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Arts Updates, Interviews, Calendar, Calls for Artists and Volunteers, Auditions --- It's All Here in Arts Blast, Arts Blast on the Air, and on Facebook. | Supporting The Arts & Arts Councils Everywhere | |
Volume 4 No. 27 | July 29, 2022 | |
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Last call for National Ice Cream Month. I think I held up the Arts Blast end fairly well. Added peach milkshakes to my repertoire.
This has been a great week for Arts Blast on the Air interviews. Adam Schnell, Ballet Vero Beach, is always a fun treat but this week he brought along Jessica Deare (pronounced Dare) the artistic director for Chicago Dance Crash. Don't miss them in the Riverside Dance Festival 2022 next weekend.
I also got to record a great conversation with Bob Ferreira, one of the Four Freshmen, celebrating 30 years with the group in 2022. It will air on Arts Blast on the Air in the next week or two and look for a feature in Arts Blast soon. There's a new Four Freshmen album out this week. If you're a fan, or just wondering what I'm talking about, check the website.
What Are You Reading? Readers are welcome to send in brief (100 words or even less) POSITIVE reviews of books enjoyed and recommended. Include title, author, publisher. Acceptance will be in keeping with the Arts Blast policy our mothers taught us — If you can't say something nice, ... .
Arts Blast is now on summer schedule, alternating with On the Arts Blast Calendar. As usual, there will be an extra Arts Blast thrown in from time to time and updates on Facebook.
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FEATURES
Get Along Little Dogie
The Jake 'n' Sky Show
The Lightness in Being at the Elliott
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TIDBITS
Family Day at The Bass
Lake Wales History Museum
Maltz Tours
Flashdance at The Barn
Brevard SO Summer Evenings
Treasure Coast Theatre
Vero Beach Theatre Guild
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Big things are arriving in Okeechobee this week. Postponed a couple of weeks because of a glitch at the foundry where they’re being finished, a bronze cattle drive will be installed in Cattlemen’s Square - Flagler Park #5 - in the City of Okeechobee.
Okeechobee Main Street Arts & Cultural Alliance have planned a community dedication and presentation event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will include a ribbon cutting, unveiling of the sculptures, a meet and greet with artist J. Michael Wilson, and, of course, music and food.
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After the loss of his father to cancer, “An image appeared (to Wilson) of a Native American Indian holding up a buffalo skull as a gesture to heaven for giving him a good life. Seeing the correlation between this image and his father’s battle Wilson began work on a life-size bronze titled ‘The Offering.’ Human figure studies were now the primary focus for the Artist.”
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Wilson grew up in California, with an early interest in “art, racehorses, and the desire to design and build functional works of beauty.” Early on in college, he studied animal science and, later, life drawing and sculpture.
From Wilson’s bio on ElementCottage.com: In 1982, Wilson decided he wanted to make a living as a professional Sculptor. His first paid commission was a life-like doll head for Mattel Toys. Next was a bronze horse for Lloyds Bank, followed by a sculpture of John Henry, Thoroughbred Horse of the Year. A year later, his concept drawing of a life-size horse and rider was selected by the Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 summer Olympic games. It wasn’t long before his horses were in demand.
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In 2011, Wilson created a bronze depiction of “a Cracker Cowboy, his dog, and 13 Cracker Cattle, now installed in the Brownwood development at The Villages, Florida.”
In a Friday afternoon email to Arts Blast, Wilson said the Okeechobee pieces were loaded on their flatbed yesterday and are on their way to Okeechobee!
Wilson doesn’t have a website and isn’t on social media, so enjoy the photos below.
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Wilson very patiently explained how his clay pieces are turned into monumental bronze sculptures:
1. I create a concept sketch (rough drawing)
2. Create a small clay (oil based) model (maquette) from the sketch
3. A computer scan is done on the maquette
4. Information from the scan is transferred to a milling machine. When the size of the enlargement is determined, the sculpture will be milled in styrofoam sections and assembled on a steel armature
5. Clay is applied adding the detail to the surface. The clay is now turned over to the bronze foundry for casting (Adonis Bronze)
6. The mold makers from the foundry will determine where the mold sections will start and finish. Yes, sometimes it is necessary to cut the clay in several places
7. Liquid silicone will be applied to each section, typically 3 coats
8. Plaster will be applied over the silicone before removing from the clay original
9. The horse/rider took approximately 70 individual sections to mold the entire sculpture
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10. Wax is poured into each section (approx. 1/4 inch thick)
11. Wax is removed from the mold and dipped in slurry (shell) 4-5 coats
12. The wax is burned out and the shell is now ready to accept the bronze pour ("lost wax" process over 2000 year old method)
13. Bronze is poured into each shell
14. All the individual bronze pieces will be weld together, seams removed, and texture restored.
15. The assembled bronze is sandblasted and ready for patina (color)
Start to finish, approximately 10 separate foundry artist work on my clay sculptures to put them into bronze. The clay original is dismantled and any clean clay will be recycled for use on a new sculpture.
The Horse and Rider bronze is just under one ton in weight. The Brahma Bull is about 1600 lbs. and the remaining cows are approx. 1100 lbs. each. There is some shrinkage to the overall sculpture, going from clay to wax, and wax to bronze. The thickness for each bronze is roughly 3/16 to 1/4 inch.
The sculptures will be transported on a flatbed truck. They're on the way!
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Young musician Jacob Velasquez returns to the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra fold for his seventh visit August 6 and 7, this time joined by his younger sister, Skylar Rae.
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Aaron Collins, SCSO's artistic director and conductor, looks back on the orchestra's relationship with Jacob.
What year did Jacob first appear with SCSO and what were the venues?
It was in 2016 at The Gleason Performing Arts Center in Melbourne.
