Cuba! Exploring Old Havana

Rafa in the Plaza de San Francisco

Christopher Columbus was busy back in 1492. That was the year he "discovered" both America and Cuba. Plaza de San Francisco is one of the places in Havana where the resulting Spanish colonialism is very evident. With Rafa as our guide, we learned about the area's history and architecture. It's worth noting that while Rafa works at the wonderful Hotel Casavana where we stayed, his degree is in architecture. Another seriously under-employed Cuban. 

Once the Spanish took control of Havana, they built as many religious structures as possible, including the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi that looms large in Plaza de San Francisco. What better way to remind the "natives" they were no longer in control? 

New social classes emerged that replicated European traditions, complete with titles. Mansions were built around the square that still stand as a reminder of Havana's colonialist past. 

And here's a tidbit that caught my attention. Rafa noted that Spain had control of Havana from the time of Columbus' arrival until 1898. Except, that is, for an eleven month period in 1762-63 when the Brits assumed control after the Seven Years War. The Brits would have stayed longer, but Cuba offered up Florida in exchange for Havana and the English jumped at the offer. An interesting slice of Florida history. Now back to the Plaza de San Francisco. 

Street artist in Havana

The Plaza served as the central marketplace of the city. It's not hard to imagine vendors peddling their wares in the wide open space of the square. In fact, there's a bit of that still going on today. 

I spied an artist across the square and stepped away from Rafa's history lesson. How could I resist? The artist was working on this small watercolor with one of the old cars for which Havana is known parked in front of the Capitol. He finished the Cuban flag as I stood there, so I walked away happily waving my acquisition with $10 less in my wallet. For a better image of the painting, just click on the photo. It was the first of several works of art I brought home. 

Suzanne and Orlando

The various plazas are a natural place for entrepreneurs of all kinds to make a little money. We were serenaded at one stop by this musician. Suzanne being Suzanne engaged with the guy and found out that his name was Orlando. Given another five minutes, she would have had his life story. 

Orlando was the first street performer we encountered on our trip. We'd been told by previous travelers to bring lots of dollar bills to give out, but we couldn't quite figure out the mechanics. Do you just randomly walk up to someone and give them a dollar? With average incomes the equivalent of $15-$20/month, the need is there, and tourists are the best source of additional funds. Still, it sounded awkward, not to mention paternalistic and condescending and whatever other uncomfortable adjective you can think of. So it made sense when Pedro said it was appropriate to put some money in the hands of street performers but not someone just walking down the street - or the beggars we encountered. We were happy to do that. And yes, dollars are the preferred currency rather than the Cuban peso. 

Jerry chats with Eusebia Leal 

As I mentioned in my previous post, Havana is filled with public art that ties in with the history of Cuba. This sculpture of Eusebio Leal provided an engaging photo opp for our group, with Jerry having a particularly lively interaction with the man credited with saving Old Havana from decay. 

Leal was a self-educated man. He dropped out of school after sixth grade to get a job and help support his mother. But he was someone who loved to learn, and he eventually got into university based on the knowledge he learned on his own. What a self-starter. And how appropriate that this sculpture shows him carrying some of his beloved books. 

Leal became Havana's city historian and directed the restoration project of old Havana. Over the course of 20+ years approximately 300 buildings -- from cathedrals to restaurants to hotels -- were brought back to their former glory. Renovating these structures didn't just make Old Havana a more beautiful place. It also helped promote the tourism on which Cuba relies so heavily. The area was deservedly declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982. For a great article about Leal compliments of Smithsonian Magazine, click here. 

And with that, Old Havana was in our rearview window. We had people to see and places to go. 

Next up: Sculpture from Havana's Museum of Fine Arts 

Cuba! Exploring the Plaza de la Revolution

Jose Marti Memorial at Revolution Plaza

I recently returned from a wonderful week in Havana. It was exhilarating and humbling, educational and fun. While I know I can't truly convey what it was like to be there, I'm going to give it the old college try. And that seems apt, since one of the good things Fidel Castro implemented was free education for all. If only there were jobs that paid a living wage for the bright and articulate students upon graduation. But I'm going to try and stay on point for this post, which is sharing a bit of information about Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion. 

