FEB. 28: Grand opening of Bunny Yeager's Wynwood studio and gallery

Bunny Yeager's "Bettie and Cheetah," 1954, silver gelatin photograph, 40 x 32

Bunny Yeager, the model, pin-up photographer, writer and
 swimsuit designer who earned overnight fame with her 1954 Playboy centerfold pictures of Bettie Page, has opened a studio/gallery in Wynwood Art District.

Yeager has shared her techniques in more than 30 books, including Bunny Yeager’s Darkroom, Petra Mason's 2012 coffee-table book of 250 of the photographer's classic images, including Bettie Page shots and self-portraits. In her new space, she'll continue her portraiture and present a continuous exhibition of famed photographs of Page and others.

The grand opening event with Yeager runs 7-8 p.m. Feb. 28 and will be followed by a fashion presentation with designs by Lingerini at Center of Visual Communication, 557 N.W. 27th St. at Northwest Fifth Ave., Miami. RSVP required to Studiolaunch@visual.org or 305-571-1415.

Artist, author and entrepreneur Brainard Carey doing four talks and book signings in Broward

Artist/entrepreneur Brainard Carey

Brainard Carey, author of New Markets for Artists: How to Sell, Fund Projects, and Exhibit Using Social Media, DIY Pop-Ups, eBay, Kickstarter, and Much More and his most recent book, Making It in the Art World: New Approaches to Galleries, Shows and Raising Money, is in Broward for four speaking engagements this week.

Carey's The Art World Demystified is a series of courses meant to do just what the title suggests.

Brainard and his wife Delia Carey are artists and entrepreneurs. They refer to The Art World Demystified as a New York City-based school "devoted to growing the professional careers of artists who want to advance in all levels of the art world, from the Venice Biennial to street sales of art."

Instruction is offered at two levels. The first, according to Carey's video, is a course on "how to mange your time, run your studio, how to organize everything so you can understand how to focus and advance you career." The second includes everything from the first level but also addresses higher-level concerns such as getting into major biennials and large museums, attracting collectors and  finding support for your work. Monthly memberships range from $10 to $40, but Carey stresses that anyone who signs up can cancel in 14 days and lose nothing.

More info on The Art World Demystified, as well as some videos on various subjects addressed by Carey, can be found at Tawd.wildapricot.org. Those interested in hearing more about his book have four chances to do so. Each session, which the exception of the DBA show talk (which runs half an hour) is 45 minutes and includes a talk, a Q&A and a book signing.

Times and dates are as follows: 7-8 p.m. Feb. 26 in a session presented in conjunction with South Florida Artists Association at Lauderhill Art Center, 5454 N.W. 19th Ave., Lauderhill;  1-2 p.m. Feb. 27 at Pearl, 1033 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the closing reception for DBA 2013 in Gallery Six of Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale.; and 7-8 p.m. Feb. 28 at The Girls' Club, 117 N.E. Second St., Fort Lauderdale.

FEB. 27: DBA 2013 closing reception at Broward County Main Library

Klawdia Proia will exhibit in the DBA 2013 Art Exhibition

DBA 2013 Art Exhibition, coordinated by DBA Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute grad Ry Nielsen, with assistance from Frank Crowley and JoAnn Nava, features works by painters Jim Bobick and Renee Falsetto, fiber artist Isabel Perez Salazar, photographers Candy Childrey and R. Lewis Hooten, and ceramicist Klawdia Proia.

"Living Thermophiles" by Candy Childrey

The show also includes works by DBA Alumni artists Susan Clifton, Frank Crowley, Liora Davis, Virginia Fifield, Michael D. Harris, Henning Haupt, Jacklyn LaFlamme, Amelia Monroe, JoAnn Nava, Elle Schorr, Steven Sylvester and LeeAnna Yater.

For those who are not familiar with the Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute, it's a program featuring 20 classes with lectures, panels and discussions spread over four Saturdays.

