Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 11th and 12th 2017.

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Saturday November 11, 2017

10 AM to 1 PM. Free. Circling the World in a 24hr Sketch Walk! Disney Springs 1780 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 Planet Hollywood and Coca Cola buildings. Nearly 80 Urban Sketchers chapters around the globe will hold
sketch walks in their cities and towns to celebrate Urban Sketchers 10yrs
anniversary, showcasing sketches from their cities and towns.
Orlando’s Urban Sketchers group is one of them!

 Using social media Instagram network all sketch walks will be followed
starting with the first chapter to see daylight (Auckland, New Zealand)
to the last chapter to see the sunset (O’ahu, USA).
Photos and videos from each chapter will be shared throughout the day.

Where is Orlando in all of this? We are in an awesome place in the middle! With the world’s eyes on us here in Central Florida, we will be showcasing in sketches one of our unique and iconic locations.

The renovated Downtown Disney, now called Disney’s Springs, and the newly added section provide plenty of sketch opportunities. Take a pride in our Central Florida community! Come join us!

2 PM November 10, 2017 to 4 PM November 12, 2017. Free. Sidewalk in front of Lincoln Plaza in Downtown Orlando (300 S. Orange
Avenue). Drum Schtick. As part of Noise, an Art in Odd places production, award-winning D.C. based
performance artist Brian Feldman will embark on his longest project
to date.

For 50 consecutive hours, Brian will remain at a drum kit. Brian has been trying to realize this project since 2007.

Brian is seeking up to 50 volunteers (one hour shifts) to help ensure (1) his safety, (2) the continuity of the live stream (periscope.tv/BrianFeldman),
and (3) answers to attendee questions (to the best of your ability), as
he won’t be speaking during this project. Go to Sign Up Genius if you want to help. Earplugs are provided!

Noon to 4 PM through November 19, 2017. $15 Festival of Trees: The Gift of the Holidays. Orlando Museum of Art (2416 North Mills Ave. Orlando, FL 32803) The Festival of Trees, now in its thirty-first year, transforms the
Orlando Museum of Art into a glittering wonderland filled with sparkling
trees, vignettes and stunning décor for visitors of all ages.

The Orlando Museum of Art will showcase designer Christmas trees of all
sizes, holiday vignettes, custom hand designed wreaths and table décor, a
gingerbread village, tabletop displays and more. Each piece is designed
by Orlando’s finest designers and is available for purchase.

A glamorous gala night will mark the start of the 9-day event.

The
Festival continues with musical performances, fun family entertainment
and delightful programs for all ages throughout the week at the museum.

View the museum calendar to see all of the related Festival events. Festival of
Trees is presented by Council of 101, a non-profit organization. All
proceeds benefit the Orlando Museum of Art.

For more information, please contact the Council of 101 at (407) 896-4231,
ext. 254 or by email at councilof101@omart.org.

Sunday November 12, 2017 

11 AM to 5 PM. Free. Pagans in the Park. Mead Botanical Garden 1300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, Florida 32789. A day of connecting, workshops, readers and vendors at
Mead Gardens, Winter Park FL. Please bring a pot luck item to share!

1 PM to 5 PM Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

Noon to 1 PM Donation based. Yoga. Lake Eola Park near the red gazebo. Bring your own mat.

2 PM to 4 PM Free but get a drink. Kelly DeWayne Richards Pop Up Piano Bar. 1212 Country club Oaks Circle 32804.

You Should Do…

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One year ago today, Brian Feldman hosted a series of five minute, in-person, one-on-one meetings in a small elevator inside the Orlando Shakespeare Center. He maneuvered two full length mirrors into the elevator creating a visual infinite loop. I sat in on a series of these short meetings with the egg timer reminding me of the swift passage of time. For the first time in his career, Brian will genuinely consider all pitched project ideas to him during this one-time-only event, without his standard “You should do it” response. Interested participants registered for one of the 36 available meeting times on May 6, 2016.

