There will be Words

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The spoken word competition called “There Will be Words” at Urban Rethink got off to a late start. When I arrived, three authors were talking sports and politics in the lounge area. I listened in for a bit then wandered upstairs to start my sketch. Eight authors went head to head trying to win the votes of three audience members who were picked at random. The judges were picked when three wadded up balls of paper were tossed into the audience. Whoever picked up the paper became a judge. I sketched when Tod Caviness read. I figured I would get a chance to sketch him when he went onto the next round. Surprisingly, he lost in this first round. Eight competitors were reduced to four, then two who battled for the coveted bragging rights. The winner turned out to be Trevor Fraser the author seated in the blue chair. It was a fun night with some really quirky stories. I’m hooked.

Urbanized

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Urban ReThink hosted a collaborative event between Rollins College Urban Planning Department and the Congress of New Urbanism. The room was packed full of scholars, students and urban planners. The evening began with a screening of “Urbanized” a documentary about urban planning. The film highlighted the pit falls and triumphs of how people use urban spaces. The success of bicycle transportation in cities that plan for and support such an efficient mode of transportation was highlighted. I remember reading once that Orlando is one of the most dangerous places to bike in America, but now bike racks are appearing here and there. I believe there is even a “bike to work day” once a year.

New York City was horribly designed because developers literally cut off access to the waterfront on all sides of the island. A rusty old elevated rail line on the lower west side was slated for demolition. Citizens banded together and the idea was proposed to turn the Highline into a park in the sky. The citizens won and an amazing vibrant green elevated park is the result. In contrast the film showed how a developer wanted to redevelop a rail yard in Stuttgart Germany. This project known as 21, involved building a modern terminus in which the rails would be underground. The problem was, the development would involve cutting down several hundred very old trees in an adjacent park. The city had suffered devastating destruction from bombings in World War ll. Fuel shortages meant people had to scavenge for anything that would burn to stay warm in the winter. No one even considered cutting down those ancient trees. With the trees threatened by the 21 Project, people demonstrated in force. The protests turned bloody when the first trees were cut down. The project was approved and financed. Citizens had mobilized to late.

As an art project, an artist printed name tag labels that said, “I wish this was.” She posted these name tags on abandoned buildings along with a sharpie to get feedback on what people thought of the blight. In a talk back after the film a local suburban planner pointed out that the labels had little hope of affecting change since the buildings were abandoned. He pointed out that such feedback is actually beneficial when development is proposed. I was intrigued by the premise that the American dream of owning a suburban home on a 1/4 acre plot was actually a way to sell more cars. Rather than give up on the suburban dream, cars are simply being redesigned to be more fuel efficient. I need to bring my bicycle to the repair shop.

Marionette Making Workshop Stringing

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People worked at various paces trying to keep up with Hannah Miller who was teaching them how to make simple marionettes from fabric, string and beads. The hardest part was the stringing, and Hannah had to explain that in a puppet making workshop there was usually one person who was the master of stringing. Jeff Ferree restrung his puppet several times until he felt it was right. Hannah walked the people who were ready out of the conference room into the main floor of Urban ReThink. Mirrors were set up so people could see their puppets perform. People giggled as they saw their areations come to life. A couple faced each other and the puppets bowed and curtsied to each other. Jeff let me try his puppet which seemed bigger than most. The strings to control the hands were threaded through a hole at the front of the cross bars. I tugged the string and both arms rose. Walking the puppet took some skill but having the head look around brought an instant spark of life.

Marionette Making Workshop

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As part of ArtsFest, Hannah Miller offered a free Marionette making workshop at Urban ReThink. I heard that this workshop was sold out quickly and tickets were limited. Thankfully, Hannah, AKA Thunder Hag, understands my sketching obsession and she was open to having me observe. On the white board, Hannah had written the names of two puppet masters who’s work influenced the workshop. Albrecht Roser is a German puppeteer who believes that the puppet drives the motion, not the puppeteer. Robin Walsh had an affinity to using fabric, especially silk in the construction of her puppets. She explained that the puppets we would make today would be ugly but functional. Hannah pointed out that the puppets movements were based on a pendulum swing and each puppet would have its own way of moving depending on what it was made of.

