Come down to Art Basel starting December 1-4 and be sure to check out Alex Vera’s exhibit, “Radiant Art”. Art Basel runs on Miami Beach, Florida.

An exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from USA, Canada, Europe,
Latin America, Africa and Asia will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by more than 2,000 artists. On show are exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special sections (listed at left, with their participating galleries) will feature projects by emerging artists, new artworks, public art projects, performances, video and sound art.

Please join Alex Vera at the 24th Annual Las Olas Art Fair on January 7 & 8 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The art show takes place on 600 East Las Olas Boulevard and runs from 10 am to 5 pm. The show features 200 exhibitors including the artist Alex Vera.

Hope to see you there!

Island City, Inc. is pleased to announce our 6th season of the Island City Art Walk. The art walk will resume on November 18, 2011. The public is invited!

The Island City Art Walk is held on the 3rd Friday of each month, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., November through April, along the 1.1 mile Wilton Drive, in the Wilton Manors Art and Entertainment District. The official participants include galleries, eclectic stores, cafes, boutiques and upscale restaurants, which will host over 40 local artists. This is a grassroots collaboration bringing culture and business together for the public to enjoy.

Wilton Manors, known also as the Island City, was founded in the 1920′s. It was incorporated in 1947 as the Village of Wilton Manors and eventually became an official city in 1953. The Middle River forks and loops around Wilton Manors, making it a river island, which means that to enter the main portion of the town, you must cross over a small bridge at the various entry roads.

Wilton Manors continues to improve its infrastructure especially along the drive. Just recently, new traffic lights, parking meters and pedestrian lamps have been added along the drive. (Bring quarters). A new paved parking lot has been added off of Wilton Drive and 21st Court in place of the old City Hall. A new City Hall is now located on Wilton Drive. The addition of new contemporary apartment and loft buildings along with many upscale, creative businesses and fabulous restaurants along the 1.1 mile Wilton Drive are all evidence of a lively and friendly town bringing vitality to the urban village. A bit of history mixed with South Florida style contemporary life, only adds to ambiance of the town.

Come and enjoy an evening of fun in one of South Florida’s most eclectic and easy-going neighborhoods. South Florida fine artists will be displaying paintings, photographs and sculpture at the various business locations. Have an early dinner in one of the great restaurants then take a stroll. Enjoy the works of art, discover a new place to shop, people watch, ride the free trolley and make new friends. Wine and cheese and other treats will be served in many of the participating businesses.

Mary Ellen Charapko
Founder and Organizer

Alex Vera has been selected as one of the artists to participate in Florida International University’s Masters’ Mystery Art Show. FIU’s MMAS opens November 15, 2011 at The Ritz Carlton, Miami Beach.

The Masters’ Mystery Art Show (MMAS) is an international annual art event featuring over 1000 artworks by more than 500 artists from 31 countries around the globe. It includes nationally and internationally recognized artists, many brilliant emerging artists, as well as a number of celebrities from other fields. The MMAS was developed to benefit Florida International University’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts Program. This fundraising event has grown to provide supplementary funding for our MFA program, grants for alumni, as well as an opportunity for international exposure for FIU and its Art Programs.  This important event, which coincides with Art Basel, takes place at the Ritz-Carlton, Miami Beach.

“THIS ART IS SO GAY”

LGBT VISITOR CENTER ANNOUNCES ARTISTS FOR LGBT ART EXHIBITION

Exhibition to be Unveiled at a Reception During Sleepless Night, Nov. 5

MIAMI BEACH, FL – October 31, 2011 – Eleven local artists have been selected to participate in “This Art is So Gay,” a visual art exhibition at the Miami Beach LGBT Visitor Center, sponsored by MetLife. The exhibition will kick off with an artists’ reception during Sleepless Night, November 5, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the artists in attendance and all art will be offered for sale with proceeds benefitting the not-for-profit MDGLCC Foundation for its LGBT scholarship program. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public with the exhibition running through December 5 during Art Basel. The LGBT Visitor Center is located at 1130 Washington Avenue, First Floor, Miami Beach.

In addition to the visual art exhibition, the Sleepless Night kick-off reception will feature interactive “flash-mob” hurricane parties in celebration of “Captiva,” a new comedy that will be making its world premiere at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Carnival Studio Theater. “Captiva,” from 2011 Carbonell Award recipient Christopher Demos-Brown, explores what happens when a family is stranded together on that western Florida island during a hurricane and they are forced to face each other with honesty and bottles of wine.

“We encourage the community to come out and support our local LGBT artists at this amazing exhibition’s unveiling reception,” said Steve Adkins, chairman of the board of the MDGLCC Foundation, Inc. “There won’t be a better way for people to kick off their Sleepless Night art experience.”

Exhibiting artists selected by the panel of judges are:

Lewis Aqui, photography
Carla Fache, abstract painting
Raul Frontal, photography
Pete Halpern, landscape paintings
Marcelo Holzinger, contemporary paintings
Ali Miranda, photography
Alfredo Perez, etched oil on canvas
Dale Stein, photography
Tolibia, mixed media
Evelyn Valdirio, painting
Alex Vera, painting

“The response to the call-for-entries from the LGBT artistic community was overwhelming,” said Cindy Brown, executive director of the LGBT Visitor Center. “There will definitely be more art exhibitions at the Center in the future.”

The MDGLCC opened the country’s first-ever Chamber-sponsored LGBT Visitor Center last November. The Center is open to the public five days a week and has been the venue for special events for the MDGLCC, MetLife, Florida Grand Opera, Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and Miami Beach Gay Pride, just to name a few. The LGBT Visitor Center, sponsored by MetLife, is located in Miami Beach’s Old City Hall at 1130 Washington Avenue, First Floor North, Miami Beach, in the heart of South Beach.

For more information on the LGBT Visitor Center or the “This Art is So Gay” LGBT Art Exhibition, contact Cindy Brown at 305-397-8914 or cindy@thecenergysolution.com.

CALENDAR

WHO: South Florida LGBT Visual Artists
Cast members from the new theatrical comedy, “Captiva”

WHAT: “This Art is So Gay,” an LGBT Art Exhibition, Kick Off Reception
WHEN: Saturday, November 5
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
(during Sleepless Night)

Exhibition Hours – Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through December 5.

WHERE: LGBT Visitor Center
1130 Washington Avenue
First Floor
Miami Beach
(Washington between 11th and 12th Streets)

TICKETS: The Kick Off Reception and the exhibition are FREE and open to the public

PARKING: 12th Street Municipal Garage
Metered Street Parking

This Art Is So Gay Press Release (Microsoft Word Document)

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I’m converting this area into a blog regarding projects I am working on to keep my readers up to date on exhibitions, events, and paintings I’m doing. I will keep the Gallery section up that showcases all my work, from sold to present.

See you real soon!