Blue Box 12

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I established the Blue Box Initiative, so I could sketch talented performers in each of the 27 blue boxes which are painted on the sidewalks downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking was possible only during day light hours, but a recent amendment allows the boxes to be used at night. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Sasha Kendrick volunteered to perform in Blue Box 12 which is right across from the Lake Eola Band Shell. To me, performing on the Band Shell stage would make the most sense, but that is not allowed. Las Vegas has black circles painted on the pavement of Freemont Street which is also used to keep performers contained. The difference about Las Vegas is that every black circle has performers because there are so many tourists walking the streets that it is worth it for the performers to work just about every night. In Orlando the tourists keep to the theme parks never walking the streets of downtown and there is little effort to attract tourists downtown.

Blue Box 12 was in the blazing sun with no chance of shade. The light sidewalk cement acted like a mirrored reflector. Luckily I had thought to bring some sun screen. Sasha played her violin heroically for the hour or so that I sketched. I had established some of the background scene before she arrived. She pointed out that the extreme heat could cause the wood of her violin to warp. The bridge, which hold the strings away from the body of the violin in particular could warp and then literally spring free of the instrument.

I kept my sketch brief, and then we walked across the street where she continued to  play on a Lake Eola bench in the shade. She played in Lake Eola often and the police are happy to allow her to play. Someone bought us both a soda while she played and I did a second sketch. This was the first and only time that I have been given a tip for sketching on location. Were I to put out a tip jar anytime I  sketched, I would be considered a pan handler who was breaking the law and could face 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. The week of the Winter Park Paint out, a similar ordinance is in place, but the Paint out organizers got a permit which allowed for the creation of art on Park Avenue for the five days of the event.

Lauren Jane in Blue Box 11

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27
Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is now possible day and night in these blue boxes. Although set up for panhandlers, police have insisted street
performers must use the blue boxes. Artists are labeled as performers by this city law. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

I am working towards  scheduling 27 sketch opportunities in which performers utilize these
Blue Boxes. I am about half way through the project. These Boxes represent the only places downtown where
there is theoretically freedom of speech. This group page is set up to
organize the systematic documentation of these 27 Boxes using sketches
and articles about what results.

Lauren Jane is a talented local visual artist in Orlando. Her representational work is large and bold. She decided to sketch me as I sketched her. The legs of her easel fit neatly in the blue box but one leg jutted just outside the confines of the box. If a police officer wanted to cite her on a technicality that inch might have been interpreted as blocking the flow of traffic on the sidewalk. This blue box is right near the downtown post office. You might think there wold be a greater flow of foot traffic justified by people going to the post office to get stamps. I think I am one of the few antiquated individuals who still sends bills via the mail.

Jane and I settled in to our task at hand. Very few people wandered by or even noticed that she was creating art. Lauren has started a business called Lauren Jane Inc. that teaches artists how to show, promote and sell their art. She has a free art biz blueprint book for anyone who joins her Art Biz Secrets Facebook Group. Secrets offered include:
-How to Sell your art
– How to Get in shows
– Learn what other artists are doing… what works and what doesn’t
– Learn how to talk about your art
– Join a close community of like minded artists who want to see each other thrive, in art Creations and Sales. It is all advice I desperately need. I am doing expense reports for 2017 and some months did not generate enough income to justify my staying in Orlando. I love creating, but sales don’t justify all the commitment to this city’s arts community.

Living Bride Statue in Blue Box 8 at the Courthouse.

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27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Although set up for panhandlers, police have insisted that street
performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Since I sit outside the blue box as I sketch, I risk a possible fine and jail time.

Blue Box 8 sits near the corner of Livingston Street and Magnolia Avenue near the Orange County Courthouse. Being so close to the courthouse, we were guaranteed to have police stopping by once in a while since they circle the area using Segways. Lillian Koontz was dressed as a Living Bride Statue. Her face was painted ghostly white and she had a veil that blew in the breeze. Her mom, Dela Morte and sister joined her by sitting in the grass while she stood perfectly still for close to two hours. She had a small glass container for tips with “Love” printed on it. She held a red cross and kept her eyes closed.

