Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

We’re getting closer and closer to the MiamiARTzine.com third anniversary party, which will be held Monday, October 27 at the World Erotic Art Museum. Publisher Harvey J. Burstein and I were recent guests on WLRN’s “South Florida Arts Beat” where we talked about the party and some of the changes we have in store for our readers. Guests who join us at our anniversary party will be treated to hors d’ouevres, beer, beverages, fabulous goodies and a great silent auction. And this year, we’re instituting a new tradition, honoring those in the arts who think outside the box. At our anniversary party, we’ll be honoring Naomi Wilzig, founder of the World Erotic Art Museum; Antonio Amadeo, Katherine Amadeo and John Manzelli, founders of the Naked Stage Theatre Company; Ray Sullivan, artistic director of Miami Contemporary Dance Company and Arnie Perlberg, director of the Gold Coast Society Dance Band. Join us in honoring these arts leaders. There’ll be other surprises too, but you’ll have to join us at the party to find out about that. For more info on the MiamiARTzine.com third anniversary party, click on the ad in this issue.

Dutch jazz trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, who will appear in concert October 10 in Miami Beach

Dutch Treat
Stand-out Dutch jazz trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, along with his trio Fugimundi, bring their U.S. debut tour to Miami to open Tigertail Productions' 2008-2009 "Art with Edge" season when they perform on Friday, October 10, 8:30 pm, at Miami Beach's. Regarded as one of Europe's best performers, Vloeimans' trumpet playing captures the full range of the instrument, from brassy high notes to a reedy lower register, while his original compositions create an evocative, harmonic language of their own. As part of his trio Fugimundi, he creates an acoustic "chamber" jazz that is sure to delight and surprise Miami audiences. The group, with a range of classical and contemporary influences, also includes Anton Goudsmit on guitar and Harmen Fraanje on piano. "Our goal, as always, is to showcase the best of global culture here in Miami, and this concert fits right in with that vision," says Mary Luft, Tigertail executive director "Jazz is a uniquely American idiom, but it also flourishes in Europe, where musicians like Vloeimans are highly regarded." The Byron Carlyle Theater is located at 500 71st Street, Miami Beach. To purchase tickets and get more informayion about this concert and the rest of Tigertail’s season, call 305-545-8546 or visit www.tigertail.org.

Aves del Paraiso by Francisco Ceron, mixed media, 30 by 40

Exhibition Features Local Latin Artists
Art Expressions Gallery celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with an exhibition of works from Central and South American artists who call South Florida home. “This Land Is My Land... Art Beyond Translation 2008” is a chance to explore the works of Latin American artists living and working in the tri-country area. This is the second year that Art Expressions has showcased Latin artists living in South Florida. The exhibition opens Saturday, October 11, 7:30-9:30 p.m. with a special reception. The exhibition will be on view through October 31. Admission is free. Art Expressions is located at 1438 NE 26 St., Fort Lauderdale. For more information, call 954-537-9000 or visit www.art-expressions.tk.

Gold Coast Jazz Celebrates Sinatra
The Gold Coast Jazz Society begins their new season on October 15 with local jazz favorite Bob Hoose and his Orchestra in a program that tips the hat to Frank Sinatra. Bob Hoose and his Orchestra have gained a following as one of the hottest acts in the country today, with Hoose wowing crowds throughout the country with his interpretations of the great American songbook. The concert will be held at the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center at 7:45 p.m. Prior to the concert, Stu Grant of WLVE’s Sunday Jazz Brunch radio broadcast will conduct a pre-show Jazz Riff jazz talk beginning at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 954-524-0805 or visit www.goldcoastjazz.org.

Miami City Ballet will open their season with George Balanchine’s Swan Lake

Chic Event Kicks Off Miami City Ballet Season
Miami City Ballet (MCB) kicks off their new season on Friday, October 17, with Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room alongside the company premiere of George Balanchine's Swan Lake, Act II, and The Four Temperaments, at the Arsht Center. On Saturday, October 18, the performance will be followed by a chic bash at The Setai, presented by MCB’s Upper Room. Successfully launched during the 2006-2007 season, MCB's Upper Room seeks to cultivate interest in ballet among South Florida's growing class of young professionals. The group aims to provide members with social and business networking opportunities. After the 8 p.m. dance performance, members of MCB's Upper Room will mix and mingle at The Setai on South Beach at 11 p.m.and sip the complimentary "Upper Room" cocktails. Membership in MCB’s Upper Room is free for the 2008-2009 season. For more information, contact Rebecca Interian at 305-929-7000, ext. 1408, or e-mail rinterian@miamicityballet.org.