Revolution Plaza was quite appropriately the first stop on our panoramic tour of the city. The Cuba of today is the result of Castro's victory over Batista in the Revolution. This Plaza was one of the places Castro gave hours long speeches on occasions such as the anniversary of the Revolution and International Workers Day. The crowd could number as many as a million people. I have practical questions, like how did Castro hydrate and when did he pee. Not to mention how he came up with all those words. But I'm already digressing. 

Sculptural mural of Camila Cienfuegos

The person memorialized in the sculpture and building pictured above is not Castro but Jose Marti. Marti was a 19th century poet, journalist, diplomat and activist who worked for the liberation of Cuba from Spain. When he was just 16 years old, Marti was arrested for denouncing a pro-Spanish classmate and sentenced to six years of hard labor. He was released after a few months but spent most of the remainder of his life in exile. Even if you haven't heard Marti's name before, I'll wager that you're familiar with his work. The lyrics of the song "Guantanamerro" came from one of Marti's poems.

While doing a bit of internet surfing, I learned you can also find a sculpture of Marti on horseback in Central Park. Artist Anna Hyatt Huntington created the work and then gifted it to the Cuban government to be given to the City of New York. It seems a bit circuitous, but I guess that ensured the sculpture would be displayed. Still, although New York received the sculpture in 1959, the pedestal where it was to be displayed sat empty until 1965. Given the political issues raging between the US and Cuba at the time, commemorating one of Cuba's heroes didn't seem appropriate. For a picture of that sculpture, click here.  And for a bit more about Marti, click here. 

Two other revolutionaries are also recognized in Revolution Plaza -- Camila Cienfuegos and Che Guevara. Cienfuegos was Fidel's second in command throughout the Revolution and continued to be actively involved in the new government after Fidel's victory. The sculpture of Cienfuegos contains the words "Vas bien, Fidel" or "You're doing fine, Fidel." These words were Cienfuegos' response to Fidel when he turned to Cienguegos during one of his speeches at Revolutionary Square and asked how he was doing. Really, though, what could Cinefuegos have said? "Since you asked, you're going on a little bit long, my friend"? Cienguegos died in a mysterious plane crash a few months after the success of the Revolution. His body was never recovered, and some believe Fidel or Raul Castro had a hand in his demise due to his popularity with the people. For more on Cienfuegos, click here. 

Sculptural mural of Che Guevara

And then there is Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Che is a romantic figure of the Revolution, in part because he died at just 39 years old. Of course he was also pretty darn handsome, and many a tourist -- including some of the women in our group -- come home from Cuba with a tshirt with Che's face emblazoned on the front. 

Che was a fierce warrior and, like Cienfuegos, played an important role in Cuba both during and following the Revolution. One of the jobs Che was tasked with following Fidel's victory was reviewing the appeals of people convicted as war criminals who were to be executed by firing squad. He is known as well for advocating agrarian reform to break up large farms and redistribute land to the people. His resume also includes training militia forces who fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. (In another post, I'll share pictures of a bunker located on the grounds of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba that was used by Cuba during the Invasion.)  The sculpture includes the words  “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” or “Toward victory forever.” For more on Guevara, click here.  

Visiting Revolution Square was only the first of many educational and thought-provoking experiences during our trip. I quickly realized how little I know about Cuba and the United States' relationship with the country. It was also immediately clear how significant a role public art plays in telling the story of Cuba's history. For me, having these visuals as an entry point helped enormously. Our trip was off to a terrific start. 

Next up: Exploring Old Havana 

Embracing Our Differences 2024 Exhibit

"Friendsheeps" by Ruth Schmidt (Hungary) 

The annual Embracing Our Differences art exhibit in Bayfront Park is always fun to explore. The exhibit features artwork from around the world with accompanying quotes. (Note: The quotes are submitted separately from the images, with the EOD curatorial team creating the pairings.) This year 16,603 submissions were received from 125 countries, 44 states and 584 schools. Selecting the artwork and quotes to include could not have been an easy task. But the committee once again did a great job putting together an engaging exhibit that can be enjoyed on multiple levels.

