges will be roaming the party for the best dressed gal or ghoul. Winners will be announced at midnight and prizes will be given to the winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd).   During the party, there will be a midnight screening inside the theater of EVIL DEAD II. Tickets for EVIL DEAD II are $10 for general admission, $8 Students/Seniors/Military and $7.50 for Members of the Enzian Film Society.

Sunday October 27, 2013

10am to noon. Super Joy Riders. Free. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en masse around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love. You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever

11am Maitland Symphony Orchestra. Free. Maitland Presbyterian Church (341 US Highway 17-92 Maitland FL).

1pm to 3pm Irish Music. Free, just order a beer. Olivia’s in Eustice (108 N. Bay Street Eustice FL).  http://www.oliviascoffeehouse.com/

WPRK Local Heros

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Daniel Pacchioni, the host of 91.5 WPRK Radio’s “Local Heroes“, suggested that I sketch the newly renovated radio studios, “Hey, by the way if you ever want to come and sketch at WPRK again let me know. We added a new studio, studio B in the CD library and also my show does all the live performances there. Just let me know, you are welcome to come any Wednesday at 5pm.”The station is located in the basement of a building in Rollins College in Winter Park. Julie Norris of “Front Porch Radio” was just getting off the air. Carolina Suarez-Garcia was in the studio with Julie probably offering plenty of information about the exciting Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory Exhibit and Block Party coming up October 17th starting 6pm at the City Arts Factory (29 S Orange Ave  Orlando, FL). I rushed in to say hello to Julie as she was leaving.

An it turned out,  the Wednesday I went to the radio station was the one day that there wasn’t a band playing live in the new studio. Instead, I crowded into the old studio to sketch Daniel conducting interviews. Nick Palmer and Shea O’Rourke from Real Feel Recording got behind the mics. The recording studio, located at 182 Oxford Rd. Casselberry, FL is one of the finest most affordable recording studios in Central Florida. They were having an open house to show off their studios to the public.

I was called up to the mic for a quick interview as well.  never hurts to introduce a new audience to the site. Daniel threw me for a second by asking what my favorite sketch subject has been. With well over a thousand events sketched and documented it is close to impossible to pick any one, but I recovered and simply talked about my mission and passions. I have a book being published called Urban Sketching in several months, why on earth didn’t I think to promote that? I suppose it doesn’t help to second guess the interview. It was what it was.

Next up behind the Mics were Alex Lenhoff and Andi Perez from The Orlandoan, which is a local events blog. They came up with a great T-shirt that simply says “Orlando Doesn’t Suck.” Their blog offers plenty of ideas about what to do in Orlando under a $20 budget. They spoke briefly about Page 15, which is committed to providing supplemental reading and writing education
for all students living and attending public schools in Orlando,
Florida. Their FREE after-school tutoring and creative writing workshops
are dedicated to enhancing communication skills, encouraging personal
creativity, and inspiring a lifelong passion for the language arts. Phil Zoshak has started a new program that inspires kids to be creative using his passion, video games.

PechaKucka Orlando

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I usually write a commentary about events I sketch. This time I felt that Darren’s entire talk from the Friday September 20th  PechaKucha needed to be shared. 20 slides, 20 seconds a slide, a wide variety of presenters.

Imagining Real

By Darren McDaniel

“Over the past two years, a particular image has played a prominent role
in my life.  It’s the wallpaper on my phone, the art on my kitchen wall,
the sticker on the back of my laptop, and the ten-foot tall mural high
on the wall at 625 E. Central.

I’m
the founding director of Urban ReThink, a community workspace and
programming hub in Orlando’s Thornton Park. When I got the news a few
weeks ago that we’d be losing our space, the thing that hit me the
hardest, of all things, was the thought that I’d no longer have daily
access to this mural that I know as GoogliAnn.

I
teach Digital Storytelling to designers at Full Sail, and I preach the
power of symbols—how a simple icon or graphic could be loaded with
meaning, representing far more than its collection of marks, or—in this
case—scribbles.

In
the 18 months it’s been on the wall, the mural has been a fueling
station for me.  It reminds me of why I do what I do.  The artwork came
from a self-portrait my niece, GraciAnn, had given me on her 5th birthday. 
It’s come to embody my immense affection for my nieces, for our
community, and for all that’s been accomplished under GoogliAnn’s over-lordship.

Here’s
how it happened.  Upon returning to Orlando, I crudely Photoshopped
GraciAnn’s art on the wall and shared it with my sister, asking her to
get GraciAnn’s reaction—a reaction that turned out to be all-too
matter-of-fact: “It’s not real.”  I took this as a challenge.  And I
thought, “Yeah, but imagine if it was…”

And
I shared the notion with Dina, and Pat, and Kitty, and Kim, and Fiona,
and Ryan, and Julia, and Anna, and dang near anyone else who happened
through.  “What if?”  What do you think?”  “Can we do it?”  “Surely, we can do this.”  And thanks to their affirmation, support, and resourcefulness, we made a way.

