Stella’s Print Party 2

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was responsible for creating beautiful tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner to be held at the museum.

The overall design of the dinner was loosely based on a 1979 Judy Chicago installation called The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party was built around a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history.

To engage the public in the creative process, Stella held a Print Party where visitors to OMA could walk in and make a print on one of the tablecloths. I had already finished a sketch of the Print Party but realized I couldn’t see much of the tabletops from my seated angle, so I stood to do this second sketch. I loved watching people’s excitement as they added their personal touch to the art process.

There were about 4 or 5 volunteers who were recruited to help. Stella had to train everyone on the methods needed to make clean prints. The volunteers would then have to train each guest on how to make a print.

It was cute to watch children making what was probably the very first print they had ever made. I could see their eyes light up when they saw the results and many wanted to try and make another print. Adults exhibited just as much wonder.

Stella was very clear about making sure the ink rollers were stored face up and it was important that the guests rolled enough ink on the plates without putting too much ink down. Once a tablecloth had enough prints it was removed and put aside. Later all the finished tablecloths were moved to a classroom in the back of the museum.

Stella had purchased a simple, mechanical printing press. However, once on site, Stella preferred to use traditional hand printing methods instead, providing a more personal experience and control over the process for the guests. Flat wooden spatulas were used to burnish designs from the wood blocks with water-based inks onto the fabrics. As with Eco-Printing, there was a wide variety to the prints that were made at the print party. Some were light because the guest felt tentative, while others were bold and dark. Like all hand made art, the result reflected the spirit of the artist, even if it was their first time making a print.

In my humble opinion, the Paint Party was a smashing success.

Stella’s Print Party

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was creating tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner that would happen at the museum which was based on the 1979 installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party.

Stella decided to use the commission to create Eco-prints on the tablecloths. This tied in nicely with her UCF Masters Thesis, which outlined the effects of communing with nature while thru hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail. That hike helped foster a lasting love of nature that inspires her work.

Prior to the Print Party, she Eco-printed many of the tablecloths. Eco-printing uses natural leaves to make prints directly on the fabric. Not all the Eco-prints were complete yet, but she also carved wood and foam blocks of leaves, birds and insects for guests to use.

The public was invited to a Print Party at OMA where they could help with making prints on the many fabric tablecloths. It is nerve wracking to have complete strangers contributing to such an intricate process. Multiple folding tables were set up in the gallery space right near the entry to the museum. The tablecloths were then laid flat on the table so guests could make prints.

Stella reached out to her old friend Leanne Klein for assistance during this event. Leanne is a good friend, recent transplant to FL and former classmate from her undergtad years at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She holds an MFA from NYU and teaches printmaking workshops at the Tampa Museum. Leanne was a godsend because she interacted with the guests playfully and got them excited about making an artistic contribution.

The excitement built as more and more guests arrived.

Eco-Printing: Wrapping Bundles

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón had a commission to create table coverings for a fundraiser dinner at the Orlando Museum of Art. The table arrangement at the museum was based on a 1979 art installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party. In that installation there were 39 elaborate place settings that represented famous and historical women. The messaging of the Dinner Party was to end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of history.

Stella decided to use the tablecloth commission to create Eco-prints. With the Eco-printing process, the fabrics had to be soaked and treated allowing them to pick up organic prints from leaves placed on them.

Stella gathered leaves from her yard. She picked leaves from the many plants that were on her property. I volunteered to shoot video of her gathering the leaves which she placed in a wicker basket and I used my iPhone to shoot the footage. When we went back to look at the video, we discovered that I had just shot still photos of her gathering the leaves. Damn, I had done such fluid and careful cinematic camera work. Whoops. I should stick to sketching. Still the photos are nice of her reaching and gathering bundles of leaves.

When the fabric was ready, Stella would arrange the leaves on the cloth surface in a pattern that made the most sense. Besides the Eco-prints there were some block prints of leaves that had been carved onto linoleum. I enjoyed helping with the carving of the linoleum as well and I am proud to say I never stabbed my hand.