When I visited the exhibit for my second viewing, I happened upon a little boy laughing with joy and his equally happy mother. They were looking at Ruth Schmidt's "Friendsheeps." "Which one do you like the best?" I asked the little boy. Without any hesitation, he said, "The one in the middle." We both giggled over the sheep's funny hairstyle. (Note: If you enlarge the image by clicking on it you'll see that the sheep also has a triple piercing on one ear.) The mother's favorite was the second sheep from the right which is sticking out its tongue. More giggles all around. The mother later saw me and said, "Did you notice that there's a wolf in sheep's clothing in that painting?" I hadn't! Nice touch, Ruth. The encounter totally made my day. The accompanying quote for this work reads, "Similarities make us comfortable; differences make us fascinating." The words were submitted by Adyasha Giri, a 12th grade student from India. I assume creating quotes for this exhibit was a class project since Adyasha likely wouldn't have otherwise come upon the call for submissions. I love it. 

"Friends Untangle Life's Knots" by 5th Grade Class
at Emma Book Elementary School (Teacher Melissa Shaw)

Speaking of class projects, "Friends Untangle Life's Knots" was created by Mrs. Rodriguez' Fifth Grade class at Emma Booker Elementary School here in Sarasota. Art teacher Melissa Shaw was at the helm for the project. 

Each artist (in this case the class) submits a statement to provide some context for the work. Here's what these students had to say. "When the stress of life makes us feel like we are tied up in knots, it is easy to feel isolated. In this collaborative artwork, we wanted to show how important it is to reach out to others, especially when they are struggling. Our hope is that more people in the world will be a friend to those who need it most." These kids seem wise beyond their years. Canadian Jenniffer Twu provided the accompanying quote, which reads, "Watch children make friends. You'll learn so much from them." 

"Remembering John Sims" by Anita Wexler (Sarasota)

I came upon an unexpected tie-in between the EOD exhibit and the "Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat" exhibit now on at Sarasota Art Museum. Both celebrate the art and life of John Sims. 

Sims moved to Sarasota from Detroit when he was a young man and spent the rest of his too short life here. (He passed away from a heart attack two years ago at the age of 54.) He is best known for his multi-media work known broadly as the "Recoloration Proclamation." When he moved to Sarasota, Sims was struck by the number of Confederate flags proudly displayed. One of his artistic responses was the recoloration of that flag in black, red and green, the colors of the Black Liberation Movement. Another involved a reimagining of the Confederacy's favorite song -- "Dixie." In case you can't summon the song to mind, it starts, "I wish I was in the land of cotton, Old times there are not forgotten..." Sims re-recorded the song in 13 different genres of Black music, including Blues, Gospel, R&B and Hip Hop. Both components of Sims' Recoloration Proclamation are included in the exhibit at the Museum, with a listening station to hear the music. For excerpts of the revised versions of the song, click here. 

The words of Willa Abraham, a 10th grader from Houston, were paired with Wexler's remembrance of Sims. They read, "Our time is limited, but our impact remain infinite." The use of the word "infinite" is particularly apt because Sims was a mathematician as well as an artist. It's a clever pairing by the folks at EOD. 

"Ramadan Meals Among Syrian Ruins" by Mouneb Taim

I'll leave you with a striking photograph by Dutch photographer Mouneb Taim. It's entitled "Ramadan Meals Among Syrian Ruins." As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Still, the words of Sandy Chase of Bradenton were well worth including. Chase wrote, "Arms can destroy lives or embrace others. Decide which to use." 

Kudos once again to the team at Embracing Our Differences both for putting together this wonderful exhibit and for all the other hard work you do to make our community a more accepting place. The exhibit runs at Bayfront Park through April 14th. Don't miss it. 

Great Artists Steal at Art Center Sarasota

"Bill in Sarasota" by Craig Carl 

"Good artists copy; great artists steal." So declared none other than Pablo Picasso. Fun fact: Steve Jobs used this quote when talking about some of Apple's innovations. I can just imagine the corporate panic that ensued the moment the words left his mouth. Bud Tribble, Apple's VP of software technology at the time, tried to put Jobs' statement in context. "I think people focus on the Picasso statement and focus on the word 'steal," Tribble said. "If you take that word, which is kind of pejorative, and replace it with 'make it your own,' ... that's the dividing line between copying and stealing." I suspect this wasn't the final word on the topic. But I've veered a bit off my point, which is that Art Center Sarasota is hosting an exhibit in which local artists used the work of famous artists as their jumping off point. They did a good job of making those artists' work their own. It's a fun show. 

