Blue Box Zombies.

Posted on by Thor

Downtown Orlando has 27 blue boxes painted on sidewalks which are the only places where begging or panhandling is allowed. The blue boxes can only be occupied during day light hours. They tend to be at intersections where there is very little foot traffic. I have been documenting each of these blue boxes by sketching Orlando Performers using them as a stage. Some musicians who busk, or perform outside have been told that they can only perform in a blue box.

I am big fan of “The Walking Dead”. I have documented zombie walks on International drive and started to think, that zombies would be a perfect fit for a blue box.

Denna Beena, who helps at the annual Spooky Empire Zombie walks offered to gather some zombies for a blue box. This blue box is across from the new Amway Center.

The skull zombie holding the brains sign is actually a professional who works on International Drive. Zombies gathered gradually as the sketch progressed. Some were fresh, without much rotten flesh but others were rip, with loose flaps of flesh and plenty of dirt. One had a tin can for collecting donations. Several cars honked their approval but no coins dropped into the can. A car full of tourists stopped and shot some photos out their car window. They got a taste of a typical downtown Orlando scene.

There were yellow construction posts with yellow and white ribbons between them. The zombies presses up against the ribbons but didn’t leave the box. One ribbon snapped and we put it back in place once the sketch was done. One zombie had a bum leg and a very distinctive limp. Deena is the zombie with the bright pink hair. There were gallons of blood just in case a zombie wasn’t bloody enough. If there were zombies in every blue box in Orlando, then perhaps people would become aware of what they are, why they are there and how ridiculous they make our city seem.

Blue Box 13.

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Angel Jones, an arts advocate and fashion designer, volunteered to be in the Blue Box Initiative. She occupied Blue Box 13 which is on Jefferson Street near North Orange Avenue.

For those that don’t know, Orlando has 27 Blue Boxes painted on the sidewalks. These are considered exempt zones, which means panhandling is allowed. Performers who bus downtown have been told by police that they must move to a blue box. Most of these boxes are in areas of downtown where there is virtually no foot traffic. I have decided to sketch every blue box with Orlando’s most talented artists and performers.

Angel didn’t want to ride her motorcycle downtown in her costume, although that would have been a sight. She designed and sewed her outfit. She owns a fashion company called Bazzar Bazzar. I drove her to the location. As we walked around Lake Eola she showed me what this whole Pokeman Go phenomenon is all about. I have seen crowds of people in the park staring at the phones, and not paying attention to what is go in on around them. The game depicts a simplified version of the park in which Pokeman characters appear. She showed me how to throw an object at the character. If you hit the character, you get points. You can also place a lure which will attract characters to your location. For the duration of her time in the blue box Angel looked at her bright pink smart phone. For all I know, she might have been surrounded by Pokemon characters dancing at her feet.

I have about 10 more Blue Boxes to sketch. If you know of a performer who would like to participate, please let me know.

All about-Race and power near Blue Box 6.

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I had arranged to meet Hurricane Maria at Blue Box 8 near the Lynx Bus Station. 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 arrived a little late and didn’t see Maria. I assumed she was running late and started sketching. My darn cell phone was dead because my car charger was broken. There was no way to contact her. I finished as much of the sketch a I could, and assumed that I could place Maria in the sketch when she arrived. She is a caricature artist and she planned to set up shop in the Blue Box. I probably sketched for an hour and a half, completing most of the watercolor with an open space that I left blank. If anyone reading this is interested, I could sketch you into this incomplete sketch in about half an hour. I will not post the sketch until it has a performer utilizing the box. Become part of The Blue Box Initiative.

I packed up an decided to head home. As I approached a huge construction site near the Bob Carr Theater, I saw Maria talking to several construction workers. She had gone to the wrong Blue Box and was deep in conversation about race and power. Blue Box number 6 had been ripped up due to the construction. As the conversation went on, I realized that the blue boxes represent first amendment zones, where freedom of express to is allowed.

The construction worker was explaining how blacks have been marginalized throughout history. The us Census would redefine the race every time there was census. They were redefined as blacks, negros, African Americans and other names. Poor neighborhoods were fractured and split up with redistricting. He asked each of us where our ancestors came from. Regardless of our past, he said we all have Moorish blood in us. Maria responded, “I prefer to just think of us as the human race.”