Most of the leaves were at the outer edges of the tablecloth and the central area was left clear for the intricate place settings which other artists were commissioned to create. To make the prints, Stella rolled up the fabric tightly with the leaves inside. When the sketch was done, I helped her with the rolling process since 4 hands made the job easier than 2.

With the bundle rolled, it was then tied tight with thin strips of fabric and placed in a large pot where they would all be steamed. Stella had no idea how the printing would turn out. She had researched every step but there were so many variables that she couldn’t be sure the prints would work properly.

After steaming the rolled-up fabrics overnight, the moment of truth came in the morning. As Stella unrolled the first rolled up bundle, I began to ooh and ahh as the leaves were removed, each left a distinct mark behind on the fabric. It is a bit like watching fire works. The most rewarding moment of the process was removing the leaves, and I loved helping. Some leaves left district and clear prints while others were ghostly and faint. When all the fabrics were hung on her clothesline illumined by the sun, there was a glorious variety of prints as the cloths waved in the breeze. I loved the variety and Stella was just happy that the process was working.

Stella’s OMA Commission

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I helped Stella Arbeláez Tascón, a fellow artist and friend, when she got a commission from the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) to create tablecloths for a fundraiser event. Her idea was to eco-print leaves on the tablecloths along with woodblock prints. The fundraiser concept was built around the 1979 art installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party. With that installation there were 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table arrangement for 39 mythical and historical famous women. Including Kali, Sacajawea, Virginia Wolf, Susan B. Anthony and Georgia O’Keefe to name a few. The messaging goal of the Dinner Party was to end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record.

Stella had never eco-printed before, but she researched the process voraciously. After the fabric bolts were cut and hemmed, they were soaked in fresh water, dried, folded and stacked on a table set up outside. The next step was to boil water and soak the fabrics in chemicals that would allow the natural leaves to make impressions on the fabric. Since there were so many table clothes there were many boiling sessions.

I went with Stella when she purchased the old rusty butane stove for a song on Facebook Marketplace. When we picked it up there was a whole corrugated warehouse full of old abandoned equipment. A cow from the nearby field managed to get over the fence and had to be chased down to be put back in her field. That was all a sketch opportunity, but we were in and out rather fast to pick up the stove.

The water and fabrics frothed up in the huge metal pot and bubbled over the edge. When Stella finished stirring the pot, she went off to complete another task, and I sat and watched the pot while I sketched. I lowered the fuel nozzle a few times to keep the mix from boiling over. Once the boil was complete all the fabric was taken out and hung on outdoor clothes lines to dry in the breeze. Having this outdoor space to work on the project was critical since this was a messy process. The whole point of the eco-printing process was to celebrate the natural beauty of the outdoors.

In the background of this sketch is a hydroponics tower that was absolutely thriving. The edible lettuce was growing so fast that the tower was getting top heavy. The lettuce at the top was getting the most sunlight and it grew to the point that it broke the plastic tower in which the plant pots had been positioned. I patched the broken tower with plastic wrap because the water was leaking out of the tower and onto the ground. My fast, sloppy engineering fix seemed to work at least for the short term. I harvested the plants which were then drooping down unsupported and put them in bags in the refrigerator. The root system inside the tower was so huge that it would have to be cut out when all the plants were harvested. The greens lasted a long time in the refrigerator. I do believe some of them were eco-printed.

Orlando Urban Sketchers at OMA

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By Thomas Thorspecken

I went to the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) (2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL) because the museum galleries were open for artists to sketch. My friend Stella P. Arbelaéz Tascón is a member of the museum and called to find out that she could get me in as well. What the museum receptionist had failed to tell Stella was that her guest would just get $5 off the price of admission. I went into the museum hoping they might be giving out free Jean-Michel Basquiat cardboard forgeries to all who attended. Unfortunately the FBI had collected all the cardboard for their own collection.

