Sharing our wealth of arts and culture. We're having an ARTS BLAST!

Make On the Calendar at WilliMiller.com a frequent stop. Calls for Artists, Auditions, & Volunteers are now online.

Please encourage friends and even friendly strangers to Like our Facebook pages and become Arts Blast subscribers!

Listen to Cultural Connection on the Air Sundays at 8 a.m. on WAXE 1370 AM and 107.9 FM and on iHeartRadio.com. Replays are now online.

Have you entered to win Brad Taylor's latest Pike Logan thriller yet? Pick a number, any number, as long as it has only three digits, and send it in. See below for details.

Arts and cultural councils in our base Arts Blast area are ramping up to amazing heights! Scroll down to read about some of them in this issue of Arts Blast.

We've really been spoiled by our arts organizations since they were forced to start canceling their programs almost a year ago (!). For many of them, that meant digging into pockets that weren't all that deep, but they did it anyway to stay alive and in our line of vision. We've been wallowing in a big vat of free performances for so long that paying for a ticket might not come naturally any more. They stepped up for us and now it's time for us to reciprocate. Many in-person and streaming performances are being offered now with ticket prices attached. It's our turn.

NOTE: Calendars are still in flux and not necessarily up to date. For example, the Martin Artisans Guild's Open Studio Tour was postponed from January to March 6/7, but not all event calendars have picked up the change yet. Save yourself some aggravation by always checking and double checking before you leave home.

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A Second Third (!)Chance

Thanks to William Morrow, the publisher of Brad Taylor's American Traitor, Arts Blast has a copy of the latest Pike Logan thriller to give away to an Arts Blast reader!

We'll be using a random-number generator to pick the winner, so send your favorite three-digit number to willi@willimiller.com by 11:59 p.m. Jan. 31. The winner could be you!

"We are just one week away from our celebration of the sea in its ever-changing glory during Sea Pictures at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 30 at the Satellite High School Performing Arts Center in Satellite Beach, and3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 31 at Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center. 

"It's been almost an entire year since we performed a Masterworks program indoors. Sea Pictures will be an exciting return to the classics! Sea Pictures opens with Hebrides Overture, a work conceived by Mendelssohn’s Scottish trip and his visit to Fingal’s Cave, which inspired his musical representation of the eerie sounds produced by the echoes of waves. Mezzo soprano, Eliza Dopira joins the orchestra to sing Elgar’s evocative song cycle for which the concert is named, Sea Pictures, based on poems evoking fear and fascination with the sea. Central Florida standout Kristin Naigus will be featured on English horn on Jean Sibelius' haunting work The Swan of Tuonela. Beautiful and mystical, this is an example of Sibelius’ picturesque writing, pulling the listener into a soundscape of slowly shifting musical colors. The concert is rounded out with Sibelius' epic tone poem, Finlandia.

These are some of the PAC guidelines posted online by Ballet Vero Beach before last weekend's program there:

What's Ahead from the Arts Blast calendar web page

The Galleries at First Pres celebrate a 4th anniversary this weekend with a show that features the work of Sheila Lougheed, the Galleries' artist in residence; local artist Pamela Tan Siddall; and a posthumous tribute to Bob Berran.

Siddall has worn several business hats in her 25-plus years in Vero Beach, including The Blue Dog, but has focused on her painting for the past 10 years. Her preference is painting in oils but "is also fluent in acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media."

Sheila Lougheed has marched to her own drummer since her first venture into painting as a two year old who painted the family dog and everything else she could reach with red paint. Lougheed thinks and paints large, with a 12-ft. painting now hanging in the Center for Christian Life at First Pres and murals in Vero Beach, Sebastian, and Naples. You might recognize her from her life as the drummer (yes, a big bass drum) with the Vero Beach Pipes and Drum bagpipe group.

Bob Berrans' Trapper, pictured here, was an illustration for a book cover. His art studies began when his service in the United States Army ended in 1946. He studied at the Art Student's League in New York City before freelancing as a movie poster painter with 20th Century Fox. Berrans' first love as an artist is religious paintings.