The annual course, held at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale, is for artists who want to advance their business skills. The participation fee is $100 and includes classes, a coursebook, refreshments and free parking. (The next annual session starts in June and a schedule and contact info can be found here).

Meanwhile, you can check out this year's exhibition, which includes performances by
poet Mary Rose Harding songwriter Tate Earle and performer Alexis Caputo, who will present poetry and spoken word excerpts from her multidisciplinary project Afro Diaries. There will also be a 7 p.m. presentation by Brainard Carey, author of Making it in the Art World.

Rather than a traditional catalogue, event posters will be offered for $5. The two-hour closing reception starts at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Broward County Main Library, Gallery Six, 100 S. Andrews Ave. Fort Lauderdale, For more info, visit Artistsdoingbusinessas.com.

 

FLASHBACK: Lake Worth Street Painting Festival

Serafima Sokolov holding an image of the work she and Miguel Cruz planned.  

It's been six or seven years since I attended my first Lake Worth Street Painting Festival, but now it's an annual tradition. I particularly like going on Sunday because it's a good mix of still-in -progress and completed works.

Rain, however, can throw off everything, and many artists were in for a surprise when they arrived to work on their pieces on Sunday and discovered the results of a downpour.

Serafima Sokolov, who was  collaborating on a street painting with Miguel Cruz, said they had spent Saturday working on a piece that, at day's end, was 75 percent finished. Sometime after they left, however, it rained and even the tarp didn't help.

But on Sunday, Sokolov was still smiling. She and Miguel revised their plan and kept right on going. Asked whether she was devastated about losing her work, Sokolov didn't seem too bothered and said it really helped that all of the artists were going through the same thing ... It's the sort of thing that can create camaraderie, enough of it to get artists through a hot, hot day of painting on a street while surrounded by legs, dogs on leashes and cameras constantly snapping pics of their sweaty, chalky selves.

Downtown Lake Worth was one busy little beehive on Sunday morning.

By day two of the fest some of the work spaces have sort of a comfortable lived-in look.

Hats are more than a fashion accessory during day-long sunshiny painting sessions.

I notice that some people choose the same colors for their paintings that they choose for their clothes. Somehow, that makes sense to me.

I see so many people sitting right in their chalky work .... but these two seem to have it down to a system. Wonder if they've done this before.

Finished works (not washed out by rain) were still very much in the minority, even around mid-day on Sunday. This one was particularly cute, I thought.

So many healthy food options ... and so difficult to choose, so I'll just have the funnel cakes with a side of deep-fried Oreos and curly fires please. Haha. Just kidding ... but I do enjoy some curly fries now and again.

Wild Bill's seems to be a magnet for boys in blue shirts. I guess they like the big mugs and unlimited refills.

Poutine Dog is a more permanent Lake Worth eatery, Believe it or not, there are 15 different kinds of poutines served here aside from the poutine dog which comes on a grilled bun topped with French fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy and sprinkled with crispy bacon. We're talking grilled cheese poutine, baby back ribs poutine and pepperoni poutine. So the question is: What could be crazier than a cafe called Poutine Dog?

Answer: Bungee-jumping activities just outside a place where most dishes start with these basic items: French fries, cheese curds and gravy.

Lake Worth Street Painting Festival draws artists from beyond South Florida ... Cynthia Kostylo is from Carlsbad, CA.

It looks like the rain really did a number on this piece, but that artist, he looks determined.

When two Ms are better than one: "Comming Soon: Play It Again Music Store"  ... Hey, everyone makes mmistakes.

I know a work by Eduardo Mendieta when I see one ... which I did in F.A.T. Village, just one night before this event. Check it out at the top of this post.

Street painting sometimes requires contortionist moves.

Street painting ... as far as the eye can see.

There are lots of empty shoes laying around on the streets of Lake Worth during this festival. Wonder how many times dogs walk off with one of them.

Here's a puppy in a tutu! Not that she would run off with shoes or anything, but you know what they say about pups raised on pink shoelaces.

Chalky artists are everywhere at Lake Worth Street Painting Festival.

