Pre-Pandemic: The Accidental Historian

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The Accidental Historian Exhibition was at the Orange County Regional History Center through January 20, 2020, so the exhibit came down just prior to the start of the pandemic. On January 21, 2020, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States in the state of Washington. The patient had recently returned from Wuhan, China.

The exhibit featured people who might be historians without even realizing it. That’s certainly true of many bloggers, urban sketchers, photographers, and more. This engaging exhibition, created at the History Center, was about individuals who are absorbed in documenting the world of today accidentally becoming some of Central Florida’s finest historians for the future. The exhibit offered a glimpse into some of our favorite collections that were created for the now – more than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian featured both historic and contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned artist and teacher Ralph Bagley and Urban Sketchers Orlando, poetry by Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and more.

This panel discussion featured three contributors to the exhibit. At the podium Catherine Duffy asked each panelist questions in turn.

Photographer J.D. Casto had documented the Pulse Nightclub shooting’s aftermath. His photos capture Orlando’s love and hope following the shooting. One of his photos of an auditorium hung next to a similar photo from one hundred years ago and it was as if time had stood still.

Ricky Ly founded Tasty Chops, a blog for local foodies. The exhibition featured several of his videos of local restaurant owners discussing their offerings.

Robin Katz, is a member of Urban Sketchers Orlando. She uses her sketchbook as a journal to document the Central Florida community. Samples of Robin’s sketches were featured in the exhibit.

 

 

VIP Opening of Accidental Historian

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The evening of September 21, 2019 was the VIP reception for Accidental Historian at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801). This is the first exhibit to feature sketches from the Orlando Urban Sketchers group. 

The premise of the exhibit is that artists,
bloggers, urban sketchers, photographers, and more could be historians without even realizing it. In this exhibition, created patrons, learn how individuals who are
absorbed in documenting the world of today accidentally become some of
Central Florida’s finest historians for the future. You can catch a glimpse into
some of the museum’s favorite collections that were created capturing the moments more
than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian features both historic and
contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned
artist and teacher Ralph Bagley, Urban Sketchers Orlando, poetry by
Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food
blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and
more.

A pillar of my sketchbooks from eight years of my daily sketching are in a glass case in the center of the room. The corner of the room is designed to look like an open spiral bound sketchbook and reproductions of sketches done by members of Orlando Urban Sketchers are scattered across the spread along with biographies and information about the artists.

I knew going into the reception that I wanted to sketch the huge transparencies that had been printed of a shuttle launch. They were framed in light boxes which made them glow as bright as an actual launch. A wall was dedicated to the people of central Florida over the years and a sketch I did of a flea market blues performer fit in snugly.

This exhibit is on display through January 19, 2020. Be sure to stop by the History Center and check it out.

Accidental Historian Install

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The Accidental Historian Exhibit will be on display the the Orange County Regional History Center (65 East Central Boulevard Orlando FL) from September 21, 2019 to January 21, 2020. I went in to sketch during the install of the exhibit. I was  intrigued with the fact the eight years of my sketchbooks were stacked like the Tower of Terror inside a glass museum case. The staff tried to just stack the books but it swayed uncontrollably and they had to come up with a plan B. A clear plastic spine was created that supports the high column of books but even with that solution, the tower slumps forward just a bit like an old man reaching for a cane. On top of the tower one sketchbook is open to a sketch of a giant inflatable alligator that was once in front of the History Center thanks to Heather Henson. A laser level stood sentry like a War of the Worlds armored attack vehicle. It stood on spindly legs staring at the sketchbook tower perhaps judging how fragile it looked.

In this exhibition, created at the
History Center, you get to learn how individuals who are absorbed in documenting
the world of today accidentally become some of Central Florida’s finest
historians for the future. You can also catch a glimpse into some of the museums
collections that were created for the now – more than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian features both historic and
contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned
artist and teacher Ralph Bagley and Orlando Urban Sketchers , poetry by
Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food
blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and of course a some Orlando sketches by myself.

Visitors to the exhibit can create 19th-century “tweets” and step
into a larger-than-life, Instagrammable photo station, along with other
fun features. The exhibit is fully bilingual, presented in both English
and Spanish. Related programs range from preservation workshops to
poetry readings and a historical food-based demonstration.

In my sketch, I focused on the huge open sketchbook in the corner of the room where Orlando Urban Sketchers work was displayed. I am proud that these artists who work together to explore Central Florida with their sketchbooks are now seeing their work exhibited in a museum. Their vision is unique in a time when people tend to shoot homogenized selfies with thoughtless abandon. These artists take the time to truly see the world around them.

Mikado Mixer

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Central Florida Vocal Arts Presented a Mikado Mixer at Seito Sushi Baldwin Park (4898 New Broad St, Orlando, Florida 32814).  Guest got a drink, a bite to eat and a cast meet and greet from the upcoming production of The Mikado. The Mikado is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Members of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra will be performing live at this upcoming production.

