Pat Greene is Bungalower Media’s first sponsored Resident Reporter. Greene has joined our team as our Arts and Culture Correspondent for the next quarter, supported by the efforts of Interstruct Design + Build, an award-winning Orlando-based design and build firm.
EDITOR’S NOTE: City Commissioner Patty Sheehan will also be participating in Third Thursday at CityArts with her own show of “Bad Kitty”-themed art.
This is the tenth summer the Orlando Museum of Art (Website) has presented a consistently world-class show, The Florida Prize. Museum curator Coralie Claeyson-Gleyzon produced the current show and it’s the first time she has been the sole curator. The premise of Florida Prize is to pick ten contemporary artists she regards as doing the state’s most interesting and relevant work and to put them on display for the public. Then a panel of judges awards one of them with Best in Show. This year’s is a brilliant show.
Every third Thursday in 2024, the museum offers free entry for all, which means you can see great works from the permanent collection and Florida Prize for no charge.
The Downtown Arts District’s Third Thursday has a long history and for the past few months, the event has expanded beyond the confines of CityArts Gallery. Hip-hop artists Mugs and Pockets and some break dancers will perform in the street in front of City Arts.
The event’s expansion includes blocking off Magnolia between Pine and Central where vendors will be selling their wares to live music. Heritage Square, in front of the Orange County Regional History Center (Website), will have a market and E-Turn, an excellent hip-hop artist, will be performing. The History Center itself will host Curator Conversations: Exploring Historic Hotels of Central Florida in conjunction with their pocket exhibit Home Away from Home. The museum has free admission on Third Thursdays from 5-9 p.m.
I had a five-and-a-half-year tenure (2013-2018) running the former Gallery at Avalon Island, housed in the Rogers-Kiene building, now the home of CityArts (Website). The building is a distinct and beautiful green and a testament to Queen Anne-style architecture.
CityArts will feature IN-BETWEEN by painters Mimi Hwang and Marlene London in the downstairs gallery. Mel Taylor’s Sensory Overload will be displayed in the main gallery upstairs. Paul Columbus will be in the Spotlight Gallery. Upstairs in the front room is the Redefine Gallery, which has been active for several years and is one of the most interesting spaces in the city. People who know, know. It’s always worth checking out. This month, it will feature prolific portrait photographer David Lawrence.
Lawrence has been setting up pop-up events for the last few years. His photos are known for capturing the authenticity and vulnerability of his subjects; many times, the images are provocative. This is another excellent show coming out of the Redefine space.
Orange County Library System’s Book Bike, a bicycle with a cart, will be making the rounds in the same area and you can use it to get a library card, check out materials, and learn about library programming. There are great classes, including the Melrose Center. If you have a card, you can access streaming sites like Kanopy and Hoopla, and you can do LinkedIn Learning for free.
Another art show this week is taking place at the Steele Haus Gallery (Website) this Saturday at 1 p.m. Gallery Director and curator Amber Steele has done it again. This month, she shows a local favorite, Dawrby, also known as Anthony Darby.
Darby (Instagram) is a familiar face; his show is coincidentally called The Familiar Faces. He is known for showing up in public places and sketching the people he encounters. His presence and work have become essential to the art community.
Steele has been presenting excellent shows and I’ve loved watching Amber develop as a curator. She has evolved relatively quickly over the past few years, and I have faith that evolution will continue. Even if she levels out, she is doing solid work.
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