Again, hats are a must ... but even with a hat, look at this picture. Can't you just feel the intensity of the sun?

You know she's gotta be hot out there too, but he's got the right idea.

This artist, however, is likely the envy of many artists ... in the end, it's all about the size of your umbrella, and clearly she wins the contest for biggest umbrella hands down.

But we, as spectators, win the contest for best brilliant idea for cooling down .... Get off the crowded block and head to an Irish pub for a big old glass of Guinness. Long after we finished our pints, fries and other things, Serafima Sokolov and Miguel Cruz were still working in the big hot sun. Ah, but look down below at the payoff ....

Through rain, dogs, cameras or what the heck ever, Serafima and Miguel delivered, and their story is  one of many that unfolds on the streets during Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. The pic above is from Miguel Cruz's Facebook page.

ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES: Calls to artists, new art venues, helium balloon challenges, internships and more

● Helium Creative, a Fort Lauderdale-based design agency in the FAT Village arts district has launched The #heliumcreative365 challenge.  As the agency approaches its 10th year, it's goal in this challenge is to inspire creativity in others through the offer of a simple helium balloon. "The goal is to utilize our helium balloon however you see fit -- blow it, tear it, burn it, paint it -- so long as you photograph it on Instagram and submit it to us at #heliumcreative365.

"When you stop by our studio to pick up the balloon, we will assign you a specific day to take your photo," they say. "Submit it to us and we'll print it out to display in our studio during the FAT Village Artwalk as well as including it in our #heliumcreative365 photo book that will come out next year once all 365 pictures have been taken!" Their advice: Be creative and have fun!

The first gallery show, which runs 7-11 p.m.March 30, will feature photos submitted from Feb. 25 through March 29 at Project Fine Art/Helium Creative, 500 N.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale.

The Upstairs Underground is accepting exhibition proposals from artists who wish to rent the space for a three-week period.

 ● The Upstairs Underground, located in a former garment factory atop the 6th Street Container in Miami's Little Havana, is accepting exhibition proposals from artists who wish to rent the industrial loft space for $250 (exhibition design and hanging are each available for an additional $75, as in $150 for both).  Exhibitions open the last Friday of the month and the $250 covers a three-week period. The space must be left just as it was found, and artists keep all proceeds for each of their sales. For more info, contact Trisha Trotamundi, Ttmundi@gmail.com. Upstairs Underground is at 1155 (top rear) S.W. Sixth St., Miami.

Into the Woods is accepting submissions through May 10 for its Twisted Fairytales exhibition.

 ● Into the Woods Art Gallery in Dania Beach is accepting submissions for its exhibition titled Twisted Fairytales. Their statement to interested artists: "We would like artists to draw reference from the Grimms' fairy tales and Aesop's Fables, along with other less known fairy tales from other cultures. You may create your vision of these classic tales as they were originally written, or you may interpret them and mix them up to your own taste and style! Have fun with it; that's the main goal! But make sure the work pulls direct parallels from the original tales. If it's too obscure it may be turned down for entry."

Show jurors are Frank Balzano and Linda Weeks, and the top prize is a signed copy of "Frontier Literature" by Shefali Shah Choksi. Entry fees are $10 for one work, $20 for two or three and $30 for four. The gallery takes 50 percent commission on works sold. Deadline for entries is May 10 and the show will run May 25th through Sept. 22. For more info, see the Twisted Fairytales Facebook event page.

●Ink & Pistons Gallery in West Palm Beach is accepting submissions for its next show, The Tattooed Canvas which will feature "large photographs of a living canvases show alongside art works in all mediums done by tattoo artists." The show will open 7-1 p.m. April 6 and run through May 14. Info at Inkandpistonstattoo.com.

