Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

Two Down, Lots More to Go
I’ve been in a reflective mood lately.  Rainy weather does that to me.  But a few days before this issue was published I realized why I’ve been looking back.  This issue marks the end of another year of publishing MiamiARTzine.com; with the October 12 issue, we embark on our third year of informing our readers about what’s going on in South Florida’s arts community.  I can hear Barbra singing now… Memories, like the corners of my mind…I remember when Harvey J. Burstein first mentioned the idea of starting an online arts magazine to me, and that he wanted me to be editor.  I remember those first meetings in 2005, bouncing ideas, deciding what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it.  I remember scrambling to put together that first issue---it’s funny to look at now, but I think it still holds up.  I remember when, barely into our second month, Hurricane Wilma struck, and I had bunk with a friend in Miami Beach because she had electricity and I didn’t.  After all, the new issue had to get done.  But looking back at those moments makes me realize how much MiamiARTzine.com has grown.  We have nearly 5,000 subscribers, and our website gets more than a quarter of a million hits each month.  Our team of contributors has grown, and the impact their voices have had on our publication has been immeasurable.  Arts leaders and organizations now seek us out for coverage, instead of having to be told who we are.  It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we’re a part of something that people look forward to, something that has a place in people’s lives.  Believe me, I have the best job.  I’ll never get rich doing this, but I get enriched with each issue.  Thanks to all of our wonderful writers and photographers, who make each issue of MiamiARTzine.com so wonderful.  Thanks to the Board members of the Miami Beach Arts Trust, who work behind the scenes to make sure that MiamiARTzine.com continues.  Thanks to publisher Harvey J. Burstein, photographer Henry Perez, and webmaster Robert Figueroa.  You are my friends as well as my colleagues, and MiamiARTzine.com would be nothing without you.  And a very special thanks to those of you reading this.  You’ve supported us, complimented us and made us work as hard as we can to give you the best possible publication.  I do hope you’ll come and celebrate with us on Wednesday, November 14, when we celebrate the second anniversary of MiamiARTzine.com.  Save the date, and watch future issues for details.

FLIFF Unveils Poster
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival unveiled the poster for its 2007 festival Monday, September 24 at the Atlantic Resort and Spa on Fort Lauderdale beach.  Rainy, blustery weather did not stop the many FLIFF supporters from coming to the chic boutique hotel and celebrate the 22nd edition of the longest film festival in the world.  Festival President Gregory von Hausch announced the many stars and celebrities scheduled to attend the festival, including Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Roberts, D.B. Sweeny, astronaut Ed Mitchell, Davy Jones, and festival honoree Gary Sinise.  The poster, which features an image by local photographer Peter Langone and graphic arts expertise by Ken Perna, marks a departure for FLIFF: it’s the first time a man has appeared on the poster.  This year FLIFF runs October 15 to November 11 and features more than 175 films with nearly 100 premieres.  If you’d like to attend the next FLIFF party, check out the Martinis & Movie Madness Membership Party at Blue Martini at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale October 2, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The party provides an opportunity for a sneak peek at the roster of  festival films, events and celebrity guests to attend.  Admission to the party is $10 and includes beer, wine, or premium drink and hors d'oeuvres. $7 Martini Happy hour prices will be extended through 8pm for all FLIFF guests.  And, if you become a member at the party, you’ll receive some passes to the 22^nd Annual Film Festival and the party admission fee will be deducted from your membership cost.  fliff.com.

Merritt David Janes of The Wedding Singer Photo: Tim Shultheis

Theatre Openings
South Florida playwright David Caudle is back at New Theatre in Coral Gables with the world premiere of his play, Likeness, which runs through October 28.  Likeness takes place in colonial Boston, and concerns a painter hired by a tyrannical loyalist to paint a portrait of his daughter.  The painter wants to paint the girl as she is, while the girl wants to be painted in the idealistic way she sees herself.  Caudle’s last play at New Theatre, The Sunken Living Room, was a hit and was nominated for a Carbonell Award for Best New Work.  And while you’re at New Theatre for the play, be sure to check out the art in the lobby by Board Member Pauline Goldsmith, the latest artist to be featured in the theatre’s regular exhibitions.  new-theatre.org.  The Broadway Series kicks off its new season at Broward Center for the Performing Arts with a real paeon to the 1980s, The Wedding Singer.  Based on the 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, the musical follows a brokenhearted wedding singer who falls for a bride-to-be.  The Wedding Singer runs through October 14.   browardcenter.org.  The opening of the Rising Action production of Terrence McNally’s Some Men has been rescheduled to October 19.  risingaction.com.

New York-based theatre fusion group Universes, who will perform their show Live from the Edge at the Colony Theatre

Edgy Universes
As part of the 5^th Annual Miami/Project Hip Hop, the Miami Light Project presents the Florida premiere of the award-winning New York-based hip-hop theater collective Universes’ tour de force performance Live From The Edge Saturday, September 29, at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road.  Universes is an ensemble of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse poetry, theater, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues and Spanish boleros to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. The group breaks the bounds of traditional theater to create their own brand of performance, inviting old and new generations of theater-makers as well as theater-goers and new comers to reshape the face of American theater.  Live From the Edge is an evening that showcases the ensemble’s special brand of fusion theater that tracks the evolution of their poetic language from childhood rhymes and community rituals, to poetry and theater, hip-hop and gospel. Redefining what theater is and who it speaks to, Live From the Edge is a unique performance event that turns the poem into a communal act.  Tickets are $20.  miamilightproject.com.