Over the course of his 13 year career as a performance artist, people would regularly approach him with ideas of their own for projects that he should do. His response has always remained steadfast: “You should do it.” … Until now. He genuinely considered all pitched project ideas during this
one-time-only event, without his standard “You should do it” response.

At the time of this performance, Brian was recovering from a horrible mugging in Washington DC which resulted in multiple broken bones.  Among
the many things he struggled with at the time was an inability to devise any new project ideas. While friends and family members assured him that these ideas will return to him in due time, he was impatient for the muse to strike.

By
participating in “You Should Do,” participants acknowledged that Brian Feldman
only agreed to genuinely listen to and consider the proposed project
idea. It did not imply an agreement that any project would actually be
produced. Note that any projects sent through Twitter are public
and may be produced by anyone, at any time, worldwide and without your
permission.

I didn’t have any inspired ideas other that having an artist document each performance. The space got cramped once three people sat in the tiny elevator meeting room. Seth Kubersky had some wonderful ideas that would tie in with a certain local themes park’s anniversary. His suggestions seemed to hold the most weight. As of today, one year later, none of the projects have been produced but there is always a chance that they will surface and bloom, even years later. Case in point, this sketch sat tucked way in a sketchbook until today.

Brian Feldman presents, Dishwasher.

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Flying Horse Editions located in the UCF Center for Emerging Media campus across from the Bob Carr, held an open house with wine and cheese.

Flying Horse Editions is a collaborative research studio for visual
artists at the University of Central Florida. A non-profit publisher of
limited-edition prints, artist books, and art objects by
internationally renowned artists, FHE offers unique opportunities for
artists, students, and the Central Florida community.

Flying Horse Editions offers visiting artists the opportunity to work
with FHE technicians to push the boundaries of their work while
providing a unique educational experience for UCF students.

At part of the open house Brian Feldman presented Dishwasher. The premise is simple; Brian washed dishes for the first half of the evening and then gave a cold reading of a monologue from a play. Sara Segal , who booked the performance, picked the script. After his reading, the audience was asked if Brian was a better actor or dish washer. Brian began h is acting career when he was just 10 years old at the Shakespeare Theater at Lake Eola Park. His first non-acting job however, was as a dishwasher. So he has experience with both career paths. Several of Brian’s friends were at the open house and they joked with Brian as he did the dishes. When it came time to vote, they decided he was a better dishwasher. The rest of the audience voted for his acting.

The Television art show at Barefoot Spa.

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I submitted a piece at the Television Art Show at The Barefoot Spa (801 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803). This show featured art of television personalities, art of televisions, and art of anything related to televisions. There were classic television shows, cartoon characters, Atari, the evening news, and more. I submitted a sketch I did of a Brian Feldman performance done at Frames Forever. Brian set up televisions in the storefront window and watched TV all night as each station switched from analog signals to digital signals. Each TV showed static after the switch. It was the night when analog officially died. If you had an old TV with rabbit ears, it became a devise to watch static across all the stations. Since Brian was bored by the viewing options, he used his cell phone to tweet and research through the night.

The TV Art Show reception was fairly well attended, but more than there quarters of those in attendance must have been artists. Linda Saracino is an artist who paints quirky dress fashions and does intricate collages. She was talking to someone who ended up being deleted from the sketch, since he or she would have been standing in the centerfold of the sketchbook. Linda’s work wasn’t in the show, but I’ve seen her at about every art opening that I’ve ever sketched. John Glassman Gardener was busy signing colorful spray can lids that acted as magnets. He would place each on the metal column as he finished signing them.

The show featured 30 pieces of art by 18 different artists.

Bethany Taylor Myers

Brian Garnett

Carrie Perman

Chrissy Hufford

Cierra Hannah

Delores Haberkorn

Donna Harrington

Eric Wise

Glaucia Mir

Jamie Meagher

Jon Glassman Gardner

M Scott Morgan

Mark Goffe

Parker Sketch

Thom Solo

Thomas Thorspeken

Vanessa Bernal

Parker Sketch curated the show, and he did a great job logging the art as it arrived and when is was picked up. My piece didn’t sell. The problem was that I exhibited the original. Lets face it people in Orlando cant afford my originals. My prints at half the price do sell on occasion. Even the owner of a sports stadium decided to buy a print rather than the original painting that they commissioned. 

