Florida Arts News

Florida Department of States Museum of Florida History Opens New Seminole Exhibit

2013-05-17T04:00:00Z

TALLAHASSEE The Florida Department of States Museum of Florida History today opened the museums newest temporary exhibit, Seminole People of Florida: Survival and Success. The new exhibit will be on display today through August 18, 2013 at the Museum of Florida History in downtown Tallahassee.

"We are pleased to present this exhibit, which was created in a spirit of admiration for a group of people who have not only survived and prospered but have overcome extreme adversity," said Secretary Detzner. "The Seminole people have a long, proud history in Florida, and this new exhibit showcases their remarkable heritage and culture."

The exhibit provides insight into Seminole history, culture and artistic traditions from the mid-1850s to the present. The Museum of Florida History worked with members of the Seminole Tribe, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and other advisors to create a well-rounded exhibit. More than 90 artifacts are featured, including several examples of beautiful patchwork clothing from the museums collection of Seminole artifacts. The exhibit includes artifacts on loan from the Seminole Tribes Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, notably an early nineteenth-century bandolier bag and nine paintings by Seminole artist Noah Billie.

The Museum of Florida Historys monthly programming will highlight the exhibit and feature numerous scholars and authors specializing in Seminole culture and history. More information on monthly programming may be obtained by calling the museum or by visiting the museums website.

About the Museum of Florida History

The Museum of Florida History is part of the Florida Department of States Division of Cultural Affairs and is located in the R. A. Gray Building at 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, Florida. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday and holidays, noon to 4:30 p.m. Parking is available in the garage adjacent to the museum and in nearby downtown garages. For more information, contact 850.245.6400 or visit our website at www.museumoffloridahistory.com.

Secretary Detzner Announces Emancipation Day Celebration

2013-05-17T04:00:00Z

TALLAHASSEE Secretary of State Ken Detzner is encouraging Floridians and visitors to attend the Emancipation Day Celebration at the Knott House Museum in Tallahassee on Monday, May 20, 2013, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The annual event celebrates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Florida, on May 20, 1865, at the Knott House, two years after the proclamation was first issued by President Abraham Lincoln.

"The Emancipation Day celebration is a great opportunity to unite our community while helping students and families learn more about Floridas history," said Secretary Detzner. "This years celebration is especially significant because it is the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, a pivotal event in our history that should never be forgotten."

Immediately after the Civil War, Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook was staying at the Hagner house, the structure now known as the Knott House. The responsibility fell to General McCook to announce the proclamation. The Museum of Florida History and the John G. Riley Museum welcome all to join the celebration of this historic event. The program features remarks by Secretary Detzner and a keynote address by the director of African American Studies at Florida State University, Dr. Patrick L. Mason. A dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation will also be performed by Brian Bibeau portraying General McCook.

The event includes many activities and performances, including local Blues favorite Sir Charles Atkins and ALARM Worship Arts Ministry. After the program at the Knott House, everyone is invited to enjoy a free picnic lunch across the street in Lewis Park.

Start the day at 10:45 a.m. with the John G. Riley Museums Civil War Grave Decorating Commemorative Service. This program dates back to the 1880s and is held at the Old City Cemetery, on Martin Luther King Street between Park Avenue and Call Street. It is open to the public.

Free admission is offered from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following participating sites: Florida A&M University Black Archives at the Union Bank, Florida Historic Capitol Museum, John G. Riley Museum of African American History and Culture, Knott House Museum, Museum of Florida History, and the Taylor House Museum. A map to these sites is available at http://bit.ly/2013EmancipationDayTLH.

The Emancipation Day Celebration sponsors include Hopping, Green, and Sams, P.A.; the City of Tallahassee; Po Boys Creole Caf; Friends of the Museums of Florida History, Inc.; Tallahassee Downtown; and the Council on Culture and Arts, Inc.

About the Knott House Museum

The Knott House Museum is located at 301 East Park Avenue, at the corner of Park Avenue and Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, Florida. The historic site is open for tours Wednesday through Saturday. The Knott House Museum is part of the Florida Department of States Museum of Florida History in the Division of Cultural Affairs.

Admission is free and open to the public, but there is a small charge for group tours. Please call 850.922.2459 for more information or visit online at www.museumoffloridahistory.com.