The galleries are scattered throughout the First Presbyterian Church campus at 520 Royal Palm Blvd.in Vero Beach. Admission is free. Masks and social distancing are required while on the church campus.

This one kind of snuck up on me. I've been a fan of Clyde Butcher's work ever since my first interview with him at the Brevard Art Museum many years ago, so I'm pleased to share news of an exhibit going on right now.

Until March 13, the Arts Council of Martin County is exhibiting Clyde Butcher's American Everglades at the Court House Cultural Center in Stuart. An arts council spokesman said, "The Arts Council invited Butcher to exhibit as a tribute to its 30 years of showing art in the gallery and as a special tribute to Ansel Adams, who was featured in that first show."

Celebrating Art in Public Places is the metal sculpture of Gary Gresko around the gazebo.

Safety precautions are in place:

Photo of Butcher from his Facebook page.

I admit to being a bit perplexed when Patty Howard, assistant recreation director for the City of Vero Beach, emailed me a calendar listing for Christmas Wish List recently. I'd have sworn Christmas holidays were behind us for another year but it seems that this performance-gone-virtual is appropriate for every season and can be seen any time at on the City of Vero Beach's website.

In a normal year, this annual production is held at the VBHS PAC, with about 250 performers split between two shows, Howard explained. "This year, due to COVID-19, we were required to do things a little differently for the safety of our performers and spectators. So…we went virtual!"

I took time to catch parts of it and was intrigued about this city program.To be honest, without school-age kids myself, I miss many things available to children and young families in the county, so I asked Howard to tell me what Leisure Square's Centerstage Acrobatic Complex, the training ground for the performers, is all about.

Some of the performers have literally grown up with the Aerial Antics Youth Circus. Centerstage supervisor Angie Holshouser started there when she was three years old. Howard said, "She was trained by Ringling Brothers Circus performer Joy Gould and her daughter, Pegi Wilkes (former recreation department programs manager) who actually started the Aerial Antics Youth Circus program in 1974. Angie became a performing arts staff member at age 14 and is now the full-time supervisor."

The Performing Arts Company under the Youth Circus umbrella is a group of the oldest and most experienced performers "who have all grown up in our program. They are skilled in circus aerial, adagio, gymnastics, dance, acro-dance and some contortion," Howard said.

"There is a fee for our classes. Typically, for a 6-week session it’s $50 for city residents and $70 for non-city residents. Everything can be found on our website www.covb.org, click Recreation Department then Centerstage Acrobatic Complex! Everyone is welcome." No experience is required for registration. Current participants range from 3 to 23. The performing groups (Little Stars, Junior Entertainers, Spotlights, Performing Arts Troupe and Performing Arts Company) practice year-round and pre-COVID were available to perform for special events throughout the county.

Covid or not, come January, we can count on the calendar to click over into a new year. This year, however, it wasn't the usual celebration for Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach, where the 43rd annual Oshogatsu Festival, the traditional event, fell victim to the pandemic.

That doesn't change the calendar, however, and the Morikami website offers a ream of information about the tradition as well as photos of many of the museum's many pieces from its vault.

Carla Stansifer, curator of Japanese Art at Morikami, understood why I might be confused about when to get out the confetti and party hats. "The Gregorian calendar is the one we are used to in the U.S. They use the same calendar in Japan so New Year’s celebrations begin on Dec. 31 and continue through Jan. 3 every year. In the old days, they used a lunar calendar based on 28 days for every month so things didn’t quite line up when they switched calendar systems back in 1873. For example, this year the lunar New Year, which is still celebrated in China and many other Asian countries, falls on Feb. 12, 2021. Last year it fell on Jan. 25, 2020. As you can see, it varies a bit from year to year. In Japan they solved the problem by celebrating Setsubun, sometimes called Little New Year, on Feb. 2 every year to mark the older holiday but with the newer calendar." Got it?

NOTE: The museum will be removing the info link on February 3.

Many of the special traditions associated with the New Year are ancient. One of the most important activities is visiting family, friends, colleagues, and customers to thank them for their help in the past year and request their continued support. If you cannot meet with everyone, you can always send New Year’s greetings, or nengajō. These cards often feature the zodiac animal associated with the coming year. The big event is getting dressed up and visiting a local Shintō shrine or Buddhist temple on New Year’s Eve.