The Vinik Family Foundation presents The Beach Tampa.

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The Beach Tampa is an interactive architecture installation in the Amalie Arena. Created by Snarkitecture, This 15,000 square foot immersive environment features an ocean of 1.2 million recyclable and antimicrobial white balls. Open to the public at no cost thanks to The Vinik Family Foundation, the beach will remain open until August 25th 2016. The environment is created on the floor of the arena using construction materials such as scaffolding, wall panels, and perforated mesh.

Performance artist Brian Feldman told me about the exhibit. He tried to get in on a weekend but there was a line for tickets. When he did get his ticket the entry time was for six hours later. He got sidetracked at an art event in St. Petersburg and didn’t get back to the Arena. We decided to take a day trip during the week. This time there was no line. At the entrance guests are offered free ice cream. White fabrics lined all the halls leading to the beach, creating a sense of wonder and anticipation.

Security checked all bags and a metal detector wand checked for metal. My pencils kept setting off the metal detector but I ultimate made it through. There are free lockers available if you want to leave personal items behind before entering the beach. A volunteer questioned my artist chair but let me pass.  There were plenty of white beach chairs inside, but they were set back away from the 75-foot-wide beach shore. I set up right at the shore’s edge where all the action was.

Within minutes of arriving, Brian spotted an olde woman who looked like she was in distress. Only her head was above the balls and she was sinking down as if in quick sand. Her face was red and her eyes panicked. I let a lifeguard know and she threw out a life preserver. Several more lifeguards moved in and tried to lift the woman. She was very heavy and it took three people to get her out. Later I saw another elder couple also struggling to get out. The woman seemed stuck, but her partner managed to help get her back to shore. Later, as she struggled to catch her breath in a beach chair she said, “That was exhilarating.” Brian waded out and submerged until only his head was visible. A woman with beautiful black hair lay back on the sea foam of balls and spread her hair out as if a Victorian muse. Perhaps that selfie will be her next Facebook profile photo. There must be millions of selfies shot at the beach every day. Mirrors surround the ocean of balls increasing the feeling of an open expanse. The Beach signage is presented backwards and forwards so that any digital image will have the signage facing the right way if you aim your cell phone at the right angle.

I waded in once my sketch was done. A lifeguard warned me to empty my pockets since the pressure of all the balls tends to push objects out of pockets. I left me keys change and wallet in my sneakers at the shore’s edge. When this huge ball pit is emptied there will be a treasure trove of objects to be found at the bottom. Brian took a few photos as I struggled in the balls. If you lay back and sink to the bottom it can be hard to get back up. Children know instinctively how to roll and get up. It is the adults who are more prone to panic.  Swimming in balls is a good workout. I was exhausted from my short exuberant swim. Afterwards, Brian navigated us to Gourmet Pizza Company, (610 S Armenia Ave, Tampa, FL), a pizza parlor offering vegan and gluten-free options , and I must admit it was the best pizza I ever had.

If you want to have a fun time, the drive west on I-4 to Tampa is well worth it. You only have until August 25th to experience the beach for yourself.

Extreme Perspective Art Show at Dandelion Communitea Cafe.

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Extreme Perspective Art Show at Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, FL) Art is a show is all about an EXTREME perspective, either something grand, vast, expansive, large, or something tiny, cellular, small, minute or something from a perspective of enormous, like a very large collection of items or something extremely close up and uncomfortable or something from a unique and unusual perspective.

I submitted a framed original of a sketch I did at Fantasy Surf. At Fantasy Surf you can ride an artificial wave that never ends. Water is shot up over a plastic shaped wave and you can do tricks otherwise impossible in the ocean since you can hop down on the Past is surface to set up for spins o flips. The original piece of art is discounted since I didn’t add in the cost of the frame which was an up front cost for another show.