Event Information

Emancipation Day Celebration
When:   Monday, May 20, 2013, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Knott House Museum
             301 East Park Avenue, at the corner of Park Avenue and Calhoun Street
             Tallahassee, Florida

Florida Recipients of 2013 NEA Art Works Grants

2013-04-23T04:00:00Z

Washington, DC National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the NEA plans to award $26.3 million in grants to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations nationwide. These grants support exemplary projects in thirteen artistic disciplines and fields: arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, opera, presenting, theater and musical theater, and visual arts.

The NEA received 1,547 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $80 million in funding. Of those applications, 817 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.3 million. Grant amounts range from $4,000 to $125,000 with an average grant amount of $32,122 and a median of $25,000. All NEA grants must be matched at least 1:1 with non-federal support.

Twenty grants were awarded to organizations in Florida for a total dollar amount of $580,000. These organizations include:

City of Opa-locka, Florida
$30,000 Opa-locka, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Design
To support design and planning for the iconic city hall building in Opa-locka, Florida. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Opa-locka's city hall is built in the Moorish Revival architectural style and served as the city's main administrative building until 2009.
City of Tampa, Florida (aka Arts & Cultural Affairs Dept., Tampa)
$50,000 Tampa, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Local Arts Agencies
To support Lights On Tampa, a biennial public art project that brings the work of major and emerging contemporary artists to downtown Tampa. A jury of professionals with expertise in media technologies will select a group of qualified artists to design, fabricate, and install permanent and temporary lighting installations.
City of Tarpon Springs, Florida
$35,000 Tarpon Springs, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Folk & Traditional Arts
To support the Cultural and Civic Services Department's presentation of local, state, and regional traditions through exhibits, festivals, performances, workshops, and other programs. The center's curator of arts and historical resources will conduct fieldwork to identify and document new folk artists, and present new and established folk artists in a variety of formats, including concerts, workshops, festivals, and a special exhibit of African American folk culture.
Cultural Council of Palm Beach County
$20,000 Lake Worth, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Local Arts Agencies
To support artists fees and other costs associated with a series of group and solo exhibitions. Located in the council's new home in an historic building in downtown Lake Worth, this juried exhibtion series will be part of the organization's increased efforts to support local and regional artists.
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources
$40,000 Tallahassee, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Folk & Traditional Arts
To support the Florida Folklife Program (FFP). The projects of the FFP include identification and documentation of folk artists, an apprenticeship program, a series of folklife forums, and presentation of folk artists at the Florida Folk Festival and the Florida State Fair.
Florida West Coast Symphony, Inc. (aka Sarasota Orchestra)
$12,500 Sarasota, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music
To support the Sarasota Music Festival, a residential training festival for college-aged music students presented by the Sarasota Orchestra. Plans for the three-week festival include individual and ensemble training; coaching and mentoring from a faculty of more than 40 instructors, scholars, and musicians; and performance opportunities.
Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Inc.
$10,000 Jupiter, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater & Musical Theater
To support Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King And I, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Through performances, workshops, and study guides, high school students will explore the musical's themes including cross-cultural differences in gender roles, slavery, the history of Thailand (formerly known as Siam), England's colonial interests, and science as a unifying force in world development.
Miami Dade College
$45,000 Miami, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting
To support the MDC Live Arts Performance Series. The series will feature extended residencies, master classes, discussions, demonstrations, and performances.
Miami Light Project, Inc.
$10,000 Miami, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting
To support Here & Now. The commissioning and presenting project will focus on the professional development of local dance, theater, and multimedia artists and will include presentations, master classes, and workshops.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (aka Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DPCS))
$30,000 Miami, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music
To support "Cultural Passport: The Music Team." A partnership with the Cleveland Orchestra, the project will include activities and educational materials for teachers and students from elementary to high school grade levels.
Nova Southeastern University
$40,000 Fort Lauderdale, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museum
To support development of the Glackens Archive and Study Center. Given to the museum by William Glackens' son in 1991, the collection includes more than 500 works including his earliest known painting (Philadelphia Landscape, 1893) and his last completed canvas (White Rose and Other Flowers, 1937).
Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, Inc.
$70,000 Opa-locka, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Design
To support the design of the Ali Baba Corridor in Opa-locka, Florida. The organization will commission landscape architect and winner of the National Design Award Walter Hood to create a signature landscape and public space design for a two-mile corridor that transects the city.
Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
$40,000 West Palm Beach, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Visual Arts
To support the design of a large-scale public art installation by environmental artist/designer Michael Singer (b.1945). The art work will be designed to regenerate a stretch of waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach utilizing sculptural retaining elements to support mangroves, emergent grasses, and oyster beds to shape regenerative habitats.
Palm Beach Opera, Inc. (aka Palm Beach Opera or PBO)
$15,000 West Palm Beach, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Opera
To support the training activities, mainstage productions, and community outreach of the Palm Beach Young Artist Program. The educational curriculum will include voice lessons, master classes, language classes, and movement classes, as well as performance opportunities in mainstage roles and in numerous outreach programs (including "One Opera in One Hour," "Lunch & Learn," and "Concerts for the Classroom").
Pensacola Opera, Inc. (aka Pensacola Opera)
$20,000 Pensacola, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Opera
To support the Artists in Residence Program. For its 32nd season, the program will be expanded to 11 weeks and will provide performance opportunities through touring presentations of educational operas for children and families, and concerts of opera arias.
Polk Museum of Art (aka Polk Museum of Art or PMoA)
$20,000 Lakeland, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museum
To support Changing Lives Through Art, a Polk Museum of Art education program. Designed to deliver both art-making and art history opportunities for learning, this off-site outreach program is targeted to a wide variety of individuals.
Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Inc. (aka The Sarasota Ballet)
$10,000 Sarasota, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance
To support a celebration of the life and works of Sir Frederick Ashton. The celebration will feature performances of Ashton's most historically significant ballets and an exhibit featuring archival materials including photos and costumes.
Seraphic Fire, Inc (aka Seraphic Fire)
$12,500 Miami, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music
To support American Voices, a recording project of American choral works featuring the chamber choir and its Professional Chorus Institute chorus. The recording will include works by composers Collin Britt, Shawn Crouch, Jacob Runestad, Frank Ticheli, Morten Lauridsen, and Jeffrey Van.
Teatro Avante, Inc.
$30,000 Miami, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Theater & Musical Theater
To support the XXVIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami. Theater companies from Latin America, Europe, and the United States will be presented along with a comprehensive educational component consisting of workshops, exhibits, and a free International Children's Day.
Young At Art of Broward, Inc. (aka Young At Art Museum)
$40,000 Davie, FL
FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Museum
To support art-making opportunities for homeless youth living in emergency and transitional shelters. Museum art educators and teaching artists will lead youth in creation of sculptures, mosaics, and self-portraits as they learn about artists as diverse in style as Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, and Gustav Klimt.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at http://arts.gov or at http://twitter.com/NEAarts and http://www.facebook.com/NationalEndowmentfortheArts.