 ● The 2013 Friends of Jonathan Dickinson State Park Photo Contest is underway. Categories include Florida General (landscapes, scenes, people, man-made structures, etc.), Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Youth Florida Nature (ages 16 and under), and Creative Nature. This year's judge is Clyde Butcher. Deadline for entries is March 20. Entry fee is $15 for up to three photo entries, and $5 for each additional image. Cash and other prizes will be awarded in each category and the works of all finalists will be exhibited in the Kimbell Center. See rules and guidelines for detailed instructions. For contest details, and entry and release forms,  contact Libby Reinert at the Kimbell Center, 561-745-5551 or Libby.reinert@dep.state.fl.us.

 ● Vargas Gallery in Pembroke Pines is accepting submissions of original art from South Florida artists and collectives for its 2013 Juried South Florida Artists Group Exhibition, which is open to amateurs and professionals working in all mediums including "painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, mixed media, digital art, film, installation art, fabric and printmaking

Applicants to the open-themed exhibition, meant to provide a look at work and trends in the South Florida art scene, will be judged on the professionalism of their technique and presentation and must pay to ship their works to and from the show.  Deadline for entries is April 12. There is no fee for the first three entries, but each additional is $5. See the exhibition's Facebook event page for more details. The exhibition will open 6-10 p.m. June 7 and run through July 19. 

 ● ActivistArtistA Gallery is accepting submission for Baby Whores and Other Political Commentaries, billed as "a group exhibition of works that raise awareness of injustices, crimes, politics ... Propaganada arts, graphic designs, T-shirts and bumper stickers will be considered." Deadline for entries is March 14. Artists should mail a CD with 300 dpi JPEG images, each labeled with title or work, artist's name, a brief bio, dimensions and medium, along with a check for $5 to ActivistArtistA Gallery Office, 1021 Avon Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Contact ActivistArtistA@gmail.com for more info or if you have questions.

 ● Ink & Pistons is also accepting submissions for The Sugar High Club, which organizers says will include "All things sweet, sugary and extra fluffy. ... Artists without a sweet toof need not apply." The show will run 7-11 p.m. May 18 and run through June 25. Info at Inkandpistonstattoo.com.

 ● Riverwalk Sunday Arts, held each 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the fourth Sunday of the month will feature local artists, crafters and vendors demonstrating their respective arts and talents along the New River and at Esplanade Park. The next event is March 22. Interested vendors should call Rebecca Wilkner at 954-462-8190 or e-mail her at Information@artserve.org. 

● Ink & Pistons will hold its One-Year Anniversary Art Show and Hot Rod Roundup, 7-11 p.m. June 29 through July 30. Submissions are being accepted online. Info at Inkandpistonstattoo.com. 

● Ink & Pistons is a accepting submissions for Out to Sea, with themes of drifting, sinking, shipwrecks, messages in bottles and journeys out to sea. The show will open 7-11 p.m. Aug. 3 and run through Sept. 10. Info at Inkandpistonstattoo.com. 

● David Castillo Gallery seeks new interns to handle various responsibilities based on their skills. To apply, please send a resume to Claudia@davidcastillogallery.com.

● For more artist opportunities, visit Arterpillar's Artist Opps page.

 

FLASHBACK: F.A.T. Village Art Walk in Fort Lauderdale

We stopped by FAT Village Art Walk Saturday night and found it much quieter than usual. There were plentiful parking spaces, the few food truck vendors looked sort of bored and some of the spaces that are typically open were not. Not sure if the lack of activity was because we stopped by early, between 7 and 7:30 ,or if it's because people were thinking F.A.T. Village Art Walk was next weekend. (Feb. 23 is a bit early for a last-Saturday-of-the-month Art Walk).

Whatever the cause, it was still a fun night out, and I brought back pics to share.

The quiet street offered a good opportunity to take a pic of Eduardo Mendieta's mural. I've seen it many times before but I just liked the way it looked beneath the glowing street light on an empty street last night.

Play, an exhibition of videos at The Projects South included short videos that celebrate play and humor while challenging notions of "self, gender and stature." This one, titled The Game, is by Lisa Rockford. Yes that's a Twister game and you can check out the video on Vimeo.

Knit Dicks (fancy) by Martin Casuso was also in the lineup. If you missed it on the big screen at The Projects South, you can watch it on Vimeo.