Theresa Touhey curated the show and when I arrived at the opening, she was seated at a table with

Natassia Dudack. Theresa reminded me about how her boyfriend spotted m in a Documentary about performance Artist Marina Abramovic. I flew into NYC on the final day of her extended performance of, The Artist is Present. Brian Feldman who was an Orlando performance artist at the time convinced me to sketch him sitting opposite Maria as they stared at each other. I got some decent sketches that day, but I still haven’t seen the documentary. 

I got to talk to artist Natassia Dudack, a bit at the opening. She had several delicate and well observed paintings of flowers in the show. Paintings on her cell phone portfolio hint at Buddhist themes to her work. One had a golden symbol for the “oohm” phrase uttered when meditating. She is also branching out to curate shows on her own. At the table in front of me, a family was out to show their support for Natassia. The mom was also an artist who does exquisite calligraphy brush paintings. The dad told me about his recent trip back to New Jersey where he went to his childhood home. The front door still had a carving that his dad had created over 45 years ago. Some art does last through the generations.

I joined Bethany Taylor Myers and her friends at a corner table for a while to catch up and laugh to a bit. Bethany has been friends with many artists in the room ever since she was 17 years old. It is reassuring to know that some friendships can stand the test of time.

Extreme Perspective will remain at Dandelion Communitea Cafe until September 3rd. Stop out to experience some local art.

TXT performance in Winter Park raised funds for Hannah Miller.

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Performance artist Brian Feldman resides in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Orlando, however, and the first time he performed TXT was at the Kerouac House six years ago. In D.C, he performs TXT weekly. In February of 2010 to protest the ban on gay marriage, Brian let everyone on social media know that he would marry anybody who showed up at the Orange County Courthouse on the set date. Three women showed up on that fateful day and Hannah Miller was one of them. He chose his wife with the spin of a bottle of water he got from a courthouse vending machine; the bottle pointed to Hannah. After the wedding Brian and Hannah went their separate ways, but she made the perfect wife since she firmly believed in the cause of equal rights in marriage. Her interviews were emotional and heartfelt. In January of 2011, Brian and Hannah’s marriage was annulled on the grounds that it was never consummated and they were never in love.

The TXT performance on May 5th at the Winter Park Public Library was a fundraiser for Brian’s ex-wife, Hannah. She has become incapacitated by a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis
and a chest tumor that her doctors believe is associated with it. She is a
Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome Type 3 patient, also diagnosed with Grave’s
Disease and Refractory Celiac Disease. Hannah is a fun and creative puppeteer, but like most art forms it can’t pay the insurmountable medical bills. This performance was a fundraiser, with 100% of the proceed going to Hannah.  I emptied my wallet, but I know it is just a small drop in the bucket. Hannah and her boyfriend Jack Fields came to the performance and they sat in the front row. This was the first time I saw how Hannah’s mobility was being limited. Despite the medical setbacks she still manages to joke about her situation.

At a TXT performance the entire audience is asked to take out their cell phones and log into anonymous twitter accounts. They all tweet, and Brian reads every tweet out loud while adding some creative flourishes. I remember that one person thought I was taking notes to report on individual’s deprived rants. People were confused and reluctant at first, but once they understood the premise they embraced the creative flow. 

Jingle Eve offers gift options in Ivanhoe Village.

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Jingle Eve happen every December in Ivanhoe Village. All the shops on Virginia Avenue are open late and Mark Baratelli‘s Food Truck Bazaar supplies the food. I had to pick up a painting from Bare Foot Spa which is on Virginia so I got a sketch and an errand done with one trip. Artist John Glassman Gardner discussed a project he started in which he pays artists to fill a page in a sketchbook. I offered to fill a page, but the sketchbook is still making the rounds in some artists studio.You might notice that even in December, Orlandoens dress in T Shirts, shorts and sandals. You gotta love that.