He spoke of a true and divine knowledge of yourself, historically speaking. People have been calling themselves everything but what they are, and so they are never able to take their proper place
in the national and international
affairs of men all over the world. they have been mentally robbed of their
inherent
and invincible manhood, by being
robbed of their nationhood.
The west African Moorish Empire expanded into Europe conquering Spain in 711 AD. This was the greatest power in Europe at the time and its influence spread resulting in the Renaissance. Apparently Abraham Lincoln was assassinated because he understood this Moorish commonality. The same was true of Dr. Martin Luthar King. One of King’s aid stepped aside to open a pathway for a sniper’s bullet.

The local school the the worker used to go to used to inspire students to greatness. Then teachers were brought in from out of the community and the students were no longer taught civic pride. Drugs ravaged the neighborhood causing further collapse. These drugs were specifically introduce in impoverished neighborhoods. This backfired however because then others could get cheap drugs there and the drug plagues spread could not be stopped.

With my sketch done, I decided to slip away. Free speech was very much alive near Blue Box number 6. I asked Maria if she was willing to set up for a short time in Blue Box number 8, but she had to get over to Audubon Park where she would be doing caricatures at the Monday night farmers market in the Stardust Video and Coffee parking lot.

The Blue Boxes are disappearing but the law requiring their use is still on the books.

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. These Boxes represent the only places downtown where
theoretically there is freedom of speech. They are Orlando’s First Amendment Zones.

On February 29th Mandi Ilene Schiff offered to do a body painting in Blue Box number 6. On the map, the box is located near the Bob Carr Theater on West Livingston Street. Because of construction this street can only be approached from the West off of Parramore Avenue. Mandi arrived before me and was waiting in front of the UCF Center of Emerging Media. Her model, Yvonne Clar, hadn’t arrived yet. I began searching across the street for the blue box. The problem was that half of the street and sidewalk was ripped up and now fenced off due to construction.

A guard from UCF came out and asked if he could help us navigate the construction to get to downtown Orlando. My experience with people who say, “Can I help you?” is that they will be an obstruction to my completing a sketch. Though he went back inside the UCF lobby, I knew we were on his radar. Our search for the blue box was out of the ordinary. Mandi and I decided to settle in front of a large blue banner that was the logo for the construction company that was digging up this prime real estate. Mandi’s idea was to camouflage the model, so she disappeared against the Blue sign. As she unloaded her paints and brushes, the guard came out and shouted “You can’t be setting up over there!” I thought it odd that he didn’t cross the street to speak to us. He was like a dog who barked at the edge of its property. I shouted out, “Why is that?” He shouted back that he had to protect the high school kids. That is odd, I thought, UCF is a college, there are no minors. I contacted a UCF instructor I know, just to verify that this guard has no idea of the age of the students he sees everyday.

Since I was getting over a cold, I decided to walk across the street so I didn’t have to shout. I told him that I was documenting the 27 blue boxes and explained what they are for. I showed him the location of blue box number 6 on the city map figuring he might help me in locating it. “I don’t know anything about no blue boxes, all I know is that you can’t set up over there. I have to keep these kids safe. There are pimps, prostitutes and drug dealers who are always hanging around this area.” Now, If I was a prostitute I wouldn’t work this abandoned stretch of road, I thought. Did he think Mandi was a prostitute? He would definitely have a heart attack if the model took off her shirt in front of the school. This was a loosing battle, since we didn’t have the security of a blue box to stand in, I decided we needed to move to the next blue box which was half a block East near I-4. I shook the guards hand, thanked him for his help, and we headed East.

Blue Box number 7 was also torn up by construction, but there was a hint of several blue dotted lines remaining on a curb. Yellow caution tape separated us from being able to stand in the patch of dirt which had once been the blue box.  We decided instead to set up outside the rented fence near the Orlando Centroplex sign. Yvonne showed up just as Mandi was settled in. I was in the midst of blocking in my sketch, and I didn’t want to spread my cold, so I kept working. This was the first time that the performers were not protected by actually standing inside a  blue box. The stakes were high, but Mandi and the model bravely took the chance. City codes on indecent exposure had been researched, and the model could have legally been painted in nothing but pasties and panties, but Nix Herrera another body painter, had advised Mandi against taking the chance. It could have resulted in regulations for an art form that has so far stayed off the city commissioners radars.