Escogiendo Las Majores (Choosing the Best Ones) Oil on canvas, 30’ x 40’, by Carmen Sasieta, part of “Art Beyond Translation” at Art Expressions Gallery in Wilton Manors

From South America to South Florida
Art Expressions Gallery presents “Art Beyond Translation” an exhibition of South American artists, October 6-November 3, with a special opening night reception 7-10 p.m.  “Art Beyond Translation” offers the chance to explore compelling and thought-provoking works of Latin American artists living and working in South Florida today.  The exhibition includes undiscovered treasures and nuances of fine art by South American artists Juan Carlos Soto, Vicky Burke, Carmen Sasieta, Carmen Gusmao, Rocio Magasrevy and Roberto Paramo.   Art Beyond Translation “The South American Artists Exhibition” at Art Expressions Gallery is the first of what we hope will become an important yearly event.  Art Expressions is located at 1438 NE 26^th Street, Wilton Manors.  www.artexpression.tk.

Jazz legend James Blood Ulmer, who will appear in Tigertail Productions first event of the season Photo: Bill Douthart

Tigertail Parties Into New Season
Tigertail Productions, which produces a full season of contemporary performance, along with projects in the literary and visual arts, will kick off their season with a party at the Albion Hotel, 1650 James Avenue at Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, on Thursday October 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. This evening, free and open to the general public, includes complimentary light fare and drinks, along with video and music previews of the upcoming season.  First up: Jazz and blues legend James Blood Ulmer, with a trio that includes himself, Mark Peterson and Aubrey Dayle, in a rare concert on Saturday, October 20, 8:30 p.m., at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, on Miami Beach. Ulmer, who earlier in his career played with pioneering jazz-great Ornette Coleman, is an iconoclastic genius who mixes it up with the raw power of the blues, R & B and funk to create an indelible and unique sound.  This is a one-night only event, so don’t miss it.  tigertail.org.

Artist Peter Aymonin

Storks Delivers Exhibition
Peter Aymonin, who was featured in the Artist Spotlight in August in MiamiARTzine.com, will exhibit his work in a solo show at Stork’s Bakery and Cafe in Wilton Manors.  Aymonin, who works in several different disciplines, will exhibit his photography and some of his works on paper on Stork’s walls.  He was also a part of the United & Proud exhibition last June at the Broward County Main Library.  The Stork’s exhibition is also presented by ArtsUnited, and Aymonin’s work will be available for viewing (and for sale) October 1 to November 2, with a special Meet the Artist on Sunday, October 21 1-2 p.m.  Storks is located at 2505 NE 15 Ave., Wilton Manors.  For more information, visit artsunitedonline.org.  To see more of Aymonin’s work, visit the Artist Spotlight in the August 2007 issue.

An image by Vicenta Casan, part of “Illusory Interior”

Exhibition Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month
The City of Miami Beach and ArtCenter/ South Florida present “Illusory Interior”, an art exhibition honoring Hispanic Heritage Month.  Curated by Emilie Keldie, the exhibition features the work of Vicenta Casan, Alex Heria, and Luisa Mesa. “Illusory Interior” examines the style of decorating used in Hispanic households.  Ideas of extreme excess paired with meticulous cleanliness shape ideas of the Hispanic take on domesticity.  “Illusory Interior” brings together three Hispanic artists that address the branded Hispanic handling of space in different ways.  Casan comments on the rigid orderliness, Heria evidences the stereotypes, and Mesa works within them in an attempt to transcend them.  The exhibition is on view on the fourth floor gallery of the Miami Beach City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive, through November 1. artcentersf.org.

Director David Cronenberg

Cinematheque Salutes Cronenberg
Miami Beach Cinematheque has a knack for programming that reflects a certain mood, so what better director to spotlight for the month of October than master of the macabre David Cronenberg.  Cronenberg, whose latest film, Eastern Promises, is currently in theatres, specializes in stylish films are intense and intelligent, and not for the prudish or squeamish. Five of his most notorious films have been chosen for a month of creepy crawly adventures, opening on October 5 with Videodrome (1983) followed by the opening reception for “Creature Feature: Unexpected Eerie Images”, photography Wendy Doscher-Smith.  The month-long salute to Cronenberg also features screenings of The Fly (1986), Dead Ringers (1988), Naked Lunch (1991), and Crash (1996).  The month of Cronenberg’s films leads to a grande finale Halloween Party and exhibition closing on October 31, featuring a Zombie Fashion Show by Adrienne Ruffin, set to a Dance Planet X Live Showcase starring Monserrattz, with fashion show video/soundtrack by DJ Maximus 3000.  For screening dates and the full October schedule, visit mbcinema.com.