As Stella and I scouted the galleries trying to decide where to sketch, we noticed quite a few other artists in the galleries hard at work. It turned out that The Orlando Urban Sketchers group was in the museum. I helped found the Orlando Urban Sketchers group back when I used to host Drink and draw events in Orlando. The group is more vibrant than ever using social media to generate interest and get artists out of their studios to explore other venues for artistic inspiration with their sketchbooks in hand.

The Orlando Urban Sketchers group usually hosts events when I am online with a student. I was surprised to find the group just by sheer luck. I chose this subject because I saw Aristotle_05 doing a fun colorful sketch of this sculpture which is titled Sound Suit by Nick Cave. I liked that the female urban sketcher seemed dwarfed by the size of the Sound Suit.  Aristotle_05 later stood and took a few photos of the statue so I got him in the sketch. We held a throw down in front of the Museum gift shop. It was a great opportunity to meet other artists who had come out to sketch.

OMA Director Fired after FBI Raid

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Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) director Aaron De Groft was apparently missing in action as FBI agents raided his museum. He has been on the lamb ever since. In a bold move of incompetence or malicious greed, he mounded an exhibit of 25 works that were claimed to be by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The authenticity of that work quickly came into question.

The New York Times reported on the shady provenance of the works with one painting done on Fed Ex cardboard with the company logo being done in a typeface created nine years after the artist’s death.

De Groft did nothing but defend the work citing the flimsy excuse of a poem as proof of authenticity. The misguided OMA board also defended the work noting OMA gift store sales had gone up.

In an email, De Groft threatened an academic (subsequently identified as University of Maryland art historian Jordana Moore Saggese) who was seeking to distance herself from a report she was commissioned to write assessing the authenticity of the works in Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Thaddeus Mumford, Jr. Venice Collection. Saggese, who was reportedly paid $60,000 for her report, requested that her name not be tied to the exhibition, De Groft wrote, “You want us to put out there you got $60 grand to write this? Ok then. Shut up. You took the money. Stop being holier than thou.” He added, “Do your academic thing and stay in your limited lane.”

The clueless board in an effort to protect their own asses fired De Groft on 28 June 2022. No one seems to be able to admit they dropped the ball and failed with this misguided show. The work had never been clearly authenticated. The board’s  clear incompetence and complicity in what could be a criminal attempt to raise the value of fake art works means that if they have any morals, they will resign from the board. Orlando is now the laughing stock 0f the art world, internationally. More heads need to roll if this crippled institution is ever to recover. In a press release the board said that the museum is not under investigation, but the FBI is still investigating. The museum very well might face criminal liability.

On 24 June 2022, the FBI swooped in before the work could be shipped over seas. As the FBI investigation plays out we will get to see just how clueless or greedy OMA’s board and director were. Besides seizing the cardboard scribbles, they also seized “any and all” communications between the museum’s employees and the owners of the artworks “purported to be by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,” including correspondence with experts regarding the artwork.

Did the Orlando Museum of Art commit fraud in an attempt to raise the value of forgeries? The work was slated to go on exhibit in Italy next. A week ago one of the owners of the work walked into the museum lobby hoping to walk away with five of the works on cardboard. You would have to think he hoped to sell the fakes for millions before the gauntlet fell.

The OMA Board:

Chair of the Board
Cynthia Brumback

Officers
Ted R. Brown
Carolyn Fennell
Patrick J. Knipe
Francine Newberg
Sibille Hart Pritchard
Winifred Sharp
Andrew Snyder
Robert Summers
Lance Walker Jr.
Michael Winn
Nancy Wolf

Trustees
Leslie Andreae (Ex Officio)
Shari Bartz
Dustin Becker
Caroline Blydenburgh
Jeffrey Blydenburgh (Ex Officio)
Kathy Cardwell
Allison Choate
Earl Crittenden Jr.
William Deuchler
Mark Elliott (Ex Officio)
Elizabeth Francetic (Ex Officio)
Chase Heavener
Joan Kennedy (Ex Officio)
Amelia McLeod
John Martinez
Zakir Odhwani
Jennifer O’Mara
Paul Perkins Jr.
Valeria Robinson-Baker
Daisy Staniszkis

