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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 5 No. 20| May 26, 2023 | |
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Notes from the Editor:
This is Memorial Day weekend, set aside to honor the memory of those who gave all for us. There will be plenty of cookouts, but I'm not big on those grilling events, possibly because I don't have a grill. Hmmm. I do mark the day every year by tracking down and watching a 1993 movie, A Foreign Field. Google it.
I haven't had word about a cancellation but the weather isn't looking good for Downtown Vero Beach tonight.
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Bookmark On the Calendar at WilliMiller.com for frequent updates. Calls for Artists, Auditions, & Volunteers are on the website, too. 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. | |
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Indian River County
May 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. - Pirate & Fairy Celebration Saturdays at McKee Botanical Garden
May 27, 10:30 a.m. - Adult Painting Workshop, A Watchful Eye at ELC
May 28, 3 p.m. - The Best of John Williams: Side by Side Concert - Space Coast SO at VBHS PAC
May 28, 2-4 p.m. - Y-ELC Youth Environmental Leaders Corp at ELC
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Brevard County
May 26-28: Hot Pink presents: Throwback to the Future, Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse
May 27: Brit Floyd, King Center, Melbourne
May 27: The Best of John Williams: A Side by Side Concert, Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, The Scott Center at Holy Trinity, Melbourne
May 27: Vendor Market, Field Manor, Merritt Island
May 28: Central Florida Winds: March On! Concert, Suntree United Methodist Church, Melbourne
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St. Lucie County
Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. - Jazz Market along the Indian River waterfront, Fort Pierce
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Martin County
May 27, 11:30 a.m. - Creation Station at The Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast
May 28, 3 p.m. - The Indian River Pops Orchestra - Wild West at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Stuart
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Palm Beach County
May 26-June 11 - Topdog/Underdog at Palm Beach Dramaworks
May 27 - Swan Lake Suite, Paquita and More - Paris Ballet & Dance at Kravis Center
May 27, three options - The Way of Tea at Morikami
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Beyond the Treasure Coast
Through May 28 - Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Through June 3 - AFRICA- Birds, Beasts 'n' Peeps at Lake County Museum of Art. Photography of Charlene Edwards
May 25-26 Wawa Summer Fun Days at Bok Tower /g/ardens
May 26, 5-10 p.m. - Art After Dark at the Norton
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Make It an Artsy Summer for Your Kids! | |
Congratulations, Madelyn! | |
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Meet the three performers who ARE the Honky Tonk Angels! The show opens at Riverside Theatre May 30 and, with plenty of lead time, I had the great fun of talking with them for Arts Blast on the Air a couple of weeks ago. Listen to the conversation here.
I had another opportunity to get with them yesterday, this time via email.
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Natalie Charle Ellis
Natalie Charle (pronounced Char-lay) Ellis grew up hearing and singing country music because of her dad, “a Texan and truly a cowboy at heart,” but her mother was onboard with the idea of performing right from the start. When Ellis was about eight years old, “my mom bought a karaoke tape of Reba McEntire’s Fancy at the local Sam Goody and I learned that song, … very inappropriate for an eight year old to sing.” They traveled with their boombox, a handheld mic, and that tape, and “I performed it everywhere my mom could get me in!”
Ellis’ favorite country singers these days are McEntire, Martina McBride, and Shania Twain, “and I also love Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, and Brandy Clark. All fierce strong ladies.”
Ellis hadn’t heard of Vero Beach until she was tapped for this show but was soon brought up to speed. “Once I told people I was heading down here I realized how many of my close friends had worked at Riverside Theatre and they went on and on about how wonderful the theatre is and how beautiful the area is. They weren't wrong!”
The Riverside experience has made a deep impression on the performer. “The theater is amazing but it isn’t just the facility,” she said. It’s “the people and their mission. The outreach they do for the locals and for the young artists in the area is just incredible .... It's pretty amazing. … I feel very lucky to be here.”
When Honky Tonk Angels ends its run June 18, Ellis will head home to New York City to do a little acting coaching. After that, she’ll visit family in Montana and her boyfriend’s family in Pittsburgh, and then she’ll begin her next chapter, “a new show in the fall in NYC! I can’t say what it is yet, but I am very excited about it.” About Honky Tonk Angels she said, “I am very sad my daddy isn't around to see this show, because he would have LOVED it! But I will be dedicating every show to him.”