It was a very cold day so I felt bad for her as she stood silent and still. Her family could at least move around to stay warm. Police did stop, but they enjoyed the silent performance and didn’t question our presence. A few people walked past in their rush to get to the courthouse or work. Lillian is the only performer to make money in my blue box initiative so far. A passerby was looking at her as he walked by and he tripped on the Love tip jar. It clattered loudly in the pavement and, feeling guilty he put money in the jar as he set it back up.

Juggling Spaghettti in Box 10.

Posted on by Thor

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must be confined to the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Using a map of the Downtown Core District, I am documenting each blue box with some of Orlando’s most unique performers.

Blue Box 10 on the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street no longer show any signs of the original blue dotted lines that define the boxes. It must have been spray washed clean. The city ordinance however states that a performer can use the blue box even if the lines can not be seen.

Jeff Ferree who works at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater volunteered to juggle. He deftly juggled bowling pins but the crowning act came when he juggled spaghetti. He placed a message on Facebook announcing his performance and several of his friends showed up to watch. Drivers passing by also got to witness this spectacular performance. Juggling cooked spaghetti is a challenge, because you can wad the noodles up into balls to start, but those balls break apart in mid-flight becoming a sloppy mess of wet strands. Jeff tried wrapping the noodles around juggling balls but the same chaos ensued. The joy in the performance wasn’t his success, but the chaos and slop in the attempts.

This area where Jeff juggled has a nice grass covered empty lot and I have heard that food trucks might be able to set up shop there soon.This is only rumor however. I looked up the City’s policies on food trucks downtown, and it is not likely downtown workers will be offered the variety that food truck vendors would offer.

Which areas prohibit mobile food vending?

The City of Orlando cannot approve vending along International Drive or Semoran Boulevard; there are special zoning overlays that prohibit vendors.

The City prohibits the selling food or merchandise on city streets and sidewalks (Sec. 54.27).

The City prohibits sales of food and drink within public parks, recreation areas and facilities, except under concession agreement approved by the city council; these are requested at the City’s discretion.

The City prohibits vending, services and sales of goods on any public or private street, public parking lot or public property.

Special events with an 18A permit approved by the Police Department may include food vendors ancillary to events.

I did not find any city ordinance that prohibits the juggling of spaghetti.

Blue Box 8.

Posted on by Thor

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. I  set up the Blue Box Initiative to get talented Orlando artists from all creative fields to occupy a blue box while I sketch.

To date, I have completed 16 sketches. I have about 9 more sketches to complete. If you know a talented local performer who might want to share their talents on a street corner for a couple of hours, please let me know. Originally the city ordinance only allowed busking in the blue boxes during day light hours, but now the ordinance was changed to allow their use at night.

Blue Box 8 is located near the Lynx bus station downtown. Local film makers Jen Vargas and Jay De Los Santos occupied the box as a form of protest for how the city discourages film production in Orlando. Most southern films are created up in Georgia since there are tax incentives up that way. It was a blistering hot May day with little to no shade when I  completed this sketch.

A space-themed film titled “Hidden Figures,” is about three African-American mathematicians who overcome racial and
gender bias to help launch American into space in the early 1960s from Florida’s Space Coast. But the irony is that no scenes from the film were shot at Kennedy Space Center, or
anywhere else on the Space Coast, for that matter, except for historic
stock footage.

Space Coast Film Commissioner Bonnie King said people
connected with the film had contacted her to talk about locations for
filming on the Space Coast. But, largely because Florida no longer
offers incentives for film and television productions, “the higher-ups
decided not to film here.”

Instead, much of “Hidden Figures” was shot in Atlanta and other locations in Georgia, a state
that has “fantastic film incentives” that make it attractive to shoot
movies there, King said. Those incentives include transferable tax
credits for the film productions. Film
Florida estimates that Brevard County‘s economy lost $10 million
because the film was shot in Georgia, rather than the Space
Coast. It seems like Florida was on the verge of amazing change in the 1960’s but today the state falls back on a lazy status quo as if we are just fine with our heads in the sand.