First Thursdays at OMA

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Noga Grossman arranged for Orlando Urban Sketchers to have a table for First Thursdays at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). As part of  our presentation, I agreed to do a sketch on my iPad, which was connected to one of the large screen TVs above our table. With that arrangement people could see my sketch progress in real time. Getting the connections right was a challenge, so we arranged to get things ironed out the week before. My possible sketch opportunities were limited to my view from the table since I was tethered to the screen. Pam helped me with a new wireless connection that worked great, which might mean sketching from anywhere in a venue without worrying about wires. It is a brave new world.

The Orlando Urban Sketcher’s table was adorned with a roll of paper, allowing anyone the chance to add to a sketch that developed over the course of the event. It was a popular spot for artists to come and relax with a sketch. Each Orlando Urban Sketcher was asked to bring in a sketchbook. My sketchbook had sketches of the strip in Las Vegas from a recent trip. What is great about having Urban Sketchers exploring an event is that each artist has their unique way of seeing and interpreting  the scene.

The theme for this First Thursday event was Art and Architecture. This show is a discovery into how art informs the built environment.
Artists were encouraged to submit all types of media, from photography
to 3D models, to showcase the beauty found in the built world. First Thursday is an opportunity for patrons to discover local artists, listen to live music, and mingle with an eclectic mix of people. There are cash bars serving wine, beer, soft drinks, and water, and cafe offerings from area restaurants. 

A giant pink sculpture by Carlos Betancourt dominated the back gallery area, while The Smoking Jackets performed live near the Chihuly sculpture in the atrium. Trevor Fraser was telling me a story of a reporter asking Chihuly what the hardest lesson was that he had learned as an artist. The two were walking through the artist’s glass-making workshop and an apprentice was finishing up a gorgeous piece of glass. Chihuly took it from him and threw it violently against the wall. It shattered into thousands of pieces. “Nothing lasts,” he said.

The next First Thurday is June 6, 2019. The theme for the evening will be Indigenous Futurism, which will will focus on the indigenous and tribal origins of art. From Africa,
Australia, North, South and Central America, and beyond. They
will explore the influence and fusion of tribal art from the past and
into the future. Admission is $15.

Girl at Fringe

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Beth Marshall is directing, Girl, written by Megan Mostyn-Brown, a hard-hitting drama at this year’s Fringe. When the audience entered the Gold Venue there were three black boxes on the stage and a blue suitcase. Girl consisted of three intimate stories which create a compelling account of the female adolescent experience and what it means to be “home.”

The play opened with a young girl, Hannah (Chloe Shaw), seated on the center box. Hate and ugly were scrawled on her legs. Her sister had recently died and she was trying to come to terms with this harsh reality. Days of the week flashed on the screen above her head and we watched as she spiraled downward. She had become numb and the only reality was the feeling she got when began cutting herself. Her sister might not have lived the most exemplary life, but she began to emulate her, going so far as to buy a red-haired wig to look like her.

The second scene introduced a tom boy, Lucy (Alexa Carroll), with a Polaroid camera around her neck. She didn’t try and blend in with the upper crust snobbish girls in school, preferring to keep to herself and document the moments of her life with the camera. A group of students began talking about sex and asked, “Where is the strangest place you have done it?” Well, she hadn’t actually had sex yet, but when confronted with the question she said, “In a tree,” and was shocked that they believed her. a classmate, Isaac (Matthew Gray), later called her out in private saying she was better than that. He walked her home and they began talking as if they had been friends for years. The girl’s mom, (Sierra Vennes), sat house right and began talking about the mistakes she had made in life and how she hoped she could protect her daughter from making the same mistakes.  Ultimately, that goal is impossible.