I listened in on juror Alecia Harper's comments on the exhibit. Harper shared that 284 works inspired by 140 different artists were submitted for consideration. Picasso and Braque were the artists most frequently stolen from, with 14 submissions inspired by each of these greats. Nipping at their heels were Klimt, van Gogh and Monet at 13 reimaginings. 

I was able to identify the inspiration for some of the works from across the room. Take, for instance, Craig Carl's "Bill in Sarasota." It's a terrific homage to the work of David Hockney. I particularly liked the no socks look. I imagined that Bill is looking out the window at one of Hockney's trademark pools. It's a successful work on all points in my book, but it wasn't given an award.

"Lunch with Andy and Jean-Michel" by Raegan Little

Nor did Raegan Little's "Lunch with Andy and Jean-Michel" garner a prize. As the title says, the sculpture was inspired by the art of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. You might expect that drawing on the influence of multiple artists would make the task more difficult, but the inclusion of Basquiat's figures and graffiti seems a logical addition to this 3D version of a Warhol soup can. Warhol and Basquiat were not only friends in real life; they collaborated artistically as well. To see some of that work, click here. 

The conversion of one of Warhol's trademark soup can paintings into a sculpture was a clever idea. (Another artist recreated one of Keith Haring's dogs as a sculpture.) Having a 3D version allowed Little to include -- and modify -- the directions on how to prepare the soup and its ingredients. The instructions contain the suggestion to "Eat for lunch." This addition is a sly reference to Warhol's statement that he ate Campbell's soup for lunch every day for 20 years. "I used to drink it," he said. I like it, although I do wonder why the can is misshapen. If you have any thoughts, let me know. 

"Intrusive Thoughts (L'appel du vide) by Gene Shurakov  

Now let's get to a couple of works that did win awards. "Intrusive Thoughts (L'appel du vide)" by Gene Shurakov was given an Honorable Mention. It definitely wins the prize for most mysterious work in the show. Even in this image, you can see the movement in the work and its three dimensional feeling. It's a painting that's gotten under my skin, which is quite apt given its name. 

"Intrusive Thoughts" was inspired by the work of three Russian artists: Kazimir Malevich, Vasily Kandinsky and Ivan Aivazovsky. I have to admit to only being familiar with Kandinsky (and that I can't summon even one of his works to mind). Hello, Google. 

I learned that Malevich was an abstract artist who founded the Suprematism movement, a style of art that relies on the supremacy of feeling when you look at a painting. He was particularly known for his geometric paintings, including his "Black Circle." So I get that reference now. Aivazovsky was known for his turbulent seascapes such as "The Wave." Check. Remind me to never go boating with this guy. The influence of Kandinsky is less readily apparent to me, but I trust that Shurakov knows his Russian artists. 

"Self Portrait circa 1989" by Michael Parkinson

I'll leave you with a Merit Award winner -- "Self Portrait circa 1989" by Michael Parkinson. I had to get close to this painting before realizing the artist being stolen from is Chuck Close. You can see in this image that Parkinson mimicked Close's technique of painstakingly painting his large-scale works small square by small square. 

For Close, this approach was the only way he could create the portraits for which he is known. Close suffered from prosopagnosia, or face blindness. (Being "face blind" means you are unable to differentiate one face from another.) You might expect this disability to be a hindrance to becoming a portrait artist, but Close said he made this choice specifically because of his condition. 

It turns out that recreating an image of his subject helped him remember that person's face. Before he started a new portrait, Close would take a color photograph of the individual. He would then pencil in small squares across the entire canvas. Using the photograph as his guide, he would work from the top left hand portion of the canvas to the lower right hand, filling in each square with the appropriate color. What a task he set for himself each time he picked up a paintbrush. 