The most important step in having a successful New Year is to remove as many obstacles as possible. You can begin by cleaning your house and settling any debts. Another way is to enjoy a lion dance, or shishimai. Many of the common holiday decorations also help to achieve this goal and purify the immediate environment.

Lions are not native to Japan. Lion dances started in India, the idea traveled along the silk trade routes all the way to Japan. It is believed that the lion is brave enough to scare off any spirits with bad intentions. Once you dispel any negative energy, you need to invite good things into your life and make wishes for the future. A very popular way is to get a Daruma (patriarch of Zen) figure. Many other everyday folk figures and deities are included in New Year celebrations, such as Okame, Daitoku, Ebisu, and maneki-neko. All of these gods and good luck symbols help to bring good fortune, prosperity, health, and happiness into one’s life. Read about the legend of Daruma and how it inspired the Daruma Dolls we commonly see around Japan during the New Year

here.

Photos are from Morikami's website.

Arts and cultural councils in our major Arts Blast reading area are ramping up to some amazing heights! I'll start with one that affects me personally, as the long-time host of the Cultural Council of Indian River County's Cultural Connection on the Air. For many years, the radio show that features CCIRC members as a membership perk, was uploaded to the website. That ended when staff changed and Covid hit all of us last year.

Beginning this month, the mp3 files are once again available to listen to and (I think) download. CCIRC art members who are interested in an interview should contact me directly. Openings are very limited and booked well ahead.

The St. Lucie Cultural Alliance is promoting artist members in an online gallery that allows for sales of their original artwork.

The Arts Council of Martin County is getting ready for a February ArtsFest in Stuart. This year it will look somewhat like the traditional event but there's a surprise bonus for those who aren't ready to venture out. ArtsFest Stuart at Home runs for the entire month of February. Check in at the arts council for details on attending or exhibiting.

Virtual Performance premieres at 5 pm Jan. 22 on the Norton’s YouTube channel

Brevard Symphony Orchestra is live at the King Center Jan. 23 with Opening Night: Beethoven Celebration at 7:30 p.m. Francisco Vila is featured on cello in Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major.

The 24th annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival, presented by the Brevard Nature Alliance, goes virtual this year Jan. 29-31. For information call 321-268-5224 - www.scbwf.org

Philip Haas: The Four Seasons 

​Jan. 22-23 - Live in the Loop and the Comedy Zone Experience at Riverside Theatre

Jan. 23 - Successful Writing Projects with Robert Macomber - Zoom with the Laura Riding Jackson Foundation. Limited space.

Jan. 23, 8 a.m. - Registration for the City of Vero Beach's gymnastics and aerial classes at Leisure Square

Jan 23-25 - Auditions for Moonlight and Magnolias at Vero Beach Theatre Guild

Jan. 23-May 2 - Poetry of Nature: Hudson River School Landscapes from the NY Historical Society at Vero Beach Museum of Art.

Jan. 24 - Walking Meditation in the Butterfly Garden at Environmental Learning Center.

Jan. 24, 4-6 p.m. - 4th anniversary art show at The Galleries at First Pres - First Presbyterian Church, Vero Beach.

​Jan. 24, 11 a.m. - Frog Leg Festival in Fellsmere

Through Jan. 24 - Over the Tavern at Vero Beach Theatre Guild

Through Jan. 27 - Cultural Council of Indian River County's Art in Public Places - Artist's Choice - Mixed Themes - at Indian River County Administration Complex

Through Jan. 30 - Fabulous Foursome at Gallery 14, Vero Beach

Through Jan. 31 - Leslie Stokes' exhibit at Center for Spiritual Care

Jan. 23-24, 30-Feb. 1, 6-7 - Brevard Renaissance Fair

Jan. 23, 2&7:30 p.m. - Brevard Symphony Orchestra Beethoven Celebration at the King Center.

Through Jan. 24 - Bus Stop at Surfside Playhouse, Cocoa Beach

Through Jan. 30 - West Coast-East Coast exhibit at Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, 1470 Highland Ave., Melbourne. Metal sculptural art by Walt Mendenhall. 

