Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 12 and 13, 2019

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In honor of National Library WeekSaturday October 12, 2019

10am to 1pm $5. Urban Sketching Workshop: Capturing Brutalist Architecture. Orange County Regional History Center, 65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801. The Accidental Historian
Young Artists Urban Sketching Workshops.
“Ink and Twig: Capturing Brutalist Architecture in Urban Sketch”
For students 14 to 24 years old.
Brutalism
was an architectural movement that flourished from the 1950s to the
mid-1970s. The term originates from the French word for “raw” as used by
the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier to describe his choice of
material as béton brut (raw concrete). The aesthetic appeal of Brutalism
sprang from its sculptural potential, and the style was generally
favored by architects who saw buildings as works of art. Brutalism is a
very cerebral style. The Orlando Public Library exemplifies the style,
with its “raw,” textured concrete facade. The original, easternmost
section, 60,000 square feet, was built in 1966 and was designed by John
M. Johansen. From 1982 to 1985, the building was enlarged to 290,000
square feet, with Schweizer Associates guiding the expansion to follow
Johansen’s design.
The sketching technique of Chinese ink and
twig perfectly captures the “raw” pure art form of Brutalist buildings.
With only a bit of ink and a sharpened twig, you will capture the raw
textural facade. In this workshop taught by landscape architect Art
Esteban and architect Gay Geiger, participants will learn a bit about
the history of the Brutalist architectural style in Orlando and how to
sketch with ink and twig to capture an urban setting.
This
workshop is open to students aged 14 to 24. All skill levels are
welcome. Sketching materials will be provided by Sam Flax Orlando. The
sketching portion of the workshop will take place outdoors. Participants
should dress appropriately for the weather and bring water and a snack.
Participants can bring a folding chair or stool to sit.
Workshop schedule
• 10 a.m. Meet inside the Orange County Regional History Center
• 10:05 a.m. Introductions
• 10:25 a.m.Tour of The Accidental Historian exhibit
• 11:15 a.m. Sketching instruction outside of Orlando Public Library
• 12:30 p.m. Sketchbook Throwdown

About the Instructors: Art Esteban and Gay Geiger
Art
Esteban is a landscape architect, off-road cyclist, and avid urban
sketcher. He has traveled to several Urban Sketchers Symposiums and
taken ink-and-twig workshops with the Malaysian sketcher and instructor
Kiah Kiean. Follow Art’s adventures on Instagram @artistotle_05.

Gay
Geiger is an architect with SchenkelShultz Architecture in Orlando. She
grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, learning to sketch from her
father. She moved to Central Florida in 1980 and has been practicing
architecture since 1987. Although Gay sketched buildings and entourage
for many years, it wasn’t until 2015 that she was able to define her
sketching interests as “urban sketching.” See more of Gay’s work on
Instagram @gaygeiger.About the Series: The Accidental Historian Young Artists Urban Sketching Workshops
Catch
the world around you one sketch at a time! Join Urban Sketchers Orlando
for any, or all three, sketching workshops in downtown Orlando for
artists aged 14 – 24. In conjunction with the History Center’s newest
exhibition, The Accidental Historian, these classes for all skill levels
will get you sketching on location and capturing history as it happens.
All art supplies are included, courtesy of Sam Flax!

4pm to 6pm Free. Young Voices. JB Callaman Center 102 North Parramore Ave Orlando FL. Teen Open Mic Every second Saturday of the Month. 

8pm to 10pm $5 Second Saturdays in Sanford. 202 S Sanford Ave, Sanford, FL. Live music event featuring 2 stages, drink specials and more. 

Sunday October 13, 2019

10am to Noon. Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 

1pm to 4:30pm 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.

3pm to 5pm Donation based.  Fundraiser Historic Preservation. Black Bottom House of Prayer, 921 Bently Street Orlando, FL 32805.

Story Corps Maria and Natalia Guerrero

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In 2007, Maria Guerrero founded Woman in the Arts Inc and the Orlando Public Library has offered advise and guidance along the way. Her daughter Natalia Guerrero has helped her every step pf the way and on this journey they both discovered that they are artists at heart.