Unfortunately, Parkinson was not on hand at the Art Center to talk about his choice of Close as his inspiration and how difficult the process of creating this 60x45 self portrait was. I'd be curious to know what his take aways from the project were. No matter, Parkinson deserves kudos for taking the opportunity to, as they say, walk a mile in someone else's shoes. 

"Great Artists Steal" continues at Art Center Sarasota through April 20th. For more info, click here. 

Revisiting the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo

Rodeo competitors (photo credit to Bruce Tompkins) 

It had been more than a decade since I last attended the Arcadia Rodeo, known as "The Granddaddy of 'Em All." The Arcadia Rodeo dates back to 1928 when the American Legion needed a new building and decided to host a rodeo to raise the required funding. The event features professional cowboys -- and cowgirls -- who hope to garner enough points to compete in the national finals in Las Vegas. 

In the past ten+ years since I attended, the rodeo hasn't changed much, but the venue has. The new Mosaic Arena is a big step up from the rodeo's digs in 2011. It's a professional arena with overhead fans and seats with backs if you're willing to spend a few extra bucks. Still, the first thing that hit me when I entered the arena was the smell. It's a fact of life when you have all that livestock in one place. Happily, I either quickly adapted or the smell dissipated when we got to our seats. 

Some of the mutton busters 

The first event was a fan favorite -- mutton bustin'. In this event, children between the ages of four and six don a helmet, climb on a sheep and hold on for dear life. It's hard to imagine these kids woke up one morning and told their parents this is something they wanted to do. Note the one child who seems to be sucking his thumb. Talk about grooming. 

Many of the sheep weren't even fully out of the chute before the kid fell off. The audience laughed and clapped and the child got up and staggered back to mommy and daddy. I believe it was the dark haired girl standing proudly in the center who managed to hold on until the sheep had made in to the center of the arena. That was truly impressive. With the warm-up event under our belts, we were ready for some adult rodeoing.

Bareback rider 

The adult events started with bareback riding. It's similar to the mutton bustin' except that the cowboy is on a horse that's been trained to do its best to throw the rider off its back as quickly as possible. High kicks are encouraged and rewarded with a higher score. (Half of the points in the event are awarded for the horse and half for the rider.) Although there's no saddle, there is a small piece of leather and rawhide between the horse's shoulder blades for the cowboy to hold on to for dear life. The goal is for the rider to stay on for eight seconds. The riders who were bucked off before the eight second mark were thanked for their participation but given no points for their efforts. 

Attempt at bull riding (photo credit to Bruce Tompkins)

Then, of course, there's the bull riding. My official opinion is that bull riding is really, really hard -- and dangerous. The clown is there to distract the bull so he doesn't run over the cowboy after he's been bucked off. The other guy is the wrangler, or the person responsible for getting the bull back into the pen. I wouldn't want either job. 

Again, the goal is for the rider to stay on the bull for eight seconds. (FYI, the time limits in these events are in place for the safety and well-being of the animals, not the riders.) During his outing, the rider grips a flat rope with one hand; if the other hand touches the bull at any time during the event, the rider is disqualified. If he stays on, the score is comprised of points for the rider and points for the bull. The rodeo program provided information on each of the events, and I found this tidbit under bull riding particularly interesting/confusing. It read, "Because the bulls are selected at random for the riders, this event truly tests the riders' 'bulls' manship." Cue the music for "macho man" (although I suspect these guys don't listen to the Village People). 

Barrel racing 

Just in case you're wondering if women participate in the rodeo, I'll close with a note about the ladies' event -- barrel racing. The objective is for the rider to maneuver her horse in a clover leaf pattern around three barrels as fast as she can. Those horses come out of the gate blazing fast. The times I noted were in the 16-17 second timeframe. 

The "fun facts" about barrel racing had an interesting tidbit. Pre-1948, scores weren't based exclusively on speed. The rider's horsemanship was also a factor, which I can understand. But her outfit was also awarded some amount of points. Um, what? In fact, the racer's attire is still celebrated in some competitions. Click here to see the winners of the Jerry Ann Taylor best-addressed award for barrel racers. FYI, Jerry Ann Taylor was a trick rider, meaning she'd perform stunts like doing a shoulder stand while riding or hanging upside down off her horse (intentionally). I bet she did some mutton bustin' when she was a kid. 