Theresa Smith-Levin the chief executive director of CFVA warmly introduced members of the cast and community collaborators. Part of the cast was missing for this event since they were performing in another production. Pam Schwartz the chief curator at the Orange County Regional History Center explained that the museum  had recently had an exhibit about the Vietnamese community here in Orlando. She and her staff will be setting up a pop up exhibit in the lobby of the Rep Theatre for the run of the Mikado with kimonos and other artifacts along with monitors showing oral histories that were done with members of Orlando’s Vietnamese Community. Ricky Ly of Tasty Chomps gave a lively discussion about Japanese fusion in the local food scene. Nicole Dupre of Opera del Sol is organizing an exhibit of art by Masami Koshikawa which will also appear in the Rep lobby. Thali Sigesawa wearing a blue kimono with a bright yellow sash, spoke about her mixed heritage being part Asian and part Brazilian. Growing up, she didn’t know quite where she fit in, but when she moved to Orlando she finally realized she could just be herself. She choked up a bit as she spoke of Sakado, her grandmother who used to tell her stories over and over again.  She caries her legacy as she grows older.

Gilbert and Sullivan remind us  that
“Virtue is only triumphant in theatrical performances”.  Enjoy an couple of hours of virtue, laughs and beautiful music as
Central Florida Vocal Arts, Opera del Sol and Space Coast Symphony come
together to present a modern concert version of The Mikado. 2019’s
Summer production marks the fourth year that Central Florida Vocal Arts
and Space Coast Symphony have joined forces and they plan to make this
production their most exciting to date!

Mark your calendar! The Mikado, a Concert Version is being staged August 9, 10 and 11, 2019 at the Orlando Rep Theater (1001 East Princeton Street Orlando FL). Ticket are $25 General Admission, $20 Student and Senior and $35 Box Office assigned front and center rows.

Friday,     August 9 2019  

7:30 PM
—
9:30 PM


Saturday, August 10 2019 

7:30 PM
—
9:30 PM


Sunday,   August 11 2019
 
3:00 PM
—
5:00 PM

After the mixer, Pam and I stayed to order diner. I had the Volcano Roll which consisted of a California roll topped with baked kani kama, bay scallops, tobiko, chives, and eel sauce. The sauce had just the right amount of bite setting off the sweet. Pam had the vegetarian ramen which consisted of a vegetable-dashi broth, roasted cherry tomatoes, bean sprouts, sweet corn, scallions, garlic oil, and sweet potato noodles  I tried one sip and it was delicious. She said the corn was the best she has had in Central Florida. She could tell it had been cut fresh off the cob. Seito Sushi, which has another branch in Dr Phillips, is well worth a visit.

Viatnamese Tết Festival at the Orlando Fairgrounds.

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(Thor) When Pam Schwartz and I arrived at the Tết Festival, I immediately sat down to sketch the preparations for the dragon dances. As a drummer and symbol set the beat, the acrobats practiced leaps and standing on each other’s shoulders. They all put on bright green t-shirts and bright pants which matched the colors of the dragons. There was a blue, red and yellow dragon each. A red rope was hung from a bamboo tree with a red beam that had two red tassels. Long red strips were unrolled on the ground and each was tied up to the rope from the bamboo tree. At the top of everything were octagonal firecrackers. An electronic firing device was rigged up in a Tupperware and the fuses snaked to various places on the field. After rehearsing, the dragon dance performers told everyone gathered to go to the main hall to see the show on stage. Pam and Lesleyanne Drake went on a food tour as I sketched.

(Pam) While Tom sketched the fantastical dragon heads outside, Ricky Ly of Tasty Chomps offered a free food tour at the Central Florida Fairgrounds during the 2018 Vietnamese Tết Celebration. He gave a small group of foodies a bit of background on Tết before taking us inside the food court. As we browsed from stand to stand he pointed out different dishes and Vietnamese specialties. I tried to pick up and remember each of the unique names as he said them, but it was nearly impossible through the roar of the main stage to our backs. From colorful gelatin desserts and fried banana cakes to pork on stick and a variety of delicious looking noodle soups, the stands were an absolute feast for the eyes.

Lesleyanne Drake and I, both incredibly passionate about food, began making a mental list of all the things we NEEDED to try before we were too full to go on. We began with a few light bites because we knew Tom could join us for the main course. The more friends you bring to a food fair, the better. You get to try more dishes at a lower cost and don’t fill up quite a fast as you would otherwise. It’s a win-win situation for all! The first thing we ate I had no anticipation of liking, was Chuoi chien, or fried bananas. It was light and crispy on the outside but warm and gooey on the inside. It was surprising because I really hadn’t planned to like it, I like bananas…just not things made from bananas. We also tried a pork skewer (there were just pans and pans of them all over the place) and egg rolls to start.

