Pints for Pulse: a Community Event.

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Festival Park (2911 E. Robinson St., Orlando, Florida), was the site for Pints for Pulse. Tickets were $50. Yo u could sample beers from just about every craft brewery imaginable while helping raise money for the OneOrlando fund. The event’s tag line was…  beer | art | music | you.

This craft beer community event raised money to help the pulse nightclub victims. Over eighty breweries, food trucks, food tents, burlesque shows, drag shows, and many more amazing and wonderful things – all to help raise funds for those affected by the pulse night club tragedy. This fiery burlesque performer swallowed fire for the cause.

All proceeds from this event will go to OneOrlando. I’ve heard the funds from OneOrlando will not be distributed until November. For those who are struggling now there is little peace. Survivors of the Pulse nightclub shootings will have a little more leeway
to qualify for a share of the millions of dollars raised by the
OneOrlando Fund, its board of directors decided late Thursday. Forms should be online at OneOrlando.org by midday Friday and must be submitted with documentation by Sept. 12.

The money will go only to four groups: the families of the dead,
survivors who were hospitalized, survivors who sought outpatient medical
treatment, and those who were present in the club when the shootings
began but not physically injured.

Families of the dead will receive the most; the share that goes to each subsequent group will be decided next month.

Peace, Love, Pulse!

Pints for Pulse

Posted on by Thor

Pints for Pulse was a community event that featured beer, art, and music at Festival Park (2911 E. Robinson St., Orlando, Florida). It happened to line up with Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD), so I made it the month’s drink on and draw in destination. Tickets however were $50 and I don’t think any artists of he than myself showed up. This was a craft beer community event that raised money to help the pulse nightclub victims. There were 80+ breweries, food trucks, food tents, burlesque shows, drag shows, and  more, all to help raise funds for those affected by the pulse night club tragedy.

When I arrived, I quickly walked around the entire event. Beer vendors were serving shot glass sized servings of beer. I didn’t get a wrist band since I didn’t plan to drink, just sketch. I stopped as soon as I saw these redefine artists hard at work on a collaborative piece of art. They were paint in on square wooden panels and each artist seemed to be in charge of their own panel. Some panels interlocked. For instance the swan engulfed for of the panels along with a lizard. At the end of the day, the entire painting was going to be given to the winner of a raffle drawing. These artists sweated the in butts off to complete This group mural, So whoever won, was getting an amazing painting for next to nothing.

Steve Parker pulled off his panel, so he didn’t have to work shoulder to shoulder the whole day.

Peace, Love, Pulse. All proceeds from this event went to OneOrlando.

The first exhibit of 49 portraits at the Orlando Science Center.

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On July 3, 2016 Orlando artists gathered at Falcon Bar to create portraits of the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy. The goal was to create 49 portraits in one night. Eighteen artists answered the call and the portraits were completed. It was an emotionally charged and creative labor of love. On July 19th, the collection of portraits was exhibited for the first time at the Orlando Science Center during their OneOrlando fundraiser.

I dropped off all the portraits and the hanging hardware. The sketches were simply hung, clothes line style on fishing line with electrical clamps to suspend them. I had prepared labels the evening before, but the museum printed even better labels on vinyl. I got choked up just counting out all the clamps. Precious human life was reduced to the number of clamps needed to showcase the art.

When I arrived at the museum, staff were quickly putting up the name tags. Each person’s name was listed along with their age. I have re-written the list of names several times and the shear number is always overwhelming. People would stop in groups to look at the display. Plenty of cell phone photos were taken, One woman walked by and purposefully touched a portrait which must have been someone she knew. Terry, my wife, stopped by to let me know that the portrait exhibit was a good idea. I was at a loss for words so I continued to sketch.

Siclaly M. Santiago-Leon, is the sister of Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon whose life suddenly ended along with his partner Jean Carlos Mendez Perez at Pulse. Siclaly came to the exhibit to see the portrait done by Plineo Pinto of her brother for he first time. I was excited to meet her since she has followed the portrait project from the start. I was about to leave the exhibit to go upstairs and sketch another aspect of the event. I bumped into her on the steps. She held out her hand and said “People call me Lolly.” She introduced me to her husband and then they went down to see the exhibit. Her brother’s portrait was right on the bottom row next to his partner. Lolly walked up to the portrait and then leaned against her husband as she cried. He held her close. I got choked up as well and wiped my eyes on my sleeve. I looked at Jennine Miller, who had helped coordinate the exhibit, and we both smiled as we fought back the tears.  The couple continued to embrace and I finally realized I should slip away so they could soak up the exhibit in private. This moment made all the hectic planning worth while. Lolly later found me as I was sketching a rainbow colored dinosaur. She hugged me and thanked me for the exhibit and once again I had to wipe away tears. My contribution seems so small compared to the unimaginable loss.