And so concludes my ode to the Arcadia Rodeo. In the words of Roy Rogers, "Happy trails to you until we meet again." 

The 14th Biennial National Art Exhibition at the Punta Gorda Visual Arts Center

"Miguel La Paloma" by Peter Bucks (IL)

The National Art Exhibition at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda will always have a special place in my heart. It's an exhibit I chaired three times, so I know both how much work it is to put the show together and how exciting it is once the art starts coming in from across the country. This year a couple of international entries from Canada and China also made the cut. I can't imagine the shipping costs! 

The juror for the 14th biennial exhibition was Canadian artist Jean Pederson. Pederson is best known as a watercolorist, and one of her paintings is in the Royal Collection in Windsor, England. Her resume includes receipt of the first Federation of Canadian Artists' Early Achievement Award, serving as a contributing editor for The Artist's Magazine and participation in a Public Exhibition project dealing with the changes in the social fabric in rural Canada. For more on Pederson, click here. Color me impressed. 

Pederson's first task was to select which of the 563 online submissions were accepted into the show. Culling the entries down to 118 works could not have been easy. This is done on a blind basis, meaning that the juror does not have any information about the artist who created the work. All she knew was the work's medium, title and dimensions. There are always some surprises -- both good and bad -- when the art arrives on site. 

"Blue Cotton" by Alexandra Bloch (NC)

Once the works had been hung, it was up to Pederson to allocate the $10,000 in prize money. The awards range from $3,000 for First Place to $250 for a Merit Award. There are also specific awards in the categories of portrait and abstract excellence. It was always great fun to trail behind the juror as he looked at the works, sometimes providing commentary along the way. It was also always a bit heartbreaking to watch the juror pass by a work I was privately rooting for without giving it much more than a cursory glance. 

Once the winning works had been selected, it was time to deliver the good news. The winners were called and told they'd won an award (but not which one). They are always thrilled, of course, but eager to know which award it is. This is especially the case if the artist would have to travel a long distance to come to the awards ceremony. When pushed, I'd finesse this point to give the artist enough info to know whether it would be worth booking a plane ticket and a hotel to make the journey. Don't tell anyone I did that, though, because it wasn't strictly protocol. The artists who are not award winners sit sadly by their phones waiting for a call that never comes. 

"A Gig's a Gig" by Keith Thomson (ALA)

This year I didn't make it to any of the festivities, but I did get a special tour of the exhibit with my artist friend Susan Fraley. Susan was on the committee that put the exhibit together, and I got such a kick out of walking around with her as she shared the ins and outs of the show with me. Susan was still working when I was involved and would only reluctantly participate by doing something like bartending at the awards reception. To hear her talk enthusiastically about all the aspects of mounting the exhibit made me incredibly happy -- and a bit nostalgic. When combined with her insights as an artist into the works, she was the perfect guide to the exhibit. 

As is often the case, many of my works I liked best did not receive awards. Seriously, how could "Miguel La Paloma" by Peter Bucks not be recognized? The painting made me think of the works in the National Portrait Gallery's "Outwin: American Portraiture Today" exhibit. Sure, he's not quite at that level, but this is the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, not the Smithsonian. 

Miguel is of course one gorgeous specimen of a human being. But what I liked most about the work was the mystery. Who is he? Why is he holding a pigeon? (I now know that pigeons are a symbol of fertility and prosperity, fortune, luck and, perhaps most significantly, transformation.) Why are there what look to be choir boys behind him? And of course there's the circle of light behind his head that you see in many images of saints and other icons. I want to know more.  

"Pastime Theatre" by Kyle Surges (IL)

I was taken with both the simplicity and beauty of Alexandra Bloch's "Blue Cotton." The way she created the folds in the crisp shirt is pretty remarkable. And her handling of light is outstanding. Now that I think about it, I bought a blue linen shirt shortly after seeing this painting. Hmmm. 

"A Gig's a Gig" by Keith Thomson is a painting I was tempted to take home. I immediately was taken by the idea of this musician setting up in a laundrymat to perform. Then Susan pointed out that the doors to the dryers are open. So our musician isn't playing a few tunes while waiting for his laundry to be done. Instead, he's just found a venue where people might happen in and enjoy his music. That is passion. Pederson gave this work a Merit Award. 