Through Jan. 31 - Sunrise Sunset members' exhibition at Strawbridge Art League, MLB

​Through Jan. 31 - GODSPELL at the Henegar

Through Feb. 5 -Northern Brevard Art League's Winners Showcase at The Downtown Art Gallery, Titusville.

Through Feb. 7 - Ghost, the Musical at Titusville Playhouse

Through Feb. 21 - Educating Rita at Melbourne Civic Theatre

Through Feb. 27 - Robot Love V at Foosaner Art Museum

Jan. 21-May 31 - The Lure of Florida Fishing at the Elliott Museum.

​Jan. 23, noon-8 p.m. - Grand opening of Philly Down South Café at Elliott Museum

Through Jan. 31 - A Chorus Line at The Barn Theatre

Through Jan. 30 - Wed.-Sat., 12-6 p.m. - Martin Artisans Guild's January Exhibition at The Palm Room, Harbour Bay Plaza, Sewall's Point.

Through March 13 - Clyde Butcher: America's Everglades at Court House Cultural Center Galleries, Stuart

​Jan. 22 - 8 p.m. - Sinbad at Sunrise Theatre

Jan. 23-24 - Arts & Crafts Expo at MIDFLORIDA Event Center Gallery, 9221 Southeast Event Center Place, PSL.

Through Jan. 31 - Calendar Girls at Pineapple Playhouse, Fort Pierce.

​Through Feb. 8 - Ginny Piech Street's Birds and Blossoms at Seriously Mixed Media.

Through March 7 - Right of Way: The Highwaymen at Backus Museum

Through Jan. 30 - Painting With Light: Hyper-realistic Photographs by Matt Stock at PB Photographic Centre

Through Feb. 6 - Stephania Conrad: @ Sanders Foundation Artist Resource Ctr

Jan. 23, 10 a.m. - Mimi Hardman Collections and Research Center dedication - Lake Wales History Museum

Jan. 23, 10 a.m.-noon - Fresh Bites: Integrating Herbs at Bok Tower Gardens

Jan. 24-25 - Naples Uptown Art Festival in Naples

Through Jan. 24 - Pompeii: The Immortal City at the Orlando Science Center

Through Jan. 30 - Bringing Home the Herd at Mad Cow Theatre

Through Feb. 27 - Forgotten Florida: Teen Photos at Immokalee Pioneer Museum.

Through March 27 - Skin Deep: Seminole Culture at Collier Museum

Through April 16 - Requiem for Steam: The Railroad Photography of David Plowden at Naples Depot Museum.

Through April 22 - Twice monthly - Stories of a Sportsmen's Paradise: A Florida Folk Art Experience at Museum of the Everglades. colliermuseums.com

Through April 19 - Forgotten Florida: Photos from the Farm Security Administration at Immokalee Pioneer Museum.

Even smaIl operations need to keep their financial house in order. Image First can record deposits, write checks, pay taxes, and provide reports in Quickbooks. Artists, spend more time in your studio and less on paperwork. Let’s talk, free consultation. Image First, 772-538-4148.

Brandon Putzke's TC Percussion and TC Percussion Camp

Stephanie Hermesmeyer - Solivia Piano Studio for Kids

Send comments to willi@willimiller.com.

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Like Willi Miller's Arts Blast Facebook page for updates and Willi Miller's Arts Blast Extras for interesting, inspiring, and fun shared posts, then go to willimiller.com to catch up on every issue of Arts Blast, and see the latest ON THE CALENDAR listings.

As always, For Helen Miller 

Information is to be received in an email at least one week before publication.

In the body of the listing, sometimes called Description, make sure to include all dates in each upload. For example: Performances are on March 12-31; or the exhibit is open March 12, 14, 15, and 17. That information should be in all dates you post individually.

If you are a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County, you need this information:

IMPORTANT: In order to promote your events as a member of the Cultural Council, you must enter your event on the CCIRC calendar via this link: https://www.calendarwiz.com/culturalcouncil and click on "Submit your event"