Each participant had a bag of supplies. Inside was fabric, beads, string, and a control bar. The fabric was used as the body of the puppet. Beads were threaded onto the corners and became hands and feet. The head required special attention since three screws were positioned for mobility and control once the puppet was strung. April Tennyson was assisting Hannah. Both puppeteers once worked at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater in the Altimonte Mall. April asked me, “Where should I stand to get in the sketch?” “Well,” I said, “The best place would be to stand behind Hannah.” She stood behind Hannah and smiled broadly as she took a heroic pose, holding up some fabric. I laughed out loud and tried to ignore her until she “acted natural.” I hope Hannah didn’t think I was laughing at her lesson.

Jeff Ferree who is a puppeteer who had a show at Fringe last year in the smallest venue, a closet, sat next to Hannah and struggled with the head of his puppet. To me, he is a puppet master but even masters want to expand their horizons. The couple seated closest to me seemed like a married couple. They giggled like kids as their creations came to life. The woman was always two steps ahead of her partner, and she would step in and help out on occasion. Some folks arrived late and April tried to get them up to speed.

Orlando Improv Festival

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On February 6th & 7th, Mark Bartelli of the Daily City hosted the Orlando Improv Festival at Urban Rethink as part of Arts Fest. When I arrived, Mark used a bright red sharpie to write “sketch artist” on my name tag. I was rolling with the big boys now, an official sketch artist. This was a smaller, more intimate Festival than last year but Mark still had a plethora of posters.

I set up my artist stool next to a speaker and started blocking in the space. I was sitting next to a college student with a camera around his neck. He had “Press” written on his name tag. He confided that this was his first time using the camera. My inflated ego shrank. The two young women seated in front of me were from the same school. The woman in the stripped shirt asked several audience members questions. “So, what do you hope to gain from tonight’s performance?” “Well Missy, I hope to laugh!”

The evening consisted of long form Improv. The audience would supply a few cues and the performers would keep the Improv going for the duration of an hour. The first group, Offsides Improv is the one I sketched on stage. The performance centered around the strained relationship a couple had developed with someone they had kidnapped. For the longest time we were left to assume this was a typical insular family. The audience was packed full. Mark actually had to squeeze a few more chairs on the sidelines to fit in late comers.

Once the first improv group was finished, the room had to be cleared so people could pay to see the next group. I believe there were five performances each night. The second comedy troupe was “Nobody’s Sweetheart.” This was a notable performance since Peter Murphy had returned to Orlando from LA to be in the show. Peter played the part of a corporate executive speaking with lazy employees. He kept the action lively and his irony brought plenty of laughs. After two hours of Improv, my sketch was finished. I decided to head out to the street with the second audience and head home.

15 Views of Orlando

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I was asked to exhibit several of my sketchbooks at Urban ReThink. The opening was on the Third Thursday in January and the work will be up through February 16th. Artists include Barry Kirsch, best known for his Murder City Photography, Ashley Inguanta, whose local photography had a surreal edge to it, Lesley Godeck Silvia, who had a bright neon ice cream swirl photo that looked great next to my sketchbooks. All the work depicted scenes from the City Beautiful. The two sketches of mine on exhibit are, Musical Mondays, and There Will be Words. Dina Mack, the curator, explained that she wanted work with a local flavor to accompany a Burrow Press’ 15 Views of Orlando Book Release Party. The book features 15 short stories written by local authors. All of the scenes in the book happen in different neighborhoods of Orlando.

Dina invited me to bring along a box of calendars to the art show opening. Urban ReThink is a bit removed from the downtown galleries that act as the hub of the monthly Third Thursday Downtown gallery hop. Dina and I sat outside Urban ReThink and she had a natural knack for inviting passers by inside to look around. Ashley was there to meet anyone interested in her work. Her pieces were hung clothes line style and they were very affordable. One young man expressed his interest in buying a piece. He insisted that she would have to frame the work however. Quite honestly the frame would cost more than she was charging for the art. I rolled my eyes. He was probably haggling because he was more interested in the artist than the art. In my sketch, Patrick Greene, Dina Mack and Ashley Inguanta were relaxing in the “living room” setting at Urban ReThink. I sketched fast with few interruptions since few arts patrons wandered in.