Circa at Love By Design.

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In response to the tragedy at Pulse, AIGA Orlando invited the entire city to Love by Design, an event that will inspire and empower us all to stand against discrimination. Even more than a reflection on this tragic event, Love by Design will be an all-day celebration of The City Beautiful’s talent, diversity and resilience. Local artists and designers will donate original work for sale and auction. Food and entertainment will be provided by local musicians and food trucks. Proceeds will benefit OneOrlando, the fund formed by the mayor’s office to respond to the needs of our community in the wake of the Pulse Tragedy.

Circa was a solo act with plenty of heart. What made the performance so endearing was the fact that every song was directed to the performer’s girl friend seat in the front row. She beamed with pride as he sang and he looked he ” the eyes with every romantic note. Perhaps love can someday overcome hate.

I was drinking pear ciders and by this time, my sketches were loose and fluid. I got to enjoy the performance with Ka Malinalli and her daughter. Ka was the next performer in the line up. She referred to her daughter as the “barnacle” since the two of them are inseparable. Little did I know that it would be Ka’s performance that would bring home the meaning of the day’s fundraiser. Her original song “Whispering Wind” written in the make of the Pulse tragedy caused all the emotions to flood back…

Love by Design in the Milk District.

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In response to the tragedy at Pulse, AIGA Orlando created Love by Design, an event that sought to inspire and empower us all to stand against discrimination.  Love By Design was for civic leaders, creative professionals and anyone else who cares about the future of our city. Representatives from the LGBTQ and Muslim communities shared their stories as we all begin the process of healing from our collective heartbreak. Together, we will determine how to move forward as a city that lives with more love every day.

Even more than a reflection on this tragic event, Love by Design was an all-day celebration of The City Beautiful’s talent, diversity and resilience.

Local artists and designers donated original work for sale and auction. Food and entertainment was be provided by local musicians and food trucks. Proceeds will benefit OneOrlando, the fund formed by the mayor’s office to respond to the needs of our community in the wake of the Pulse Tragedy.

AIGA Orlando is a professional association for design and creative professionals. Formed in 2000, the association currently has about 250 members, and grew 68% in 2015 alone. Their mission is to nurture a thriving creative community and serve as a hub for creatives in the area.

When I arrived, Beemo was the first band to get on stage. It was a scorching hot day and [ ordered a pear cider to quench my thirst as I sketched. Anna McCambridge Thomas helped organize the art available for sale. A tent helped keep the small audience coo in the parking lot behind the Milk Bar. Partial proceeds of all drink sales went to the One Orlando fund as well. “Is there light? Is there time? To set our world to right?”

Beautiful Together, An artistic journey toward hope at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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Through a variety of art forms, over 50 local Orlando arts groups joined together to honor the lives and sacrifices of those involved in the tragic events in Orlando. Proceeds go to OneOrlando Fund. I stopped in early to sketch the rehearsal. Getting so many acts onto the stage in such a short amount of time must have been a monumental undertaking.  Cole Nesmith helped bring together all the arts groups at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. of course it takes a small army to pull together so much talent in one place. 

The most emotionally wrenching moment of the rehearsal came as the orchestra played a mournful symphonic piece I have heard before, but as not name. As the soothing notes fill the large empty theater, someone began to read all the names of the victims of the Pulse terrorist attack tragedy. White flower pedals fell from the rafters into a cool pool of a spotlight. One pedal fell for every name. It was impossible not to become emotionally overwhelmed. Afterwards, a beautiful ballet dancer performed in the pool of light. Her thin form stretched and reached yearningly for answers.

The gay chorus performed an inspired rendition of “True colors”. The attention to detail was in itself amazing. A huge chorus was high above the stage on rafters. Every chorus member wore a bold shirt that was one color of the rainbow. Two chorus members in red shirts were asked to separate to create uniformity. It became clear that I was witnessing a historic collaboration that might help bring hope and healing to a grieving community. I had hoped to write up an artist by midnight and post it the next day, but all me nerve endings are fried. I collapsed as soon as I got back home.