I didn’t buy anything on this sketch outing but I discovered a glass shop that had all the tools and supplies needed to create stained glass windows. Bare Foot Spa (801 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida) always has exhibits of local artists in the front room. An exhibit curated by Parker Sketch will be opening this Saturday September 9th from 6pm to 9pm. The show is titled Television and it features art of television personalities, art of televisions, art of anything related to televisions. Here you will see classic television shows, cartoon characters, Atari, the evening news, and more. This show features 30 pieces of art by 17 different artists. I submitted one sketch done of Brian Feldman on the evening that all the analog signals were switched off. He had one analog TV for each station and one by one the sets switched to static. On that day if you had an analog TV, it became a relic and you had to go out and buy a digital TV. I wonder how much TV sales spiked around the country on that day. Anyway, stop on out to the opening if you are in Ivanhoe Village that day and say hi.

#txtsmall challenged the audience to think and create as one.

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Fringe tech rehearsals were in full swing when performance artist Brian Feldman returned to Orlando from Washington, D.C. to do a performance of “#txtsmall” a new variation of his “txt” show. The performance took place in the home of Carl F. Gauze. Carl has written and produced many Fringe productions, so he understands the need for a good set and production values. He set an antique desk on top of a wooden stage he made for the performance. Tiki gods and lava lamps set the scene while a disco ball was the cherry on the ice cream sundae.

“txt” was first performed in 2009 at the Kerouac House. The premise is simple: Everyone in the audience logs in to an anonymous account on Twitter. invited to an account on twitter. The audience tweets and Brian reads them all aloud. This has become Brian’s signature performance and shows continue in DC. At one show in DC, every Sunday night. At one show the audience began to work together -unprompted-constructing a storyline. It was a magical, unexpected collaborative effort and Brian hoped that the Orlando show might duplicate that magic.

“#txtsmall” had an audience of six gathered in Carl’s living room. There were isolated instances when a storyline began to form involving monkeys, but like most “txt” performances, chaos and mad improvised thoughts took over. Genevieve Bernard tweeted stage directions asking Brian to dance like a lava lamp. He got up, stood at the front of the stage and moved with a liquid oozing flow.

After the show, Brian told us about a new performance he will premiere at Capital Fringe in Washington, D.C. called Dishwasher. At a mutually agreed upon time, he will go to the ticket buyer’s home, wash the dirty dishes in their sink and,
once completed, cold read any monologue he is assigned. As the show description states, “Is he a better
actor or dishwasher? You decide.” Brian’s first job was as a child actor in a production with Orlando Shakespeare Theater, his second job was as a dishwasher. This production should decide once and for all which career path he is destined to follow. If you happen to be in D.C. right now, I would have suggested you get a ticket. However the 18 show run is completely sold out.

Lottery tickets at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Certer.

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There are affordable tickets to the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. Brian Feldman a performance artist who now resides in Washington DC, returned to Orlando to surprise his parents this holiday season. The family decided to see “The Book of Mormon“. At 5:30pm there is a lottery for $25 tickets to the show. The Feldman family was at the front of the line. Names were taken and placed in one of those rotating lottery ticket cages. Perhaps 30 people stood in line.

A group of teens were playing, “Name that Sondheim Show”.  The MC knew all the shows, but her friends were Steven Sondheim illiterate. I felt like I should shout out the answers but I kept to myself. She tried to explain “Sunday in the Park with George“. “Its difficult to explain, the whole show is about this large painting of people in a park.” she explained. At 6pm the first names were drawn. Everyone crowded around the announcer hoping their name would be next. When a name was called out there would be gleeful cheers and clapping. The last name called only got a few disappointed claps. The lottery losers dispersed. None of the Feldman’s won the lottery.

Brian had wandered off to find a cash machine because lottery tickets could only be paid for with cold hard cash. I never did see him that night. His Mom, Marilyn, was in the box office in a bit of a panic. She didn’t have cash and so she couldn’t purchase fer full price ticket.  A friend offered to pay for her. Since so few people know about this lottery, your chances of winning are pretty good. As I hiked back to my car, I over heard a couple who had lost the lottery but had been offered winning tickets from another group that had won to many times.