Rogers Building Celebration.

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I was hired to document a celebration at Avalon Island Gallery for Mr. Ford Kiene, chairman of City Beverages, who just donated the historic Rogers building to the City of Orlando under
the condition it be used for the arts for the next 20 years. I worked a bit larger that I usually do in an 18 by 24 inch sketch pad. Earlier in the day I purchased a frame and cut a white mat on which people could share their thoughts and well wishes for Mr. Kiene. At the end of the evening, I framed this sketch in the mat and it was presented to him as thanks.

This celebration was well attended which made the sketch a challenge. When Mayor Buddy Dyer took to the podium, I was faced with a wall of backs. I stood on tip toe to get the sketch of him and Mr. Ford at the microphone. The mayor pointed out that it is rare for the city to receive such a donation. Built in 1886 by Englishman Gordon Rogers and investors, the iconic green tin sided building,
which sits at the corner of Magnolia and Pine, will officially be
renamed  the Rogers Kiene Building. When Mr. Kiene took to the microphone, he described the painstaking work that went into preserving the 1886 floor boards.

The building is now managed by the Downtown Arts District (DAD) but their management agreement only runs through June 30, 2018. Barbara Hartley, the DAD executive director said that the building will remain a hub for the arts. Patrick Greene, who oversees the gallery, hosts monthly cutting edge music sessions in the venue between the hanging of art shows. This, “Inbetween Series” brings experimental contemporary music to downtown. It is unclear if the venue will keep producing such edgy programs after June. I have sketched so often in this venue over the years, that I could easily compile a retrospective book that documents the arts events held here. Just sketching every day, I have seen far too many arts venues fall to the wayside. Hopefully the building will continue to further our city’s efforts to expand our arts and culture scene.

Blue Box 12, Sasha Kendrick Violinist.

Posted on by Thor

I established the Blue Box Initiative, so I could sketch talented performers in each of the 27 blue boxes which are painted on the sidewalks downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking was possible only during day
light hours, but a recent amendment allows the boxes to be used at night. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street
performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

I sketched Sasha Kendrick at Blue Box 12 which is located across the street from the Disney Band shell at Lake Eola. There was no shade on this stretch of sidewalk and the heat was unbearable. Sasha was worried that her violin would warp in the intense heat, but she performed anyway. Not a single person walked past as she performed. No one walks that stretch of sidewalk in the noon day sun.

When the sketch was done she wanted to perform at Lake Eola which she does regularly. Police in the park do not ask her to leave. They turn a blind eye to the city ordinance that bans busking because she is pleasant and respectful. It was much nicer sketching in the shade with a lake side breeze. One man stopped to listen and sat on the bench next to Sacha. He decided to go to the Relax Grill and Bar and he bought Sasha and I a drink. This was the first time I had ever been given anything while I sketched. He was legitimately grateful for Sasha’s performance.

She told me about a charity she was establishing which raises money for musical instruments for the homeless. She figures that by performing music, a person can raise some cash just as she has done for years. She gave an instrument to a man in town who also raises money selling palm frond woven flowers. The instrument disappeared and she thinks he sold it for money for crack. Unfortunately this musical charitable experiment became a failed experiment.

Blue Box 20.

Posted on by Thor

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.I am documenting these blue boxes with some of Orlando’s most talented artists as performers.

Blue box 20 is on Magnolia Avenue between Church Street and Pine Street. it is right outside the former location of Mad Cow Theater. The acoustic group Jestelle volunteered to perform. Comprised of  Jester Cordell and Danielle Dart, they combined their first names to come up with their groups title. They had some difficulty finding the blue box but luckily I had arrived a bit early and I guided them in with several texts. I have sketched this adorable couple before at Fringe and looked forward to their lyric cover songs. They had a red jar for tips and a Mickey Mouse cup that was for coffee or perhaps coins.