Women in the Arts, Inc. is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization founded to recognize the work of women artists
and bring art education to the greater community. The organization’s
defining statements, “Art heals by giving voice to the soul,” and “Celebrating the genius of women,”
underline its mission to advance art education for people of all ages,
especially the youth, and raise public awareness of women’s
contributions to the arts.

As Maria said,

“The
decision to establish Women in the Arts was my response to a spiritual
call to serve by bringing recognition to the talent and work of women artists and
to provide access to free art education, especially to children. There
are different kinds of poverty and the lack of access and exposure to
the arts constitutes a form of intellectual poverty which Women in the
Arts seeks to address.

It was heart warming to see Natalia working so closely with her mom on a project that they both are passionate about. Natalie is a TESS Objects of Interest Manager and Communications Lead at MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. So besides her interest in Women in the Arts, she is exploring the final frontier. They both approached me after the interview to see what I had sketched. They both smiled broadly at my crude interpretation of the brief interview. It is enthusiasm like theirs that is helping keep the arts alive in Central Florida.

Library Video Interviews

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After Story Corps conducted each interview on the library’s top floor, staff would escort people down to the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center where a video interview was done to recap what was discussed with Story Corps. I sketched as Anthony adjusted the lighting levels and reflectors. Like a sketch, much of the work is done before people even enter the room. Cynthia Velasco conducted the interviews seated discreetly behind the multiple TV cameras.

Daniella King and Craig Wilkins work for the library and they discussed the pleasure to be found when they hire someone who blooms and flourishes in their new role. Craig is about to retire and he has acted as a mentor for Daniella. She said she is a bit concerned that she will not have his advice once he leaves, but he knows that she will do a fine job moving forward. Apparently there were tears shed in the Story Corp interview as they reflected on their growth at the library. This is the magic in speaking to two people at once, they already have a history.

Story Corps Green Room

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Story Corps was gathering stories at the Orlando Public Library. The Library is the proud winner of the IMLS National Medal which allowed them to fund this project. Two friend or family are interviewed together creating an open conversation. Though people stated by talking about their love of the library the conversations could be about anything when they sat down with the Story Corp interviewer in a separate room. I had about 15 minutes at a time to sketch and learn a little about each couple as they filled out paperwork.

Mark and Chris Beverly are a father and son. Mark founded a Veteran Entitlement Non Profit organization which helps vets with their medical claims. This is his passion and he handed each of us his card so we could learn more about the organization. Next I was surprised to meet Carolyn McClendon who used to work with me at Walt Disney Feature Animation. The studio closed in 2004, so the last time I might have seen her was 14 years ago. It is a shame we didn’t have time to catch up. She now works as a librarian in one of Orlando’s tougher neighborhoods. She was with another librarian since I noticed they both wore the same badges.

Randall Smith was there with his daughter Chelsea. He had an easel and samples of his daughter’s work. I vastly admire her work which is done with a Renaissance era technique of etching on copper plates. Her line drawings are of mystical creatures which are drawn with infinite spiraling patterns. She actually gave me a sample piece which was of two rams. The spiraling patterns seemed to go so well with her long flowing hair so I did a quick study on the sketch I did of her and her dad. At art fairs people approach him thinking he is the artist and he directs them to her.

Erica Lee once worked for Mix 105.1 Radio on the Scott and Erika Show. She now produces her own podcasts using her years of experience. She is proud to put her blend of smooth rock music from the 70’s & 80’s on the air waves. I am sure some amazing stories unfolded in the next room, but I used every minute I had to complete each sketch I started until the next couple arrived. I did five sketches each day and it was an amazing fun spontaneous learning experience. The Story Corp interviews went on for three consecutive days.

Story Corps at the Orlando Public Library

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The Orlando Public Library is hosting Story Corps for three days at the Downtown Branch. I was asked to come in to document the process with my sketches. I couldn’t actually sit in on the actual interviews but instead I met people as they arrived. I spent most of my time sketching in what would be considered the green room. Story Corps has two people speak to the interviewer which results in something closer to a conversation between friends rather than an oral history or straight on interview.