The gallery was a ghost town. A few people glanced at calendars but they couldn’t afford the $12 to buy one. The highlight of the evening for me was meeting Heidi Behr and Mark Egeland. Mark owns a bicycle manufacturing facility in Winter Garden. He showed me a few photos of the process and it would be an exceptional sketch opportunity. There are seven stations from metal entering the factory until the final product rolls out the doors. These are seven sketches I now want to capture. Who knew that bicycles are being made right here in Central Florida? Heidi is involved in Scooters for Hooters, a breast cancer fundraising event. We talked about how I might get more involved in this cause this year.

Seven Lives of Chance

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Dina Peterson told me that a film was being shot at Urban ReThink (625 E. Central Boulevard). I had several hours open before I went to Full Sail that night. She told me that an entire room would be filled with balloons and that there would be a line of extras waiting to get inside. There were no actors around when I arrived, so I sat across the street and started blocking in the architecture. The last time I drew this building it was the Urban Think bookstore which had to close because of the recession. It was a vibrant artists hub then and it is even more vibrant today. This is where I would experience a fraction of Seven Lives of Chance.

As I sketched, Banks Helfrich, the writer and director, parked his car and pulled out a dozen balloons. He and an assistant were dropping off some equipment at Urban ReThink. He stopped over to say hello and let me know that the cast and crew were right down the street shooting outside a Publix supermarket. I don’t know the story behind Seven Lives of Chance but there are plenty of balloons involved. Banks described the first day of shooting which involved recreating a digestive tract using urethane foam. As he spoke the balloons he was holding kept getting blown in front of his face. He batted them aside.

Rather than rush down the street, I decided to keep working on the sketch I had started. Banks let me know they were coming to shoot at ReThink next in half an hour. They were a little behind schedule. Actor, Richard Regan Paul, said hello. He seemed to know me, yet I couldn’t place him in my rattled brain. He was in a scene with Jodi Chase. The scene was shot from inside a ReThink conference room looking out at the actors on the sidewalk. After a take, Banks ran out to the actors on the sidewalk and he described their motivaion with animation and plenty of gesturing.

Dina Peterson waved hello and she shouted out the shooting schedule to me. The line of extras wouldn’t arrive till after I was gone. Dina directed several extras who walked behind the actors in the scene. As one shot was being filmed, Dina raised her arms in panic. A pedestrian was walking right into the shot. She couldn’t stop him. This was a small production that couldn’t afford barricades. Perhaps this unsuspecting extra will end up in the film.

A giant red balloon was inflated in the conference room. It must have been incorporated in the shot somehow. The sound man kept the mic above the actors out of the shot. I couldn’t hear the dialogue, but it looked like Jodi was ready to leave and Richard wanted to tag along. When I finished my sketch, I crossed over to thank Dina for inviting me. She was discussing schedules with the extras and she looked like a thousand derails were buzzing in her brain as yet unresolved. This was a 90 minute feature film being shot in seven days. They had just one chance to get it right.

Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

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Author Deborah Reed used to live in Orlando back in the 1980’s. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest and her book “Carry Yourself Back to Me” had just been published. She read a chapter of the book at Urban ReThink. The main character in the book is Annie Walsh, a singer and songwriter , who has sequestered herself away in a small rural Orlando home after her husband, 0wen, left her for another woman. Owen was her muse, and since he left she was unable to sing anymore. A cricket was chirping a lovely serenade under her porch and her brother, Calder, explained that only one male cricket sang at a time. The lady crickets are mesmerized by the song. The silent male crickets sneak up on the females who are lost in lust for the singer, and snatch them away. The sad part is that the singer is short lived. He dies off long before the silent types who steal the women.

The book offered a nostalgic look at rural Central Florida. When asked where the book took place, Deborah said she was describing Clermont, out by Howell Branch Road. Of course the tangelo groves she described have been replaced with strip malls and housing developments. Deborah is a big fan of the rhythmic sentence. She would go through her copy adding comas and taking them out until the sentence had just the right cadence. She isn’t a songwriter herself but she does identify with Annie, the main character.

The drama escalated when Calder is accused of murder. He fell in love with a married Scandinavian woman and her husband was murdered. The number of affairs and family secrets was astonishing. I had to pick up a copy of the book and yesterday I read it cover to cover. I’m not that voracious of a reader, but I couldn’t put it down. The sweet smell of citrus, the springs and an unexpected winter frost all bring Central Florida vividly alive. All of the characters made mistakes and had to live with the consequences. News of the murder brings Annie’s husband, Owen back to her. But she may have been waiting for the wrong man.