Last, but not least, of the works I wanted to share is "Pastime Theatre" by Kyle Surges. I could practically feel the popcorn kernels getting stuck in my teeth. This hyperrealistic work drew me in not only because of the incredible detail. My niece and her husband are movie buffs and got married in an old movie theater. So the painting grabbed my attention thematically as well. If my pockets were deeper I would have bought it for them. Like Bucks and Thomson, I recognized Surges' name from previous NAEs. Click here to see the painting he submitted in the 2018 NAE. He was awarded Second Place in 2018 but only came away with a Merit Award this time. 

The National Art Exhibit will be on display through April 12th. It's a terrific show that's well worth making a trip to see. And don't forget your credit card! Even if you don't buy a painting, the VAC has a terrific gift shop. For more information about the Visual Arts Center, click here. 

"Ligature XIV: Dimensions" at Ringling College

Typographic Poster 

I might not have ventured into the "Ligature" exhibit at Ringling College if I hadn't been on a tour of the College's galleries with Tim Jaeger. Jaeger is the Director of Galleries and Chief Curator at Ringling and a wonderful artist in his own right. He explained that "Ligature" is an annual show -- now in its 14th iteration -- and features different forms and styles of typography. Who knew? The exhibit was put together by the Ringling Type Club, so it's also an example of how the College teaches its students about the art world beyond creation. 

Text is ubiquitous in our daily lives and, consciously or not, we all make choices daily about typography. The font we use in an email (or blog post) is an easy example. Typography is the art of arranging that text in a way that makes the copy legible, clear and visually appealing to the reader.  And it is an art. 

This year's "Ligature" exhibit showcased a variety of ways we encounter typography in our daily lives, including typographic posters, dropcaps, illustrative type, typefaces and editorial design. I'll admit to not being familiar with all the terms, although the concepts were of course familiar. The "Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem" advertisment is a fun example of a typographic poster, or a poster that relies heavily on text to get its message across. (Yes, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem was an actual band featuring the Muppets. The cool dude character of Zoot -- shown here -- was performed by Dave Goetz. I don't know about you, but I'd be tempted to go to a show.)

Dropcaps

We were all immediately attracted to the dropcaps (or dropped capitals) portion of the exhibit. Despite having seen oversized letters at the beginning of many a book or article, I had no idea there was a dedicated art behind the choices. Duh. In fact, it's an art form that dates back almost 2,000 years. Think illuminated manuscripts. I can just see those monks hunched over their tomes as they ink in the words with their quill pens and then add an artistic flourish. Dropcaps were originally used to indicate that a new idea was being introduced. Over time, the practice has become more decorative in nature. 

I liked the way the students combined images with their letters. Not surprisingly, their choices were incredibly creative. (Note: You can click on the image to get an expanded view.) One of my favorites was the letter "V" by Lilli Jones with its still life nestled in-between the sides of the letter. This year was the first time the exhibit included a 3D component, and there was a sculpture hanging on a nearby wall with a V-shaped shelf that supported the vases and greenery. It was a nice touch. 

Editorial Design

I could have stood a long time in front of the wall dedicated to editorial design. This, of course, is the form of typographic art we see every day in magazines and other periodicals. The goal is to engage the reader while imparting some kind of knowledge. The larger text is designed to draw the reader into the article with a teaser. This one grabbed me with its promise to tell me about both the place of Hanfu (Han Chinese costume) in history and its resurgence as a popular style today. Definitely a successful editorial design in my book. In fact, I was sufficiently interested to check out Shiyin, the "content creator" mentioned in the article who's known for her Instagram posts wearing Hanfu-inspired clothing. You can too by clicking here. 

You might be wondering, as I was, why the annual exhibit is titled "Ligature." Maybe it's just me, but the name conjures up images of S&M and the crime drama shows I'm wont to watch. But "ligature"  means more simply when two things are tied or stitched together like, say, images and text. Still, I can imagine whoever organized the first show over a decade ago smiling over the slightly titillating effect of the title. 

"Ligature IV: Dimensions" and the other exhibits now on at Ringling College are on display through March 22. For more info, click here.