It seems that even on the quietest of F.A.T. Village Art Walk nights, there's always a good, and interested, crowd at Samsara Folk Art Gallery.

I love to go into Samsara and check out works like Cher Shaffer's "Jerimeri Cat." After many stops at Samsara, I have grown to love Shaffer's work, and her imagination. "Jerimeri Cat" is priced at $185.

Also at Samsara: Mark Orr's "The Raven," priced at $155. The combo of intriguing art and relatively affordable prices keep people coming back here, it seems. To learn more about Samsara's  co-founders Sara Nichols and Christie Jago, read this story I wrote about them for the Sun-Sentinel and/or watch The Folk Finders, a video that follows them on one of their many trips to acquire the art they bring back to this gallery.

Crossing Borders, a group exhihition by artists living in more than one culture. represents a painful topic for Cenigma, an artist who notes that she has always considered herself Puerto Rican but never denied that she was born n New York and that her mother was Cuban. "This issue has brought me conflicts and even confrontations growing up in Puerto Rico and later living in New York and then finally in Florida," she notes in her artist statement. To express the pain, she's included drops of her own blood in this painting.

Adriana Campo also has work on exhibit in Crossing Borders.

Nereida Garcia-Ferraz also exhibited in Crossing Borders at World and Eye.

I also stopped by Project Fine Art/Helium Creative and saw this exhibit by Jovan Karlo Villalba (at left) whose works are oil-paint on steel. 

While at Project Fine Art/Helium Creative, I picked up a balloon to participate in Helium Creative's new project. Participants (all who arrive to pick up a balloon) can take any sort of photo they like with the balloon, . It can be blown up, popped, released, whatever creative thing they can come up with ... There will be a show of all the photos at the next Art Walk (7-11 p.m. March 30) and at the end of a year, there will also be a book.

 

I'm still thinking, thinking, thinking, but already PBJ and Lil Red Buttons are making their own plans, meditating on the many many possibilities of the balloon that is now in the house. We'll see what they come up with this week. Our deadline is March 9.

FEB. 24: Indie Craft Bazaar, Riverwalk Sunday Arts, Tea with Marta, Lake Worth Street Painting Fest

Indie Craft Bazaar: Signed, Stitched, Delivered is billed as "an independent art & handmade festival," that also includes repurposed goods, vegan edibles, DIY activities, a raffle, gourmet sweets, fortune telling and tarot card readings  $3 minosas and a cash bar. Vendors will include Rum Cay Island Jewelry,  Sweet Caroline Confections and around 60 others, runs noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 at Revolution Live, 100 S.W. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Parking is free (though spaces are limited so car pooling is encouraged) and the first 10 guests will receive free swag bags. Admission is $5. More details at Getupandcraft.com or on Indie Craft Bazaar's Facebook event page.

Riverwalk Sunday Arts (which is walking distance from the above-mentioned indoor fair at Revolution) will also take place in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The event, now held the fourth Sunday afternoon of each month along the New River and at Esplanade Park, will feature local artists, crafters and musicians from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 24. For more info, visit Riverwalk Sunday Arts Facebook page.

Also Sunday: 

Lake Worth Street Painting Festival: Day Two is the best day to see the show (assuming it doesn't rain between now and then) because some artists take all weekend to complete their chalked masterpieces.

Here's a link to the site Lake Worth Street Painting Festival, which will continue 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and another link to a whole bunch of pics I took on day two of last year's fest.

Sunday Afternoon Tea with Artist Marta Estrems, 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Arch Gallery in Miami. There will be "casual conversations about Marta's artwork, the art world, life in Miami or whatever topic tickles your fancy," notes curator Daniela Montana. Estrems' show Containment: The Tao of Aesthetics is currently on exhibit at the gallery. More details can be found on the Facebook event page.

● For info on more South Florida art events, visit Arterpillar Art Guide. 

● To learn about many South Florida calls to artists and other opportunities, visit Arterpillar's Artist Opps Page.