For the larger portions of our meal we divided and conquered, myself getting Mi Quang (a pork and prawn noodle soup with delicious chewy turmeric noodles, topped with peanuts and these incredible little sesame crackers that soaked up the broth and tasted delicious), Lesleyanne got Nam Vang (a Cambodian-Chinese inspired soup with assorted types of noodles, a quail’s egg, a little heat, and all sorts of fixings), and Tom focused on two types of pork, one from the north (the favorite choice) and one from the south, as well as a Bánh Tôm (a sweet potato and shrimp fritter). We were all surprised by how “airy” the fritter was. There were many MANY more things we wanted to try, but we will have to reserve those for next year. I grabbed a Cà phê sữa đá (coffee with sweetened condensed milk) and we all got a bag of Chuoi chien to go.

(Thor) As I tried dishes with Pam and Lesleyanne the dragons took to the main stage but their performance was brief. They were followed by groups of female dancers and then the Vietnamese national anthem and the United States national anthem. Everyone in the audience remained standing for a long ceremony for the ancestors. When we went outside there was a large crowd gathered where I had sketched before. It was time for the main dragon dance ceremony. The crowd surrounded the field. It was too crowded to see from my previous vantage point, so we went to the far side where the crowd was thinner.

The dragons came alive, with one acrobat in the head and one in the rump. A fourth dragon was animated by a group of acrobats with poles. It is the year of the dog, so an actor in a dog costume rudely sniffed and bumped the rumps of the dragons.

The fuses were lit and the entire field erupted with the rapid blaze of firecrackers. All of the red streamers were long lines of firecrackers wrapped in red paper. A huge plume of smoke engulfed us, and I could feel the hot shrapnel hitting me. We had misjudged the wind direction. We turned away from the smoke and many ran back for cover. Pam and I stood our ground squinting into the smoke. The rapid fire explosions seemed to last forever. Then they all lifted upwards towards the top of the bamboo tree. The silence afterwords was deafening. Then the dragons danced among the ruins looking down at the red carnage. They then broke free into the crowd and made their way back to the main stage. Our small group decided that we had seen enough for one day.

Fill the Grill Challenge

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Cheftestants Ricky Ly, of the Tasty Chops blog and Kendra Lott, of Edible Orlando Magazine, faced off in the third annual “Fill the Grill Challenge“. The competition took place at Whole Foods at Phillips Crossing (8003 Turkey Lake Road Orlando FL). Ricky Ly has just published a book called “Food Lovers Guide to Orlando“. Ricky and I had been on a Daily City panel discussion about blogging in Orlando so he recognized me and gave me a warm handshake. His next door neighbors were also there to root for him. They ate pizza straight out of the box they had just ordered as they watched. It smelled so good!

The Cheftestants were given $20 and had 20 minutes to speed shop the store for their ingredients.  Two shopping carts awaited the contestants but one was swiped by an intrepid shopper. When a second cart was once again found, the competition began. An announcer on the stores loud speakers tracked the contestants progress down the isles. At the check out, Ricky Lee was over budget and he had to return some items and Kendra experienced the same problem. She did save 10 cents by reusing her own shopping bag. This is a Whole Foods policy and she cashed in.

When they returned, they were given a few minuted to prepare their work areas. They then had 20 minutes to prepare a dish to impress the judges, Brandon Moss, Chef Lenning and Chef Bruno who won last year’s challenge. Dishes were judged based on presentation and of course taste.

Ricky was preparing a surf and turf. He said, “My dish was a spice rubbed flank steak with lemon butter seared sea scallop, purple potato, and  a whole ear of corn. My Biggest challenge was time from prepping and grilling and getting everything together in 20 minutes.” He spent a sizable amount of time back at the spice table marinating the meat. “The rub I had used had garlic powder, dill weed, a touch of cumin, chili powder, coriander, and salt. The last minute countdown was nerve wrecking ” he said. When the 20 minutes were up, he had to serve the grilled steak rather rare.

Kendra told me about her 20 minute creation,  “I did Key West shrimp with lemon and black pepper,
and a paella-style rice with grilled heirloom tomato and Vidalia onion.
I had planned to stuff the rice into a hollowed out avocado along with
some chunks of avocado, but I ran out of time and had to just use a few
avocado slices as garnish.”

The judges spent a good deal of time tasting the dishes. The savory smell made my stomach rumble. The MC finally was given the tallied results. She announced, “And the winner is…..” She paused. I shouted out, “Commercial break!” Sure enough, she began discussing discounts available in the store. The contestants groaned and waited. “The Winner is Kendra Lott!“

Mark your calendar! The next Fill the Grill Challenge is tomorrow August 15th starting at 6:30pm again at Whole Foods (8003 Turkey Lake Road Orlando FL). Nicole Aidelbaum of WHERE Orlando will face off against Christine Pittman of Cook the Story. The winner of that round will then face off against Kendra Lott for this year’s championship title.