With a liberating flourish, the model took of her shirt and her black bra defied any notion of indecent exposure. The race was on to complete the sketch and body painting before we were caught. Mandi began by painting a blue box on Yvonne’s belly, then she began painting iconic Orlando imagery, like a swan, the fountain, an orange breast, and the skyline wedged in Yvonne’s cleavage. Ten minutes into the sketch, I felt that art had won. I had enough on the page, so that even if police or security stopped us, I could finish the sketch back at the studio. A construction worker asked what are were doing. I discussed the blue boxes and explained that we would be done within an hour. “I don’t mind.” he said with a smile.  Theo Lotz, the Flying Horse Editions director from UCF also asked about our project and I quickly explained the Blue Box Initiative. I get excited, having the chance to explain the need for free artistic expression. His bus arrived and he had to run off mid sentence.

We were right near a bus stop and each time a bus stopped you could see a dozen passengers with then noses pressed against the windows. A driver honked his approval. My quick rough sketches don’t do Mandi’s amazing work  justice. Be sure to check out these photos her fiance Robert Johnston took. It certainly felt like we were tempting fate on this day, but some amazing art was created.  Yvonne became a gorgeous living postcard that celebrated the City Beautiful.

Dancers Improvise in Blue Box #5.

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27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes were put in place 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.

These Boxes represent the only places downtown where theoretically there is freedom of expression.

On February 22nd, Corinne Mele from Red Right Return Dance Company encouraged a group of dancers to utilize Blue Box # 5 as their stage. They had just rolled off of a performance of Guard Down at the Orange Studio on February 20th. They had also rehearsed the night before, but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm to perform on the streets of Orlando.

I was the first to arrive and anxiously searched for the box with map in hand. The last one had been spray washed away but this one was pristine, looking like it had been painted yesterday. I got a text from Corinne. Construction had blocked access to this street from the East. I redirected her to let her know that the street was still approachable from the West from Parramore. Soon dancers started to arrive. Corinne drove a cute little car that was covered in an ad for hint which I believe makes flavored waters. The dancers came prepared, with water and sunscreen.

They were concerned that this was a rather small stage. All movement had to be linear and having two dancers abreast, limited what they could do. Corinne walked the blue dotted line like a circus high wire performer. She did a pirouette and when she spun out of the box, she abruptly stopped and walked like a pedestrian to re-enter the box from a new location. Dancers soon realized that their extensions would most certainly cut outside the plane established by the blue box stage but with one foot planted inside the box they decided they were within the letter of the law. The dancers had two collection bowls set out. There was however no foot traffic on the sidewalk. We were one block away from the UCF Center of Emerging Media and the Bob Carr Theater. Construction effectively cut off all vehicular traffic. The only hope for a tip might come from a student. Towards the end of the dance company’s improve session, a single pedestrian approached on our side of the sidewalk, Corinne bet the he would cross over to the other side of the street to avoid coming to close to the art. Sure enough twenty yards from us, he crossed over to steer clear. In a town where art is seldom experienced in public, it can be intimidating for the uninitiated. There is no fourth wall to protect the audience. Art in public is a rare beast that must be caged in blue boxes.

Heidi Busher and Corinne were the first dancers to perform a duet on the tight painted stage. They supported can other and negotiated the tight squeeze past each other. Paige Maxwell bent over backwards like a sheet of paper folded in half. Her goal was to grab her own ankles. She grabbed one but the second eluded her. I was absolutely astonished by her flexibility. Kim Matovina displayed incredible feats of strength and balance usually reserved for gymnasts. She balanced on one hand and folded in her limbs balancing with her face inches from the pavement. She then did a headstand using her forearms for support. All five dancers got in the box and tried to duplicate the move for a photo. Not everyone had the strength, but for the flash of an instant they all held the pose.