Because the interview room was off limits I didn’t really get to learn much about the people who came in. Will Jones was the first to arrive and he has used the public library for years. He was very pleased to have been invited to participate. He was waiting for his friend Jeanine who was running a bit late because of congestion on the highway. When she arrived, the the Story Corp staff, Jhaley and Morgan explained the process. First, they wanted to know how much each of them knew about Story Corps. The project started in Grand Central Station in NYC, where people could record their stories. The project has been going strong ever since.

Scottie Campbell was working on his laptop promoting the project and managing social media. Cynthia and ___ at the end of the table were there to video record people telling about the project after the interview was done. Cynthia has worked at the library for seven years. They would escort people down to the recording studio in the Melrose Center. My goal was to sketch each couple being interviewed. I found out that I had to work insanely fast. The introduction process probably took less than 15 minutes which means the lines had to be thrown down without a second thought. I found that this panicked immediacy actually helped me in getting more spontaneous sketches and there wasn’t enough time to worry if the subject would like the results.

Technology Classes at Melrose Center

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The Orlando Public Library asked me to sketch one of their Technology Classes held in the Melrose Center. Since opening in February 2014, the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for
technology, Innovation and Creativity has allowed the Orange County
Library System to expand its role as a provider of technology education.
Occupying 26,000 square feet on the second floor of the Orlando Public
Library, it allows users to gain the understanding
required to be a contributor to and consumer of emerging technologies.  They offer state of the art audio, video and photo studios, fabrication
and simulation labs, an interactive media wall, editing bays, sound
booths, collaborative work spaces and the means to pursue virtual
reality and video game development.

The brochure described the classes which incorporated hands-on projects in photography, graphic design, audio
production and video production in this 4-day camp. The camp runs 2:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday. Age requirements: 9-12.
Capacity: 8. Required Skills: None., Materials Fee:, $25, Out of
District Fee:, $65 (includes classes and materials fee)

Day 1: Create a
soundtrack for a short animated film.

Day 2: Find out how to operate
professional studio video cameras, recording a short film of yourself,
and showcase your movie on television screen.

Day 3: Work as a team to
create photo studio images.

Day 4: Use Adobe Photoshop and Wacom Pen
Tablets to design coloring pages.

The kids, acting as news anchors were dressed in adult sized suits and  posed in front of a green screen. They were reporting about a theme park and when the footage was composited together it looked like the kids were on a roller coaster delivering their lines. It was fun for the kids to see the final results. They would switch rolls giving another summer camper the chance to operate the camera. The camera was mounted on a tripod, and one student loosened the clamp sending the camera toppling forward. One of the staff jumped in to avert tragedy. This was an adventurous two hour workshop fr the kids familiarizing them with the inner workings of a video production studio.

49 Pulses Trailer Screening

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Charlie Minn came to Orlando shortly after the Pulse Nightclub shootings and filmed 20 interviews with survivors and first responders. His documentary film, “49 Pulses” is opening this week in Orlando. Much of the film gives voice to the survivors who recount what happened that night. The Orlando Public Library had a screening of the short trailer which had actors recreating scenes from inside the club that night. Minn is familiar with the community backlash here in Orlando when Miami based Telemundo released a film that reenacted what happened in the club. Survivors and families of victims were re-traumatized by the tasteless film. Minn justified his similar footage by saying the actors did an amazing job, and by pointing out that the gunman’s name is never mentioned in the film. Orlando Torres and officer Omar Delgado said that they decided to add their voices to the project for that reason.

Orlando Torres survived that night by hiding in a bathroom stall perched on top of a toilet so the gunman could not see his feet. At one point someone who had been shot crawled under the bathroom stall and knocked Orlando to the floor in the struggle to survive. Orlando decided to stay still as if he were dead. Orlando heard the gunman pledge allegiance to ISIS and heard his cat and mouse game with police on the phone. The gunman insisted that everyone turn off their phones, but he wasn’t aware of Orlando’s presence in the next stall. Orlando kept his phone on, to record audio of what was happening. Someone concerned for his safety called and he was terrified that he might die because of their concern and the noise of the call. The gunman at one point touched his back pocket, but then lost interest and used the sink.