Artist Sid Daniels

Sid Daniels' Deco Dreams
Artist Sid Daniels, who was featured in the Artist Spotlight in the September 10 issue of MiamiARTzine.com, will present his work in a solo exhibition October 14-16 at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Titled “Latin Deco Dreams” the exhibition features Daniels’ vibrant style in a collection of paintings that explode with movement and color. There will also be an opening night reception on Tuesday, October 14, 6-8 p.m.. The exhibition can also be viewed Wednesday, October 15, 9-5 p.m. and Thursday, October 16, 9-9 p.m. The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is located 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. For more info, call 305-673-7256 ext. 206 or visit www.mbgarden.org.

David Sedaris, who will appear at the Arsht Center October 15

Me Talk Funny One Day
Social satire will be the order of the day with “An Evening with David Sedaris”, a one-night-only performance Wednesday, October 15, at the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center. Hailed by the Washington Post as “one of America’s most prickly, and most delicious, young comic talents,” Sedaris is the author of five bestsellers, including Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Theatre audiences will be familiar with Sedaris through Santaland Diaries, his account of his strand but true adventures as a Macy’s elf. The celebrated National Public Radio humorist will treat his Miami audience to an evening of cutting wit, as he recounts his favorite stories, shares selections from his bestseller When You Are Engulfed in Flames, invites the audience to participate in a Q&A session and conducts a post-show book signing. www.arshtcenter.org.

Stacy Schwartz, David Kwiat, Kevin Reilley and Wayne Legette in November at GableStage Photo: George Schiavone

Theatre Openings
GableStage’s new production is a timely one—November, a comedy by David Mamet, which is set in the Oval Office just days before a presidential election. The plot involves civil marriages, gambling casinos, lesbians, American Indians, presidential libraries, questionable pardons and campaign contributions. Hmm…sounds a lot like real life. November runs October 18 through November 16. www.gablestage.org. Palm Beach Dramaworks continues its mission of bringing of bringing classic plays to new audiences with Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Neill. The drama focuses on three characters: James Tyrone, the cunning landlord of the Hogan farm, Josie Hogan, a strong-willed woman with a ruined reputation, and Phil Hogan, Josie’s hard-drinking Irish father. Set during a long moonlit night in rural Connecticut, Tyrone and Josie, fueled by drink and lust, find companionship and solace, as they reveal to each other the grief, longing and unrequited love they've hidden from the world. Moon for the Misbegotten runs October 17 through November 30. www.palmbeachdramaworks.org. Fresh from their success at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the Promethean Theatre presents their production of Still the River Runs by Barton Bishop. It’s about two brothers who meet at their family home in Central Florida for a funeral that doesn’t go as planned. The show runs October 17 through November 2. www.theprometheantheatre.org. And the Tony award-winning musical Hairspray returns to Broward Center for a very limited engagement, October 17-19. www.browardcenter.org.

GableStage Director Honored
The Human Services Coalition will honor Joseph Adler, artistic director of the GableStage Theatre at its annual fundraiser, A Prosperity Ball: Celebrating Life's Riches. Adler will be presented with the Truth Award at the event, which will be held Saturday, October 11, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel, 137 NE 19th St., Miami. In addition to the award ceremony, the event includes, dinner, cocktails, a silent auction and dancing. For more information, visit www.hscdade.org.

Moonshine by Kris Knight

Scarecrows at Spinello
The Spinello Gallery will present "So Long Scarecrow," an exhibition of paintings by Kris Knight. In Knight’s Spinello Gallery debut, the Toronto-based artist pays homage to the lost friends of the artist’s hometown; the guardians of tradition who never migrated, but rather stayed behind to sow their fortunes and reap their shortcomings amidst the hopeless redundancy of routine. Knight’s work examines performance in relation to the construction, portrayal and boundaries of sexual and asexual identities. Concentrating on thematic, figurative works that are often as attractive as they are disturbing, his paintings allude to various expressions of duality, often dealing with opposing notions of hiding and confronting, ambiguity and androgyny, innocence and the erotic. “So Long Scarecrow” runs through November 1. www.spimellogallery.com.