After several hours of dancing, everyone was sweaty and tired. Paige was unexpectedly hit in the face when another dancer spun with her leg extended, effectively doing a back kick. I heard the smack as if it were a sound effect in a Japanese Kung Fu movie. Paige’s eyes watered and she held her nose. Luckily there was no blood. On a larger stage the dancers would not need to be so dangerously close.

Though no tips went into the tip jars, and not a single pedestrian walked by, it was a beautiful day and I’m so thankful that these beautiful dancers shared their talents to help point out that art should not be boxed in. Winter Park will never experience such a spontaneous outburst of creativity expressed on a sidewalk in public. These aren’t criminals, but highly educated and trained professionals who love their craft and share it openly. Such joyous outbursts of creativity might happen more often if Orlando City Commissioners didn’t create ordinances that effectively treat artists, dancers and performers as panhandlers that need to be boxed in.

Kattya Graham performed in Blue Box #5.

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. If a police officer receives a complaint or witnesses a street
performer asking for money, that officer can “take the appropriate
action related to that issue, a warning is an option, but so is arrest.” said Sgt. Barb Jones of the Orlando Police Department. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. In 2002, former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood killed a proposal to allow
street performers in downtown Orlando, saying that would be
“inconsistent” with the city’s ordinances that ban panhandling.

Kattya Graham volunteered to perform in Blue Box #5 on the Corner of Amelia Street and Orange Avenue. This corner is near the Court House parking garage. As I arrived on foot, I searched for the now familiar blue dotted lines that delineate a box about 5 by 15 feet. For the first time the were no blue lines. There were red lines and orange lines that surveyors put down as they plan where to dig for electric and plumbing pipes. I checked the City Hall issued Blue Box map and this it was the right spot. The blue lines must have been power spray washed away. There was a small blue plate above the street drainage. It said, “No dumping, all water drains into lakes.”  The spray washed blue paint must now be in Lake Eola.  The blue plate became our Blue Box.

Kattya arrived and unpacked her guitar and set up her music stand. At first she put her collection pan right on the blue plate and then she decided it made more sense to put it out behind her for pedestrians to see. As a joke she stood on her tip toes on top of the blue plate. There weren’t many pedestrians, at most three people walked by in the two hours we were on that street corner. There were however plenty of cars that had to stop at the stoplight as they waited to drive West across Orange Avenue. Kattya got to watch drivers reactions. Many drivers smiled through their closed car windows. Three women rolled down their windows to listen better while men did the opposite, by rolling up their windows. Perhaps they feared she would rush up to them and squeegee clean their windows and demand money. Only one pedestrian glanced over his shoulder at Kattya as he was waiting to cross over Orange Avenue. No one ever dropped an money in her tip pan. She has just recorded a new album of original songs and several covers at the Timucua White House. Benoit Glasier is now polishing the sound mix.

Kattya grew up in Mexico City which is the largest city in the world. She started busked in Mexico City when she was 18 years old. Crime was rampant, but she never had an incident as she performed. Here in Orlando for the past 15 years, she feels safe, but performing on a city street corner didn’t, seem appropriate. She performed beautiful Mexican ballads in Spanish. After one song, she said me, “I’m glad most people don’t understand the lyrics, the last song was about being a drunk.” I laughed. The music was soothing and lyrical, at times being drowned out by honking horns, or the sound of the Sun Rail train roaring by a block away. Her brightly embroidered blouse was the only bright note of color on the otherwise grey street corner. Had she performed on block south, closer to the entrance to the court house, there would have been a constant stream of lawyers and jurors who would pass her on their way to find lunch. There is no blue box one block south however.

Angel Jones in Blue Box Number 3.

Posted on by Thor

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These
boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Back when they were painted, they were referred to as beggars boxes. Panhandling is possible only during
day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist
street performers must use the blue boxes. If you loiter on the sidewalk, you are suspect. Performing outside the boxes
can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. I have started a series of 27 sketches in which performers utilize
these Blue Boxes. These Boxes represent the only places downtown where
theoretically there is complete freedom of expression.