Omar Delgado, from Eatonville,  was one of the first officers on the scene. When he arrived there were just two other officers. His radio couldn’t be tuned in to the same channel, so he was cut off from the dispatcher. As the evening progressed, more officers came to the scene and it became more and more of a war zone. Delgado entered the club and saved Angel Colon who had been shot several times. After June 12, 2016, Delgado said he returned to patrol duty for a few months after the
massacre that left 49 dead and at least 68 injured, but he had to stop.
He still doesn’t like going to restaurants and bars. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and was dismissed from Eatonville’s Police Department in December of 2016. Had the officer cut himself at the shooting scene he would have been given medial coverage, but since he suffers from mental trauma, he has no coverage.

Film maker Charlie Minn seemed particularly annoyed about the fact that Chief John Mina refused to grant him an interview for the film. It seems like the film’s primary focus is pointing out that it took police 3 hours to end the stand-off with the gunman. His anger flared for a moment during the saccharine sweet interview on the Orlando Library stage. He was quick to point blame without spending the time to hear all the stories. He splits his time between El Paso Texas and New York City. He entered Orlando shortly after the tragedy intent on profiting from the Pulse shooting. Like the media, he was on to the next horrific story after only a brief look at how that night affected our community with little understanding of all the details.

Sunshine State of Mind with Adam Ware.

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Dr. Adam Ware, the Orange County Regional History Center historian and research librarian gave a talk titled “Sunshine State of Mind” as the final installment of the Joseph L. Brechner series of lectures at the Orlando Public Library (100 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, Florida 32801). “The media” often refers to the news or entertainment media. But even an idea can be a medium – an idea, for instance, of a sunny paradise where any plant will grow, any idea will succeed, or any dream can be realized. Through real estate ads, citrus-crate labels, souvenirs, and shuttle launches, the idea of Florida has moved people to travel, to invest, to relax, and to persevere. In this program, Ware discussed the varied ways the Sunshine State operates in American feeling and memory, from “the Italy of America” to “Florida Man.” He discussed the materials that evoke and invent our image of Florida and the pioneers and entrepreneurs who mobilized the concept of Florida to change the course of the state’s history.

This was an insightful and entertaining talk that spanned several hundred years of our perceptions of what Florida is and could be. His talk began with a long dissertation about how media affect our perceptions of a place. As Marshall McLuhan stated, “The medium is the message.” When Adam began digging into Florida’s early history things really got interesting. Early explorers hoped for gold or slaves. For hundreds of years Spanish settlers attempted to set up colonies in Florida. Most of these colonies failed. The few who survived and returned to Europe described Florida as a desolate wasteland, a hell on earth that they never wanted to see again.

The first name for Orange County was Mosquito County. There probably isn’t a worse name ever imagined for a place. Who would ever move to Mosquito County? It took railroad tycoons and developers to finally tame the land. But convincing people to move here was always a word game. Find the right word and you can change peoples’ perceptions.  It wasn’t until the 1970s that Florida became “The Sunshine State.” Dr. Phillips changed the perception of orange juice, making it a staple of any breakfast, and making Florida Orange Juice more desirable than any other juice in the American mind.

There is a Twitter account called Florida Man that just posts news stories that begin with, “Florida man…” My favorite being, “Florida man tosses an alligator through a Wendy’s drive through window.” The man was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, illegal possession of an alligator and petty theft. He is also banned from all Wendy’s and not allowed to come in contact with animals except for the family dog. Another that I just ran across is, “Florida man pissed that AT and T trucks are parked outside his house, shoots out their tires.” I dropped AT and T because of their piss poor costumer service, so this news item didn’t surprise me. Or, “Florida man claims dog shot girlfriend as she slept.” Such strange stories are a daily occurrence, leading to Adam’s favorite tag line and former state slogan, “Florida, you don’t know the half of it.”

Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 7th and 8th.