The South Beach Chamber Ensemble: Thomas Moore, Melissa Palichat, Michael Andrews and Richard Fleishman.

Music at the Garden
The South Beach Chamber Ensemble opens its 2008 “Music in Beautiful Spaces” concert series at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden on Thursday, October 16, 8 p.m., with a performance of string quartets by Mozart and Ginastera. Now in its 11th year, the ensemble includes Thomas Moore and Melissa Palichat on violins, Richard Fleischman on viola and Michael Andrews, cello. A wine reception will follow the concert. Admission is $15 at the door, $10 for students and seniors. The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is located at 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. For information about South Beach Chamber Ensemble, call 305 673-2183 or visit www.sobechamberensemble.org.

Carnival by Henry Perez

WEAM Turns Three
The World Erotic Arts Museum (WEAM) will celebrate its third anniversary on Thursday, October 16, with a party a special photography exhibition at the museum, which has become an internationally known Miami Beach tourist attraction. WEAM was launched in 2005 when founder and art collector Naomi Wilzig decided to make public the extraordinary collection of historic art, paintings and sculptures, which for 12 years she had been collecting as a hobby. With equal respect for the contemporary as she has for the ancient, Wilzig has embraced every facet of modern culture, which will be illustrated by the work of photographer Henry Perez whose exhibition “Goddesses and Monsters” graphically depicts what was once the underground world of drag queens that is now acknowledged as one of the most accomplished theatrical components of the entertainment industry. Known for his colorful photos of South Beach’s most memorable denizens, Perez has captured the essence of the “drag queen” idiom peopled with such popular icons as Adora, Asia Aviance, Daisy D, Ebonee Excell, Fernand-Q, Chyna Girl, Victoria Grantty, Elaine Lancaster, Miloncita, and Nicky White, several of whom are expected to attend. In honor of WEAM’s third anniversary, the general admission price of $15 per person will be reduced to $10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as for the reception from 7-10 p.m. WEAM is located at 1205 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. For more information, visit www.weam.com.

In the Beginning by Trisha Brookbank, Gouache on Paper, Enamel, Birch Panel, 2008, Size: 30" x 60"

Miami Artist Makes Solo Debut
Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts will hold an opening night reception in conjunction with the solo exhibition of Miami artist Trisha Brookbank. The reception will be held October 10, 7:30-10:30 p.m., part of the Wynwood Art District Second Saturday Gallery Walk. The reception and exhibition is free and open to the public. Brookbank’s exhibition, “Hurdling Through Space At Uncontrollable Speeds….” comments on the escapism found within a cinematic space by examining the moments before a narrative begins. She explores the anticipation and potential of those seconds through the language of a movie theater, and the metaphoric use of meteors hurdling through space. Also on view at the gallery, is “24 Hours” German artist Ralf Peters. In the series "24 Hours" the works represent the light cycle of one day, starting from the left at night, passing daylight and ends again in the darkness of the night. Day and night are united in one image and at the same time, appearing invisible and visible. The variety of subjects, going from exotic landscapes to cool architecture, allows a reflection about our own world and foreign surroundings referring to a superior relationship of time and space. The exhibitions run through November 1. Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts is located at 2043 N. Miami Ave., Miami. For more information, call 305-576-1804 or visit www.dlfinearts.com.

Miami Contemporary Dance Launches New Season
Miami Contemporary Dance Company (MCDC) opens its ninth season with Asiasong on Our Soil, choreographed by Ray Sullivan, artistic director of the company. Asiasong on Our Soil is Sullivan’s artistic response to the tsunami disaster in Asia, and Hurricane Katrina The piece explores the process of rebuilding and the evolving human spirit, as well as the human connection that reaches beyond borders. Asiasong on Our Soil runs two weekends, October 10 and 11 and October 17 and 18, at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach. Miami Contemporary Dance Company also has a new home, the Miami Contemporary Dance Center, located at 5101 Collins Avenue, at the Seacoast Suites. The school and its team of teachers offer a diverse selection of classes, from ballet to tango, for all ages. MCDC has also launched a program called Dancing Through the Silence, free expressive movement workshops in dance and basic theatrical skills designed for deaf and hearing impaired high school students in Miami-Dade. To purchase tickets for Asiasong on Our Soil or for more information about classes or the upcoming season, call 305-865-MCDC (6232) or visit www.miamicontemporarydance.net.

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