Lydia (Rachel Comeau) performed the final scene alone. Her performance was stellar. Without going into details, I will say her story had heartbreak and pain, with hope in the end. She brought the entire audience on her emotional journey and we were faced with the harsh reality of what she had to face. She cried and laughed and tried to stay strong through it all. She is the one actress I didn’t sketch, but I just had to stop and watch her performance without the interruption of glancing down at the page. She held new life dear and close to her chest, discovering what it meant to be at home.

This was heart-wrenching theater at its best. A tour-de-force of emotions.

Girl is in the Gold Venue inside the Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 Mills Ave N, Orlando, FL 32803.

Tickets are $6 along with the $10 Fringe button.

The remaining show dates are:

7:00 PM

6:30 PM

7:00 PM

Before I die at First Thursday

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The theme at 1st Thursdays at the Orlando Museum of Art (2416 North Mills Ave Orlando,
Florida) was “Before I Die:
Ultimate Celebration of Life”. This theme invited artists to submit their
version of a life well lived. On the “Before I Die, I want to…” wall, guests
could write their aspirations. Quotes I saw on the wall included, “Visit the Holy land”, “Become more ambitious”, and “Repeat all the good
again.”

On the first
Thursday of each month, you can discover local artists, listen to live music
and mingle with an eclectic mix of people. There are cash bars serving wine,
beer, soft drinks and water, and café offerings from area restaurants.

There
was music by DJ Atnarko Bear, Food by Hawker’s Asian Street Fare, and a Time-lapse
by Chalk Whisperer Kim Panella. Admission for museum members was free and $10
for visitors.

Van Gogh Find Yourself at the Orlando Fringe Festival

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Van Gogh Find Yourself can be found in the Gold Venue inside the Orlando Museum of Art (2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803.) A woman in line had said that she thought Van Gogh would be sketching everyone in the audience. I let her know that would likely not be the case. No artist works that fast. He sat on the stage sketching as the audience filtered into the theater. I sat in the front row to sketch him, and he immediately started to sketch me. He really does look like Van Gogh with the thick red beard and furrowed brow. He invited members of the audience to join him on stage, saying, “people kept a distance from me my whole life.”

He invited someone on stage to be sketches by him and the comedian Polly Esther, from Dammit Jim, I’m a comedian not a Doctor took the seat offered. He stood at the easel and sketched her. She pitched her show as she was being sketched but then he explained that silence while creating is alright. He started talking about his life as a minister in a coal mining town. When he saw the suffering around him, he gave up his possessions to live more like the people he was preaching to. His father intervened and told him to stop being so dramatic. Ultimately this was not to be his life’s work.

His brother Theo suggested Van Gogh learn to paint. This he picked up with an equal passion. Theo helped support Van Gogh’s painting obsession and ultimately he settled in the south of France. He had dreams of starting an artists colony and Gauguin took Theo’s several hundred dollar stipend to join Van Gogh painting in the south of France. The two artists had totally different views on art and were soon fighting.

Van Gogh said that many of his best paintings were done in the insane asylum. Starry Night was projected on the screen. He found peace away from people. The towns people tormented him. He dispelled the notion that he cut his own ear off saying Gauguin cut him with a saber. He did admit to giving the ear fragment to a prostitute. He also dispelled the notion that he committed suicide. He claimed he was shot by a boy he approached in the fields where he painted. He didn’t want the boy to be in trouble so he kept the incident to himself. After he died, a doctor took some of his best paintings. Theo died shortly after wards of a broken heart.

When the artist on stage announced his true name was Walter DeForest, the illusion was broken. Walter was born on the day Van Gogh died.  Surprisingly the original Star Trek doctors actual name is DeForest Kelly. I had  learned many alternate truths about one off my favorite artists. As an artist this was a fun show to watch and sketch. I give it 8 of 10 sunflowers.

Tickets are $12 plus a Fringe button needed to get into any show.

Remaining show dates are:

7:15 PM

2:30 PM