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Bailey Purvis
Bailey Purvis says she has always been a country girl! “I used to watch old Grand Ole Opry episodes with my grandpa and that’s when I fell in love with Dolly Parton.” Her favorite country music now comes from the late 1980s and ‘90s — Reba, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, George Strait …. I love the storytelling in the songs of that era.”
This is a return visit to Vero Beach and Riverside Theatre for Purvis, who played a stunning Janis Joplin in Beehive in 2019. She said, "I have loved being back in Vero Beach! It doesn’t get better than a day off on the beach or maybe a trip to Harry Potter World. Even my cat Mercury is enjoying trips to the beach in her carrier!"
In addition to frequent performances in regional theatre, Purvis is a headliner vocalist on cruise ships, with two solo concert offerings: Heartbreaker: Women of Rock and Disco Cowgirl: women of country. She also developed her own vocal trio, Honky Tonk Chicks.
The selfie (above) is with Mercury, Purvis' traveling cat.
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Kylan Ritchie
Kylan Ritchie grew up in Nashville, “constantly surrounded by country music.” She enjoys the older country tunes but has found a new favorite. “After this show, ‘Fancy’ by Reba McEntire has quickly become one of my favorites, and, of course, anything Dolly Parton as well.”
This is the 17-year-old actor’s first time in Vero Beach and at Riverside Theatre and she’s impressed! “I think Vero Beach is absolutely gorgeous! I've enjoyed exploring Vero and finding little gems around the area. Riverside is my personal favorite Vero Beach gem though. Everyone at the theatre is just spectacular and cares so much about the community, which is wonderful to see, and now be a part of.”
Ritchie goes back to Nashville, her home town, for a couple of months after Honky Tonk Angels, but then “I make the big move to New York City. Similar to my character in the show, Darlene, I'm nervous about moving away from home but, I also couldn't be more excited to start a new adventure.”
The photo of Ritchie above was taken in Clarksville, Tennessee.
| If you're looking for a good time, look to Honky Tonk Angels at Riverside Theatre! May 30-June 18. | |
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From the Elliott Museum:
Florida Senator Gayle Harrell will present a proclamation to the Florida Highwaymen for their historical impact on American culture and art. The event will take place on Tuesday, June 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Elliott Museum. The Highwaymen are a group of 26 African American landscape artists who literally went from selling their paintings on street corners in the 1950s to now being represented in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Noted Highwaymen collector Roger Lightle is extending an invitation to the surviving Highwaymen artists and their families for this notable event. The evening also will feature a live painting demonstration and gallery talk.
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The Hallstrom Planetarium on the Fort Pierce campus of Indian River State College is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a Star Gazing Event at Hallstrom House in Vero Beach, May 27, weather permitting.
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The planetarium is named for the Hallstrom family, key benefactors of the college, offering scholarships since 1961. Ruth Hallstrom, pictured here, continued the long tradition of sharing established by her father, Axel Hallstrom.
Admission is $5 per person and telescopes will be available to use by people who don't bring their own. The evening is presented by the Indian River County Historical Society in collaboration with the Hallstrom Planetarium and the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society.
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Balance at McKee
From McKee Botanical Garden:
Local Master Balancer Adam Conard (ZOTO) will showcase his ancient art of stone balancing “Playing with Gravity” exhibition from May 16 through July 30, throughout the Garden. “This exhibit Playing with Gravity has never been seen before and we are thrilled that Adam chose the beautiful natural surroundings of McKee to showcase his amazing talent,” stated Executive Director Christine Hobart. Stacking stones is more popular; but done as an artform at the masterly level is very rare. Balancing and stacking stones is one of the rarest and most ancient art forms dating back to prehistoric origins and predates 2D cave paintings, which is considered one of the earliest art forms.
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This exhibition will feature both highlighted balances and surprise balances, including floating in the waterways at McKee. His balances are intended to inspire one to believe in the unbelievable. “I’ve noticed that when someone sees something they did not think was possible it unlocks for them a new way of thinking. A thinking of possibility,” stated Adam. This is a true balance; no glues or other attachments of any kind are used.
In addition, visitors will have an opportunity to attempt their own balance in a sand box where you can try your hand at balancing.
Photos contributed by Adam Conard.
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The Last Call!