All of the flowers and candles from Lake Eola were moved to the memorial outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The History Center is collecting items from the memorial to preserve the history. I was told that all dead flowers would be returned to Lake Eola as compost, but I’m not so sure that is true now. The memorials were removed from Lake Eola to make way for the July 4th fireworks.

Angel Action Wings for Orlando

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Experienced volunteer seamstresses were needed on Friday, June 24th at Orlando Shakespeare Theater

(812 East Rollins St. Orlando, FL), to build “Angel Action Wings” for the upcoming Pulse Benefit at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday evening, June 28th. After the concert, 49 angels (one for each of the fallen) will be standing in tribute on the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Plaza.

The Orlando Shakespeare costume shop coordinated the effort. Volunteers brought their own scissors, seam rippers, rulers, etc. Sewing machines, sergers and materials were provided by the costume shop. 

 Jeannie Marie Haskett coordinated the effort while also getting children setup for the first day of theater summer.I arrived straight from work and Jeannie gave me a warm welcome. The scenic shop was ablaze with activity. Several dozen Disney Voluntears were busy ironing, folding and putting final touches o the wings. 49 PVC structures were built to hold the wings on people’s shoulders. the completed wing span is about six feet. H will be an impressive sight when these 49 angels stand in front of the performing arts center.

On June 28, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando
will host a special “Beautiful Together” event to benefit the OneOrlando
fund for the victims of the Pulse shooting. Over 50 local arts organizations have signed on to perform or present, including the Orlando Gay Chorus and the UCF Choir. The event will start at 8 p.m. in the Walt Disney Theater. Tickets start at $15.

Orlando Strong: A SAK Benefit Show.

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SAK Comedy Lab (29 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida) offered a free comedy benefit in the wake of recent events in Orlando. The core values at SAK have always been “Truth, Excellence and Joy”, so wanted to use their strengths as a comedy venue to share those values in support of the community (especially the LGBT and Latino communities) who could really use some joy. This show will featured SAK performers in a variety of fun acts. Admission was free, but donations were encouraged at the door. 100% of proceeds from the door will go to the “OneOrlando” campaign helping the victims and families of victims of the Pulse attack.

The Fringe superstar and fashion diva Pepe acted at the MC to open the show. He wore a gorgeous rainbow feathered boa that looked like, could inspire love, the most hate for person. As he said it was a sexy sold out house. All the mammies and poppies held each other dose as Pepe announced the first acts. Every seat in the venue had a sheet of colored paper. Bob Kodzis invited every member of the audience to write down a message for families of the decided survivors and first responders. There was an artist sketch! in the row in front of me. He held two fingers to his neck like he was checking his pulse. I believe he was sketching one of the 49 who were killed using a photo on his phone as reference.

A video set to the song, “Carry on” opened the evening. It showcased what people used to imagine about Orlando, with photos of Disney theme parks,and I-4 traffic. Then shots taken outside Pulse of the evening of the attack were replaced with photos of crowds coming together in grief an love culminating in the huge 50,000 strong Lake Eola vigil. The point of course is that we must carry on and let the work see that we are more than a tourists cliche. It was an inspiring vision of we could be without ever forgetting.

We were all ready for some laughs and the huge crew of comedians delivered. What the show real I delivered besides laughs, was joy. The comedy lab only held two other benefits in it’s 25 year history. The first was after 9/11 and the second after hurricane Charlie and his two other companions. The founder of SAK told us about his visit to the memorial outside the Dr, Phillips Center for performing arts. He was seated at one of the tables and there was another woman seated at the same table. He didn’t know her. She reached out her hand, and he took it.  They sat holding hands for 5 minutes an then she left. They never spoke a word. What if this was our everyday Standard behavior? What if we all loved more then we have ever loved before? The world would certainly be a better place.

During the auction, Pepe and another performer said they would match whatever was bid on a dinner for two. The item went for $100 after heated bidding. The event raised $4384.00, SAK matched that amount bringing the total to $8,768.00. After the show, all the performers got on stage for a spontaneous dance party. “I wanna dance with somebody“of course we all got up and joined in. Laughter and Joy bring healing.