Wes Fetherston – Analog Artist Digital World

Jai Gallery, (101 S. Garland Ave, Suite 101, Orlando, Fl), held a Kickstarter party for the Urban Art Museum on August 9th. The Urban Art Museum is NOT a building, it is a project designed to
enhance the cultural and artistic experience in the city of Orlando by providing public art installations that are meaningful, and beautiful. It is art with a vision and a
purpose. Gallery owners Coralie Claeson-Gleyson and Dennis Liddy welcomed everyone warmly to Jai.

Behind the stage, photos of Greek antiquities on aluminum were by local artist Josh Garrick. His work will soon hang in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. The museum is ranked as one of the top ten museums in the world and t his is the first time an American has ever exhibited in this prestigious museum so this is a true benchmark. Mayor Buddy Dyer and Linda Chapin were at the opening for Josh’s photos as well as George Kakava the National Archaeological Museum’s curator who was flown in from Greece.

The project is spearheaded by architects James Cornetet and Wes
Featherston, who have offices in the newly restored Cameo Theater. James took the microphone and briefly explained the project for the patrons in the gallery. James told me that is important for people to “like” the Urban Art Museum on Facebook since a large number helps him promote the idea to local and national businesses. The first art installation will be by artist Marcos Cruz who specializes in using acid-etched aluminum. Marcos has pieces in the new Amway Center garage at each of the elevator doors. He had school children in Parramore create drawings which he then acid etched into metal. Unfortunately the school children never got to see the finished work that they helped create. It is a shame that the city didn’t follow through by funding a reception where the kids could see the art installed. It might have made a huge impact for a child to see their art permanently on display in public. Marcos had some smaller pieces on display in Jai Gallery that had a flower pattern cut out of the raw aluminum. One piece was sold that night.

The Kickstarter raised over $4,000 which is enough to fund the first installation which will appear in the Mills-50 District at 934 N. Mills Avenue. There is a tight gap between buildings that pedestrians would throw bottles, beer cans and other garbage into. The plan is to have a tall vertical aluminum facade that would block the space and beautify the area. The metal sculpture might also incorporate a back lit display. Marcos explained that he might incorporate some of the visual history associated with the site. Hopefully the Urban Art Museum will continue to expand creating a more vibrant city.

On March 22nd, I went to the Cameo Theater for a display of garbage as art. The Cameo had been closed for well over a year due to fire code violations so I was curious to see it open it’s doors again. UCF
architecture student, Jorge Boone, who recently purchased the Cameo, Wes Featherston and James Cornetet of Process Architecture, LLC hosted the art installation.

Two amazing
installations created by ten talented UCF architecture students in the alley beside the Cameo. The
students were tasked with studying post-consumer waste and developing
innovative new techniques for transforming these materials into building
systems.

One group re-purposed plastic grocery bags using tribal basket weaving techniques
to create a structural 40’x10’ canopy that sores over the Cameo’s
courtyard. The bag canopy was tied to a ladder above my head and various window bars and metal stairs. It started raining as I sketched and unfortunately the canopy didn’t protect from the rain because of it’s open weave.

The other group of students examined the structural nature of
paper mache egg cartons to create a pair of 12’x20’ wall panels that
will create the only ‘quiet’ zone in the district due to the natural
acoustic qualities of the cartons.

Several new designs for the theater were lying on tables inside the Theater. Then both seemed to focus on sprucing up the Theater’s facade. The interior was gutted clean. One student was sweeping the dusty floor. A talent agency is still upstairs as well as John Hurst’s animation storyboard artist studio.

Hopefully the new owner will resurrect the Cameo since it was one of my favorite venues to sketch. The place was raw and uncluttered making it ideal for large installations and cutting edge experimental shows. Perhaps the Phoenix can rise again from the fire codes ashes.