Ballet Vero Beach has one available space in the Fellowship Initiative for Dancers for the 2023/2024 Season. Interested candidates MUST return their application by June 1st to be considered.
This is a two year, one-of-a-kind program that combines professional performance experience with Ballet Vero Beach, quality higher education with Indian River State College (paid for by the company), and unmatched training in arts integration, arts literacy, and the science of teaching with The Learning Alliance.
Applications are open to graduating seniors and recent high school graduates, help us spread the word and tell your friends! To apply, visit:
https://balletverobeach.org/fellowship-initiative-for.../
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Riverside Dance Festival
Student Workshops: July 24-August 5
The Riverside Dance Festival is a unique experience in Intensive Summer Study presented by Riverside Theatre and Ballet Vero Beach. Accepted students will experience day-to-day life with Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. Students will have the opportunity to take daily technique classes in ballet and contemporary dance forms from Terminus and Riverside’s own distinguished faculty. They will also participate in master classes, open rehearsals, and work towards the creation of their own work to be performed alongside Terminus in a mixed repertory concert to culminate the festival.
All applications/auditions will be submitted digitally this season.
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TERMINUS MODERN BALLET THEATRE
AUGUST 4, 2023 at 7:30pm
AUGUST 5, 2023 at 7:30pm
RIVERSIDE THEATRE
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Each year on June 5th the Flagler Museum celebrates its anniversary by opening free of charge in honor of the Museum's founder, and Henry Flagler's granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, who rescued the estate from potential demolition and established the Museum in 1959.
On Monday, June 5th this year, the Flagler Museum will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors may take a self-guided tour of Whitehall, view the permanent collection of art and objects related to America's Gilded Age, and climb aboard Henry Flagler's personal Railcar No. 91.
The Museum is located at One Whitehall Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. For more information, call (561) 655-2833 or visit www.flaglermuseum.us.
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Amanda Gorman Meets Censorship
From a Facebook post:
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The poem that was read by Amanda Gorman at President Biden's inauguration has been banned from elementary schools in Florida after the objections of just one parent.
We are posting the poem here to let DeSantis know that his book bans will never stop us from sharing the truth. Pass it on so everyone understands how hateful and bigoted Florida has become under his reign.
Here is the text of Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” in full.
When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.
We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain.
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the West.
We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
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Art at the Emerson
Forever in Bloom - A fragrant array of floral art on view through May 30.
Featured Artists:
Lisa Willnow, Paris Birich, Vera Titova, Daniel Jones, Patricia Kolalewski, Betsy Kurzinger,
Anne Whitney & Judy Burgarella
Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm, with no entry fee.
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Pirates & Fairies continue at McKee
Come explore and discover McKee Botanical Garden and the Children’s Garden during Pirate & Fairy Celebration Saturdays (May 27) from 10 am – 3pm. Come dressed in your fairy best or swashbuckling gear! Costumes welcome, but not required.
(All activities subject to change. All activities are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather).
For more information, please visit www.mckeegarden.org
McKee Botanical Garden | 350 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32962 | 772.794.0601
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From Vero Beach Museum of Art:through September 3, 2023 Holmes and Titelman Galleries
The Vero Beach Museum of Art is pleased to announce the inaugural 2023 juried fine art exhibition of recent works of art by living local artists. Over the years, numerous artists have settled in and around Vero Beach, Florida. The VBMA‘s mission to recognize the outstanding quality and diversity of work being generated by contemporary artists. With over 350 applicants, and over 800 artworks to consider, Juror Ellen E. Roberts, the Harold and Anne Berkley Smith Senior Curator of American Art at the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach, FL), finally selected 137 works for the show. In order to curatorially give the exhibition structure, the selections were assigned the following categories: 1. Cityscape, Landscape and Seascape, 2. Abstract, 3. Figurative, 4. Photography, 5. Sculpture, Ceramic and other 3D and 6. Other. The winners will be announced at the Opening Reception on May 26.
Photo: Joel Johnson, Winter Shadows (detail), 2019. Watercolor on paper, 39 x 38 inches. On loan to VBMA, Vero Beach private collection.
|  |  | GHOST ORCHID DANCING © 2000 | Fakahatchee Strand, FL Clyde Butcher | |
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Bookmark On the Calendar at WilliMiller.com for frequent updates. Calls for Artists, Auditions, & Volunteers are now online.
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