Angel Jones is a Fashion designer, stylist, model, writer, and artist from Melbourne Florida. Angel has spearheaded a Facebook group called, “Artists Unite! A group formed to protect all artists and our freedom” This page unites artists from around the state as cities like Winter Park and Saint Augustine create unconstitutional laws limiting freedom of expression. Orlando doesn’t have an ordinance specifically banning artistic freedom of expression, but the police do not see the difference between creative expression and panhandling. 

Finding these blue boxes is a bit of a treasury hunt. I arrived at the intersection of Amelia and Hughey and found a complex jumble of spray painted marks. Surveyors are marking up the sidewalks probably to keep track of electrical and plumbing lines. A block a way the “Creative Village” is now a desert of sand and dirt. Sidewalks and pavement are all being ripped up for whatever is to come. There are several Blue Boxes in this construction zone which may no longer exist. 

Angel was a bright splash of color on an otherwise drab and grey downtown street corner. She created handmade Victorian cupcake dress herself with countless hours spent sewing the brightly patterned fabrics. Her wig was bright pink an her necklace had every color of the rainbow. Angel’s Insanity and Bazaar Bazaar the clothing line, features her unique handmade creations. She chatted about her army brat upbringing and leaving home at the age of 15. Although considered the black sheep by her family, she clearly made the right choice to pursue an art inspired life. At protests she is the most exuberant champion for artistic freedom of expression.. She is a dynamic force who you definitely want on your side.

Students from Orlando Tech were the most common pedestrians. They would often stop to chat with Angel to find out what we were up to. A father and daughter on bike stopped to watch me sketch for bit. She is an artist and wanted to know how I sketch so fast. My advice was to loosen up and accept the imperfections. A sketch by definition is incomplete. A bright pink Lynx bus rushed by accentuating the pinks in Angel’s hair and dress for a moment. 

I never saw a police patrol car.  The police station is several blocks to the south of this Blue Box. Angel didn’t have an open case, or tip jar and if she did, I doubt any bills would have been dropped in. Once again the blue box was far removed from businesses where executives in suits might wander out during their lunch hour. They were safe from the threat of art. If you know someone who might want to join the Blue Box Initiative, send them to the group page which is where these sketch sessions are scheduled once a week.

The Blue Box Initiative – Michael Sloan.

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On February 1, I picked up Micihael Sloan from his home and brought him to the Blue Box on Lake Dot on Colonial Drive one block West of the I-4 overpass. It was tricky finding his place so we ended up running about a half hour late. As a quick recap in case you are a new reader, Orlando passed an ordinance back in the 1990s making it illegal to panhandle in Downtown Orlando. 27 blue boxes were painted on the sidewalks as free speech zones. From sunrise to sunset it is legal to panhandle in these blue boxes.

On our drive too to  the  blue  box site,  Micihael explained that he used to perform downtown about 15 years ago and he was told that he must move to a blue. In Orlando performers seem  too be considered panhandlers with talent. I’ve been told to move along by police while sketching downtown but I was never instructed to go to a box. Anyway, I decided to ask performers to come out to each of the 27 boxes so that I can sketch performers at each of the sites. The plan is to do one sketch a week, usually on Mondays. The Blue Box Initiative group page was set up to organize and schedule performances.

As we were setting up, a man in a red shirt who introduced himself as Juju joked around with Micihael. He sat down in the shade and shouted to us, “Hey, come over here in the shade, I want to hear the music.” Micihael shouted back, “We can’t, I have to stay in the blue box.”  It was brutally hot. I realized that I need to bring sunscreen to these blue box sketch outings. The several days of col weather are already a though of the past. Micihael kept his guitar case open, but no one ever dropped any bills inside. It was hard to hear the music over the constant rush of car traffic. I could pick out that he was making up lyrics on the fly about being put in blue boxes. He was singing the blue box blues. Besides singing, Micihael did some Tai Chi which made it look like he was channeling the automotive dissonance. He also had just enough room in the box to do several cart wheels. Cars honked their approval, a loud automotive standing ovation.

There was some foot traffic. Perhaps 20 people wandered by during the performance. A young woman in a black dress walked by with a luggage cart. She reminded me of drug sales reps I have seen in doctors offices. She was actually Jenna Smith, a UCF journalism student who wanted to report on the Blue Box Initiative. She unpacked a tripod and sizable TV news camera. She was the reporter and camera woman all rolled into one. The black dress was a mistake because the sun was unrelenting. She never filmed herself asking the questions, perhaps she did that later.

