Creative Isolations Rehearsal

Posted on by Thor

I sat in and sketched the first Creative Isolations rehearsal on Zoom. This is a fascinating show put on by a group of graduate students from the University of Central Florida, who partnered with Orlando Story Club and the Downtown Arts District. The show was only staged on the video conferencing platform Zoom and YouTube. All the various slam poetry pieces and monologues are organized around the premise that a Shakespearean  acting troupe is looking for a way to have their voices heard over a digital platform. The performance was on Monday April 6, 2020 at 8pm.

Of course with the tech lags of video streaming and audio the first read through was a bit rough but it was possible to see the diamond in the rough. My series of pandemic illustrations will appear during one of the readings. And of course the illustration I did based o a written monologue about a sand sculptor will appear during that reading.

This is an amazing combination of tech and art and it should be truly unique to watch. Actually by the time this sketch goes live the performance will have already happened. I hope you got the word with my previous posts and had a chance to tune in.

Creative Isolations Team Meeting

Posted on by Thor

I have been contributing to Creative Isolations: The American Artists Project Performance.

On April 1, 2020 there was a zoom meeting for all 20 artists who are contributing to the project. Each artist in turn discussed their contribution to the project. I quickly sketched the Zoom meeting with the added challenge that people kept moving to new positions on the Brady Bunch screen.

I had done an illustration based on a short story about a sand sculptor. Because of the pandemic the sculptor was forced to work in his home sandbox. At first I thought the sandbox would be in the back yard, but then I took inspiration from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and I had the sculptor working in his living room.

Creative Isolations is a group of graduate students from the University of Central Florida, have partnered with Orlando Story Club and the Downtown Arts District for a celebration of artists in America. We have gathered stories about how artists’ lives have been altered by COVID-19 and selected artists to create original works based on those stories. Now, the artists are ready to share their creations with you!

The live, online performance will be on on Monday, April 6 (Tonight!) at 8pm Eastern Time (US and Canada).

Artist contributors include painters, actors, designers, singers, sand sculptors, composers, leather artists, and more.

The performance is free of charge. However, since social distancing has made it difficult for artists to make money, any funds raised will go straight back to the participating artists.

The Downtown Arts District and Orlando Story Club are proud partners of this project (6% of your donation will be used for an administrative fee).

LINK TO YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1swgTahl0or-KNaCYFCjZg?view_as=subscriber

LINK TO DONATE:
https://downtownartsdistrict.com/product/make-a-donation/

Creative Isolations: The American Artists Project

Posted on by Thor

I am one of 20 artists who have been selected to participate in Creative Isolations: The American Artist Project as a creator. I joined this journey by creating original work in response to other artist’s stories. The results of these collaborations will culminate in a live broadcast online for free on Monday April 6th at 8pm Eastern Time (US and Canada). Any tips or donations will be divided between the creators. The artists include painters, actors, designers, singers, sand sculptors, composers, leather artists, and more.

I was given two stories and asked to illustrate one. I was fascinated with the story of a sand sculptor who was a 2D artist who became obsessed with sculpting with the heavy medium of sand. Clients were lining up and 2020 looked like the first year where he was completely booked to do conventions, festivals, weddings, parties, and resorts, then the Covid-19 virus closed the country. He was suddenly faced with having to work from home in his private sand box. Despite the endless uncertainties, he continued to create art that others might never see. His story very much parallels my own experience. As I am locked down and creating in my own private vacuum while listening to my inner demons. Lock down has become a time of feverish creation.

Artists have been asked to keep their individual contributions to about 5 minutes in duration. Rehearsals start April 3 and I might sketch the Zoom conference meetings that result.

Here is the breakdown of the performers in the Creative Isolations cast: 

          3 male actor/singer

          2 male actors

          1 medieval musician (multiple instruments)

          1 female actor/voice actor

          1 female comedian/actor

          1 male dancer  

Creative Isolation’s consists of a group of graduate students from the University of Central Florida, have partnered with Orlando Story Club and the Downtown Arts District for a celebration of artists in America. They have gathered stories about how artists’ lives have been altered by COVID-19 and selected artists to create original works based on those stories. Now, the artists are ready to share their creations with you!

The performance is free of charge. However, since social distancing has made it difficult for artists to make money, so funds will be raised by passing a virtual hat for the participating artists via PayPal during the event. 

The performance is free of charge. However, since social distancing has made it difficult for artists to make money, any funds raised will go straight back to the participating artists.

The Downtown Arts District and Orlando Story Club are proud partners of this project (6% of your donation will be used for an administrative fee).

The Performance is Monday April 6, 2020 starting at 8pm to 9pm.

LINK TO YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1swgTahl0or-KNaCYFCjZg?view_as=subscriber

LINK TO DONATE:

https://downtownartsdistrict.com/product/make-a-donation/