Star struck, I asked Deborah to sign my sketch.

Tisse’s Birthday Bash

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I had to leave after Tod Caviness did his spoken word performance at Urban ReThink. I went to the Mennello Museum to transfer several sketches on to the mural. The work went quickly so I decided to rush back to Tisse’s birthday party. When I re-entered Urban ReThink, I saw a dancer stretching.

There was home made birthday cake so I grabbed a slice. I grabbed a seat at a table with authors Karen Price and John Connelly to see what was next on the Urban ReThink stage. Chaz Yorick came in after having seen all the downtown gallery openings as part of Third Thursdays.

Tisse first met Elise Frost through various mutual friends in the Orlando dance circle and they finally had their first full conversation at Michael Sloan’s going away party.Elise took to the stage wearing a dogs mask and holding an umbrella. Elise moved and spoke in a childlike manner. She reminded me of Totoro. Her monologue had a child’s sincerity with dark undertones. The lantern implied a character lost in the woods. She spoke of her grandmother dying, yet she didn’t like her grandmother. Was this an infants Kabuki? A sinister bedtime story? I remained mystified and bewildered.

Tisse got on stage and started talking about how she gradually discovered Orlando’s arts scene. She moved from Chicago with her parents to Celebration Florida. She hated Celebration’s theme park facade and the clutter and chintz of 192. She missed the big city. She eventually moved downtown where she began to discover the true Orlando scene. The importance of any city is in the people you surround yourself with. Orlando is a small enough city where individuals can really make a difference. The theater scene is small enough where the performers truly appreciate the audience members. The people that stand out in her life are the people who have a passion for what they do and love to help out.

Suddenly she was talking to me, calling me the “Where’s Waldo” of the Orlando arts scene. She praised my work and persistence. I stopped my sketch to listen. It felt like all eyes were turned towards me. My right eye welled up, I’m not used to so much direct praise and adulation. I don’t know how to process it. Chaz was busily taking notes. Later as Tisse praised Jessica Earley she became overwhelmed and choked up, feeling thankful for the people in her life. Chaz took that emotional pause to start singing happy birthday to Tisse. Everyone joined in as she wiped away her tears. When the song was finished and the clapping died down, Tisse said, “Thanks I needed that moment to recover.” The room was filled with love.

Demographics

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Tisse Mallon knows how to celebrate her 30th birthday. She had an amazing all night party at Urban ReThink where she brought together friends from all aspects of Orlando’s arts and culture scene. She invited myself and six other artists to decorate a used U.S. Census Bureau bag. Tisse worked going door to door during the last census. Each field worker was given one of these Census Bags. When the census was over the bags were thrown out. These re-purposed bags are all now works of art. I was one of the first artists to arrive to drop off the bag. I re-purposed the mural I am working on by painting the people standing in line on the bag. Jessica Earley totally ripped apart her bag and created a charming door knob hanger of an owl. It was absolutely charming.

Inside each bag there were orange inter office envelopes. Genevieve Bernard used those envelopes to create cut out Census Monsters and Jessica used them to create a charming pine tree. She also used the envelopes to create the owl’s beak, feet and eyes. It was fun to see, “Name” and “Department” scrawled across the owl’s eyes. Scooter Cleveland sat on a table beside a bag that said, “Why Count?” in bold red letters. The bag was filled with food for the homeless. Scooter had been homeless on the streets of downtown Orlando for 18 months. He was in a car accident and a doctor told him he had to stay off his feet for four months. He was fired from his job. He stayed with family and friends but ultimately ended up on the streets. Now that he is off the streets, he is trying to establish a food share program for those who were left behind. A glass jar sat on the table beside him for donations.

Throughout the evening Tisse acknowledged and praised the artistic people that have touched her life. She pointed to Todd Caviness who helps kept spoken word alive in Orlando. He is a writer who is always willing to lend a hand to keep the arts scene vibrant in Orlando. No one expresses what it is like to be a Floridian better than him. Karen Price also read several of her short stories. One, about a mermaid with two tails was a charming morality tale (pun intended). The other was about a high school bully who later in life was served up a bitter justice of hard knocks in her violent deprived life. She didn’t recognize the female lawyer on her case as the victim of her childhood bullying. Such is fate.