Juju became infatuated with what I was doing. He stood behind me the whole time doing a play by play announcement of every item I put on the page. I’m usually oblivious to on lookers, but he was hard to ignore. A bicyclist with dreads and a wicker basket stopped for the longest time to listen. He spoke with Jenna about the social divides created by capitalism. Around 1pm a car stopped in front of the box, and a woman asked if we wanted sandwiches. My hands were busy with the sketch so I didn’t accept. Juju however accepted for us all. He gave Micihael some fruit and he offer me a cookie. I tried to refuse but he insisted, so I accepted his offering and put it in my bag. It was from the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and I ate it on the drive home. It was delicious.

Jenna stayed with us right until the sketch was complete. She then interviewed us with beautiful Lake Dot as the back drop. She plans to interview City Commissioners, so she is doing some in depth reporting on the issue. I bumped into City Commissioner Patty Sheehan that night and she was amazed by Winter Parks ordinance that bans artists. She asked me, “Orlando doesn’t do that do they?” It seemed odd that she was asking me. I mentioned the blue boxes which is an ordinance she helped spearhead.  I don’t think she realized the the blue boxes hurt the Orlando arts scene. “Well, if you need anything from me, let me know.” she said as she left.

Cole Nesmith organized a huge one night event called “The Creative City Project.” He got performing arts groups to come together downtown for a solid evening of performances outside on Orange Avenue downtown. I was told that in the beginning, Cole was instructed that the performances would have to be in the Blue Boxes which make for rather small stages. Cole worked closely with politicians to create an amazing event that took over Orange Avenue for five blocks.  But that was for one night only. If Orlando truly embraced creativity downtown then every evening the city streets could come alive. For now outdoor creativity is shoved aside into isolated blue boxes.

The Start of the Blue Box Initiative.

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There are 27 Blue Boxes painted on the sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes were painted in an effort to control panhandling. Citizens complained about aggressive panhandling, so an ordinance was drafted making it illegal to panhandle downtown. The blue boxes were created to protect first amendment rights, of freedom of speech. They are referred to as Exempt Zones. The city’s official position is that street performing is allowed in downtown Orlando as long a the performer doesn’t block pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk and they are not soliciting. If the performer has an open music case or a hat, the police will assume that the performer is busking or begging. In Orlando there is no difference between a performer and a panhandler. The penalty for performing downtown outside of a blue box is 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

An accordion player I was sketching at Lake Eola was told that his performance was illegal because his accordion case was open. He was forced to move along. There are no blue boxes in Lake Eola, so the performer packed up and went home. These isolated blue boxes are hard to find, and few people know where they are. Most people are amazed that such an Orwellian idea exists. I thought the accordion music added a festive touch to the day. The best experiences I have had in traveling to cities around the world has been when I discover some astonishing talent performing on the streets or in parks. Disney hires artists to perform on the streets to give tourists a feeling of being in a vibrant creative place. It is a shame that Orlando claims to support the arts but artists who perform in public are treated like criminals.

I’ve been told to move along several times by police. I didn’t have an open case, but my very presence on a sidewalk is considered a hindrance to the safe flow of pedestrian traffic. I am only two feet wide and I always make every effort to stay out of peoples way. Now if you have ever been downtown, you might realize that Orlando isn’t bustling with pedestrians elbowing each other for sidewalk space. I’ve sketched downtown at rush hour, and the city seems completely deserted except for all the car traffic. Orlando natives drive to their parking garage and then drive home at the end of the day without ever stepping outside.

The Orlando panhandling Ordinance wasn’t written for performers or artists, but the police tell anyone who is doing something creative to go to a blue box. Because of this I have decided to start the Blue Box Initiative. I plan to sketch 27 performers in each of the 27 Blue Boxes. I found a map that shows where each of these boxes are. Some are worn away from neglect, but I hope to sketch performances at each site regardless. My main objective is to show that artists are not beggars and that encouraging performers to perform in public would add a vibrant spark of life to the downtown scene. The blue boxes are however in isolated spots of downtown. It would be nice if creativity could flourish everywhere. Every sketch I have done in the past outside of a blue box could have landed me in jail. It would be nice to sketch without the fear of arrest.