These two appear to be a true Orlando couple being color coordinated in a tropical floral shirt and sun dress. Danielle took off her huge sun hat while she sang. She has a magnificent voice and they harmonized beautifully. It is a shame that the sound of traffic often drowned out the subtle songs. A few people walked by but no one stopped to listen and unfortunately no money was dropped in the tip jar.

Jestelle will be performing at Johnny’s Other Side (1619 E Michigan St, Orlando, Florida 32806) on Sunday July  23rd starting at 2PM. Nine blue boxes remain to be sketched. If you know a performer who might be interested, please let them know about the Orlando Blue Box Initiative.

Ka Malinalli in Blue Box 14.

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Ka Malinalli performed in Blue Box 14 which is on the corner of East Central Boulevard and South Garland Avenue with the I-4 looming nearby. There are 27 Blue Boxes painted on the sidewalks of downtown Orlando. They are the only places where begging, or busking is allowed. Street performers have been  told that they must use the blue boxes. Very few people know where the boxes are, and the boxes are located in areas with very little foot traffic. It is a Machiavellian concept to box in artists. I am documenting each box by having Orlando’s most talented performers utilize each box while I sketch.

It was a windy day. Very windy. Kay braced herself and sang facing the wind. At times she was blown backwards and had to lean in to stand up straight. My baseball cap blew off my head, and I chased it before it landed in a puddle. Two gentlemen caught it just in time and gave it to me. The cap to my water bottle also blew away and landed in the puddle.I left it there until the sketch was completed.

Ka sang lyrical Spanish songs she wrote herself. The wind blew her voice away. Even being just a few feet away, I couldn’t hear her clearly. Her skirt fluttered like a flag. A few cars honked their approval, but I’m certain that no one heard the performance. The two guys who helped retrieve my hat were the only people who walked by. Simply put, this is not an ideal place for a performer to showcase their talents. Of course there were no tips for her wonderful performance. When each song was complete, I would clap and make a gentle sound in my throat like the roar of a huge audience. That roar couldn’t be heard over the wind. Ka bowed to the imagined throngs.

F.C. Belt in Blue Box 16.

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There are 27 blue boxes painted on the sidewalks of downtown Orlando. These are the only places where panhandling or busking is allowed. Some performers have been told that they must use the blue boxes, thus being a performer equals being a beggar in the City Beautiful. According to this statute, I could be considered a performer. To test these blue boxes, I am sketching 27 separate performances in each of the blue boxes. The performers should be legally protected, but I might be breaking the law by sketching as the audience. Being outside the box in Orlando could have repercussions.

F. C. Belt performed acoustic guitar in the blue box right next to the Orlando Library‘s downtown branch, and across the street from the Orlando Regional History Center. He arrived right on time, set up his chair, music stand, a tiny foot stool and opened his guitar case. The case remained open in case anyone wanted to add tips.

It was a lyrical concert, unexpected for the few people who frequent the park across the street. On man was transfixed. He asked detailed questions about the guitar which is quite rare from what I overheard. The man stood and listened for the longest time. Then he moved to the planter retaining wall and sat for the entirety of the performance.

I was seated in a tiny grass median that separated a bus lane from the main road. Luckily a bus never roared by. It was perfect day for a pop up concert and the gentle music added culture to the otherwise drab bus stop in the intersection, and the park across the street.

A large group of school children were laughing and playing in the park after getting out of the History Center where they must have been on a field trip. The children didn’t notice the music, they were too busily screaming and laughing.

Belts guitar case never collected a bill. This corner of the city is surprisingly unoccupied on a work day. Everyone is in their offices removed from the clutter on the streets.

I probably sketched for an hour and a half which is longer that most musical solo sets. F. C. Belt went back to the beginning of his play set towards the end of the performance. I must say, that if such classical performances were a regular occurrence in Orlando the city would be a much more civilized place to live.