Karen
Rigsby helped me figure out the eyes.  Anna McCambridge-Thomas said she
knew the perfect artist, and she wasn’t kidding.  Carolyn Schultz was
every bit as impressive as the art she produced. In a day and a half,
she swept in, climbed up, and made the magic happen, one grid-square at a
time.

As
it neared completion, I got giddy and sent a picture to Cris
Phillips-Georg with the caption “the audacity of play,” and she said
that’s what you should call it.   “The Audacity of Play.”  A dedication that marked the first anniversary of Urban ReThink…and a bold new theme for the year ahead.

Months
later, GraciAnn was coming to town, and, much to her surprise, we
staged a grand unveiling.  Kathryn Neel even made the eyes work.  And
Thor was there sketching and my family and friends, and the moment I’d
dreamed about since “It’s not real.”: the big reveal.  From astonishment to head-burying embarrassment on GraciAnn’s end; from triumph to tears on mine.

Then:
discovery.  The mural was complete, and the eyes moved.  Regulars would
jump when they caught a first glance.  When kids would come in, I’d
point up to it and watch their expressions turn from perplexed to
wide-eyed.  I’d tell them “Somebody your age drew that,” and I’d see the
possibility swirl around them.  “Can I put my art on a wall?”

One
of my favorite pastimes became juxtaposing the events and speakers with
the googly-eyed girl.  The PBS Newshour’s nationally-televised debate
panel.  The chief data scientist from bit.ly.  Business meetings.  Coworking. Highfalutin parties. And, of course, Gloria Steinem.

Less
than 2 weeks from now, the doors close on Urban ReThink, and—unless I
can find a way to liberate a ten-by-ten-foot piece of drywall from its
well-secured perch—her always-welcoming arms will be waving goodbye, her
eyes will close, and she’ll forever lurk behind who-knows-what paint.

But you know what, Orlando?  Symbols carry their meanings.  And we’ve still got ours.  And
we’ve got high-res pictures, and we’ve got printers, and the
Transformation Village in Bithlo ready to become GoogliAnn’s next home
in some form or fashion.  Beyond that, we’ve got the legacy we’ve built,
and we’ve got each other.

I
moved back home to Central Florida a dozen years ago and made a feature
film. When it was over, I wanted to do something to give back to this
community that helped make my dream possible—something that could make
many more dreams possible through gathering and cross-pollenating
enterprising creatives from all walks of life.

Forty
months ago, an opportunity finally arose to make that real. The time
since has seen scores of collaborations and hundreds of cultural events.
It’s brought the majority of tonight’s presenters and so many other
treasures into not just my life but each other’s.  It’s inspired
visitors to shift their Mickey-Mouse views of Orlando and even move
here.

At
the surface, there’s something rather ridiculous about a googly-eyed
vision.  Untethered, quixotic, not always on the same page…  But it’s
also a vision with broader perspective and heightened possibility—one
that honors imagination and contributions from even the most unlikely of
sources…

My
mission continues : To gather and showcase Orlando’s
independent-minded, community-spirited doers for economic, community,
and intellectual growth. Why?
Because we have treasure in our midst: from the talent pool of recent
graduates, transplants, and the underemployed on one hand to the
creative, the curious, and the volunteers-to-be on the other. I call
them gappers. I’m one of them.

And
I’m minding the gap because our support structures haven’t kept up with
the societal change that’s creating more gappers by the day.  Yet, it’s
gappers that will ultimately generate our solutions.  After all, we’re
the entrepreneurs, innovators, and enhancers.  It’s in our collisions,
conversations, and collaborations that imaginations become real.

One thing is certain: There’s a need for
an Urban ReThink and for opportunity structures like it.  There’s a
need for a new social institution—something that fuels gappers by
combining elements of work, play, family, school, church, and library.  We’ve pioneered that—right here in Orlando. But we’re not finished.  And I’m not stopping.

As Urban ReThink, we’re losing our space and our scope, but not the
audacity of our play, nor the tenacity of our purpose. GoogliAnn. 
She’s the spirit of our future.  And she’s looking to us to get her
where she needs to go.  People say things happen for a reason.  Let’s
make that reason.  Imagine the possibilities.  They’re real.  And
they’re spectacular.”

Darren’s talk had me in tears. I felt a warm glow knowing so many family and friends who create and inspire change. I hunt for collaborators and creatives, and the resources found in Orlando are unlimited. ReThink was a creative epicenter that fueled my daily sketch habit. I have over 50 sketches that were done there. The bricks and mortar might change ownership but the people who see and bring about change are still here.

Mark Your Calendar! The next PechaKucha is February 7th at 7pm at The Orange Studio, (1121 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Fl).