Was it a piano-only performance at that point?
Yes. He produced an entire concert himself performing popular fare, classical works and completely enthralled our audience. It was quite the experience!
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How did you hear about him and what was required to get him to perform with SCSO?
I saw a performance of his on YouTube and reached out to his parents. I first met him when he was six years old when he produced the solo concert. Then we had him back the next year where he tackled a challenging piano concerto from Beethoven. Then our friendship grew from there.
What was his career like at that point?
It was just starting. At that time, he only performed on the piano. But you could tell that there was something very special about him. Aside from his charm and wit, he had a very strong musical mind already at that point. He performed with such ease which is astonishing at that age.
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What has it been like, working with this young talent?
He is so adept in all styles and mediums. From there he began to learn to play a multitude of instruments and now he plays them with ease and finesse. Jake is one of the most dynamic and intelligent musicians I have ever worked with. It has been a great pleasure watching him mature both musically and as a human being. He has wowed audiences across the world and I have no doubt and with time, Skylar will too!
What’s on the program?
The entire program will feature songs that they have penned themselves and also some of their own arrangements of popular fare such as Sweet Home Alabama and Amazing Grace.
Is the orchestra playing or is it all Jake n’ Sky?
Just the two of them, no orchestra. They put this entire program together themselves. So I’m very excited and curious to see the final product.
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The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presents America’s Got Talent standout and frequent guest collaborator, Jacob Velazquez, along with his younger sister, Skylar Rae live in concert! Jacob is a fourteen year old songwriter and multi instrumentalist from South Florida who, in addition to America's Got Talent, has performed on countless national TV shows including Good Morning America, The View, and The Steve Harvey Show, among others. He has performed alongside Harry Connick Jr., Andrea Bocelli, & Kenny G., as well as Gloria & Emilio Estefan. Jacob was diagnosed with a form of autism at the age of four called PDDNOS, and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable organizations.
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Sky (Skylar Rae), once known as Jacob’s little sister, is also beginning to make waves in the music world. The aspiring actress, singer and dancer recently was selected to perform with the Broward County Honors Choir. After witnessing her stunning performance in the lead role of her school’s rendition of Cold Snap, Jacob quickly invited his sister to join his act and ‘The Jake & Sky Show’ was born. Together, Jake & Sky are breaking down barriers on their mission to show the world that having a diagnosis doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of great things. The star duo was recently invited to perform for the Mayor and thirteen commissioners of Miami-Dade County, The Orange Blossom Festival, the ‘Broken Boy’ movie premiere, and The Special Olympics 2022 USA Games. In addition, Jake & Sky were recently honored at The Doug Flutie Foundation’s Annual Gala for their contributions to the autism community. This special FREE concert is brought to you by Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra.
Learn more about Jacob at www.JacobVelazquez.com. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
www.jacobvelazquez.com
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The Lightness in Being, an art exhibit that opened at the Elliott Museum this week, will be in a blackened exhibition space, rather than on traditional studio walls. The exhibit, presenting the works of artist Cheryl Maeder, will feature nine of her installation art videos on three screens. It runs through October 26
Maeder was born in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, and in her early 20s, moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she studied photography at the Zurich University of the Arts. After eight years in Switzerland, she returned to the United States and opened a photography studio in San Francisco, where she photographed international advertising and fashion campaigns.
She transitioned from photographing fashion models to photographing real women, to celebrate the beauty of women in all shapes and sizes. Her photography work became the inspiration for the Dove Campaign on Real Women, Real Beauty, which transformed the way women are viewed in the global media. In 2005, she relocated her studio to the Miami area and deeply immersed herself into fine art photography and filmmaking.
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While the foundation of her work is photography, investigations into video and large-scale installations have expanded her visual world. By immersing herself into the world of new technologies and shifting between the mediums, new opportunities for rewarding and creative collaborations have occurred for large-scale installations.
“Emerge and Enlighten” marks the pandemic cycle’s impact on the consciousness of artists. For many artists, the seemingly endless days spent in some degree of isolation impacted their work. Perspectives were often clouded by loneliness and a host of other concerns for safety and an unknown future.
These feelings found their way into their artistic works during these long months. In time, doors and windows were opened, and they were able to return to a world where they could, in some measure, love each other again. This emergence was a rebirth for many and showed indelibly in their work.The artists’ works represent a piece that was created when they were in the darkness and another piece that was created when they came back into the light.
“Our intention was to create an exhibit that juxtaposes works from isolation against works from emergence,” said HSMC President & CEO Rob Steele. “The pandemic has made its mark on all of us, and we believe the results of this eye-opening exhibition will be inspiring.”
Learn more at
www.maederphotography.com
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Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound" is at Treasure Coast Theatre, PSL July 15-31.
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Footloose is at Vero Beach Theatre Guild through July 31.
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Flashdance The Musical is at The Barn Theatre July 14-31.
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Tour the new Maltz Jupiter Theatre any Monday this summer, through Aug. 8. Tours begin at 2 p.m. | Family Day at The Bass July 31, 2-4 p.m. | |
The Brevard Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Summer Evenings Series at the Suntree United Methodist Church at 7400 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne. August 13, 2022, at 7pm. | |
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At the Lake Wales History Museum - Saturday Summer Fun Days
(Parents must be in attendance)
July 30 - Art History Day
August 6 - Last Day of Summer
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Bookmark On the Calendar at WilliMiller.com for frequent updates. Calls for Artists, Auditions, & Volunteers are now online.
Catch up with events at Willi Miller's Arts Blast on Facebook and pick up some laughs and interesting info on the Willi Miller's Arts Blast Extras page. And now there's a Facebook Arts Blast on the Air!
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