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Saturday October 7, 2017

5 PM to 10 PM – Free. 10th Annual Zombietoberfest. Audubon Park Garden District Orlando, Florida 32803. Orlando’s original zombie festival returns, with all the dread, undead and revelry that entails. Food trucks, open air market, zombie crawl, costume contest, food and drink specials and more.

7 PM to 10 PM – $35. 10 x 10 Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop. The workshop will be held at Zombietoberfest. Urban Sketchers is celebrating 10 years by inviting sketchers from
around the world to attend ten on location workshops with an Urban
Sketching official instructor in your city! You may choose to
participate in one or more of the workshops at the following prospective
locations in Orlando.

Goals

1. Show stories from your city, one drawing at a time

2. Improve your drawing skills

3. Learn how to select, frame and design visual stories on a page

4. Learn how writing and drawing can work together to communicate more to your audience

5. Experience the advantages of group learning and seeing the many paths to success

10:30 PM to 12:30 AM Get a bite or drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancers perform to live acoustic guitar.



Sunday October 8, 2017

10 AM to Noon. Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

 2 PM to 3 PM, Free. Celebrate with Dance. Orlando Public Library 101 East Central Avenue Orlando Fl. Enjoy a lively performance of Spanish folk dances by Alborea Dances in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

2 PM to 6 PM Get a drink. Halloween Hair of the Dog Day Charity Event. The Thirsty Topher

(601 Virginia Drive Orlando FL). A canine costume contest tops off a day of raffles, complimentary homemade dog treats and mingling with furry companions.
Donations will be made to the Humane Society’s disaster fund.

Weathering Hurricane Irma.

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I spent all morning looking for a coffee house with Wi Fi. My apartment has no power. I tried Stardust Video and Coffee first. A staff member was dumping water out the front door using a plastic trash pail. He let me know that Stardust was without power. A crew was cutting up a fallen Live Oak across the street. I tried Drunken Monkey next. The parking lot was full. I parked a few blocks away and walked in. There was a huge line for coffee. Nicki Drumb, who got an awesome grant to help create “Moving Art“ on Orlando’s Sun Rail, had her cup of coffee and gave me a hug in line. She let know that the Monkey had no Wi Fi. Ugh, I groaned. Next I tried the Orlando Public Library which had bombastic music piped in at the entrance. Unfortunately the library was closed. 

At this point I gave up my quest for a digital connection. Instead I sketched this fallen tree near my apartment. The neighborhood was coming alive with people walking their dogs to get out after being cooped up for several days because of Hurricane Irma. Baby Blue , the owner of the Venue stopped her car and asked me if I needed anything from my curbside sketching perch. A neighbor who was also out of power stopped to see my sketch and we chatted for a moment. It is amazing how catastrophe helps bring a community together. With my sketch done, I drove up to Winter Park, because The re was a rumor that Austin’s Coffee (929 West Fairbanks Road Orlando FL) was open and it had Wi Fi. Behind the counter the Batista’s mused,”We got Nihilism, we got musings in cool places,We got bad attitudes, oh and we got power.”  With an ice cold Yak and a Portabella Mushroom sandwich, I finally settled in to write this article.

The night before, power flickered off just as Pam Schwartz pulled a hot home made pizza out of the oven. We played cards by candle light as the winds picked up outside. I followed the eye of the four hundred mile wide storm on the radar app on my phone. South West coast of Florida as a category four Hurricane and it crept north at 15 miles per hour. The winds blew objects which rolled and scraped over the roof. The sky flashed a mysterious vibrant blue. Emergency vehicle lights strobbed and illuminated the trees a blood red. Something banged at the front and back of the house. Several intense wind bursts made it seem like The roof might lift.

The next morning clean up began. It seemed like half of the tree limbs had snapped off of the tree. Curb side piles grew to fortress proportions. Large trees were down in the neighborhood. With yard work out of the way curator Pam Schwartz and I drove south to check on the warehouse where the Orange County History Center‘s off site storage facility is housed. What we found was shocking and unexpected. A huge double rainbow spanned the horizon opposite the setting sun over the huge warehouse parking lot which was now a lake which was thigh deep.