The first performer to answer the Blue Box Initiative call, was violinist, Ariah Deason, who used to perform on Park Avenue in Winter Park,  before that city made it illegal to be creative on Park Avenue, Hannibal Square and New England Avenue. Ariah’s mom Kristi explained that in one night last Christmas season, her daughter, made over $150 in one evening by performing on Park Avenue. Ariah is astonishingly talented. She has been playing violin since the age of five, and is now sixteen. She rehearses four hours every day. She is currently concert master of Florida Youth Orchestra’s Philharmonia and has also played with the Ka Malinali band accompanying traditional Mexican folk music as well as original music. She is currently studying classical violin under Joni Roos at Rollins College and her future musical projects include a Persian music folk band, live performance for an original dance production at The Dancer’s Edge studio in Winter Park and Irish fiddling. She is also passionate about art and photography and is hoping to integrate all of them into her life path. She regularly performs at weddings. The idea that Winter Park now considers her beautiful performances criminal is mind boggling. 

The Blue Box I met the Deason family at was on Colonial Drive at Lake Dot.  Unfortunately this box was already occupied. I spoke with Cheryl who occupies the box every day from 6am to 6pm. Once the sun sets, it is illegal to panhandle in Orlando even in a Blue Box. Cheryl is diabetic requiring insulin shots. She has applied for medical disability but has to wait 18 months for the paperwork to clear before she can be helped. I explained the Blue Box Initiative to her and she gave me advice on other blue boxes to look for. When the Deason’ arrived, I asked Cheryl if she would like to share the box and she could keep any money raised. The ordinance states that there can only be one person per blue box. She said however that family or friends can share a blue box. She is used to being alone, so I met the Deason’s one block to the east in front of the Salvation Army. I gave Cheryl several dollars for her help and advice. She is barely visible in the sketch wearing a pink shirt and seated on the sidewalk, a block away.

Ariah opened he violin case and began to perform. Her uplifting music blended with the rush of traffic on Colonial Drive. Several cars honked their approval. The family had blue checkered blanket and they sat picnic style on the Salvation Army lawn. Dad took pictures with his daughters SLR camera while the youngest daughter, Kristi,  joined me in doing an Urban Sketch. After watching her sister perform for a while, Tiva worked up the nerve to put her ballet shoes on and dance to Ariah’s music. Tiva has been studying classical ballet in the Cecchetti method for five years at The Dancer’s Edge Studio in Winter Park. She Participates in two production companies there. She also plays viola and is a member of the Florida Youth Symphony‘s Overture Strings Orchestra. Tiva wore a shirt with a giant heart on it. The Salvation Army sign pointed out, that, “Love isn’t Love unless it is shared. Come join us.” She was thin and graceful creating beautiful lines of action.

Pedestrians were rare. Several skate boarders rolled by, and Ariah was narrowly missed by a swerving bicycle. A man with red shorts lingered for sometime  talking into his cell phone. In the back of my mind, I imagined him being an undercover cop calling for backup to stop this flagrant display of art. A news truck rumbled by, but they were in a rush to get to an accident or murder. I never spotted a police car. As usual art celebrated life went mostly unnoticed. I fell in love with the entire Deason family. It was a beautiful day with inspired music and dance. For me it was the perfect way to start the Blue Box initiative. With one Blue Box sketched, I have 26 to go. The plan is to sketch one a week, usually on Mondays. If you know someone who would like to become part of project, please let me know. I’ll add them to the Blue Box Initiative group page on Facebook. 

Although Ariah’s violin case was open, no money was ever dropped inside. At most 5 people passed by on this deserted stretch of sidewalk on one of Orlando’s busiest roads. I doubt Cheryl made much in her Blue Box that day. After we were done Kristi gave he youngest daughter some money to give to Cheryl. Excited, her daughter sprinted off and had to be called back. “Wait for us. We’ll all go together.” This family knew how to share the love.

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