Secretary Detzner Congratulates 2013 Poetry Out Loud State Champion

2013-04-16T04:00:00Z

TALLAHASSEE Secretary of State Ken Detzner today congratulated the winners of Floridas State Finals of the 2013 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that awards cash prizes to students who memorize and recite poetry.

"Poetry Out Loud inspires a lifelong participation in the arts and encourages students to improve their public speaking skills," said Secretary Detzner, Floridas Chief Cultural Officer. "I am very proud of Floridas winners who dedicated hours of practice and preparation to their award winning performances."

First place in Floridas State Finals was awarded to Kourtney Brooker, a sophomore at Seminole High School in Seminole County. Brooker will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete for more than $50,000 in awards and scholarships at the National Finals on April 28 to 30. In addition, Brooker will receive a $200 cash prize and Seminole High School will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

Second place was awarded to Ricky Vega-Bossa, a sophomore at Western High School in Broward County. Vega-Bossa will receive a $100 cash prize and Western High School will receive $200 for their poetry collection.

Third place was awarded to Christell Roach, a junior at Miami Arts Charter School in Miami-Dade County. Honorable mentions were awarded to Cassia-Che Hinds, a senior at John A. Ferguson High School in Miami-Dade County and Jennifer Carter, a senior from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Duval County.

Judges for the contest included faculty from the English departments at Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College. Florida literary publisher Anhinga Press supplied the contestants with a sampling of Florida poetry anthologies to take home and the State Library of Florida also provided multi-media gifts for the participants. Citizens for Florida Arts, Inc. sponsored hospitality and refreshments for the students. Other sponsors included Subway, Habana Boardwalk and Quality Inn & Suites Tallahassee.

Floridas Poetry Out Loud State Finals, administered by the Florida Department of States Division of Cultural Affairs, took place March 9 in Tallahassee.

About Poetry Out Loud

The Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry, recitation and performance. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. For further information regarding Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

About the Division of Cultural Affairs

The Department of States Division of Cultural Affairs is Floridas legislatively designated state arts agency. The division promotes the arts and culture as essential to quality of life for all Floridians. To achieve its mission, the division funds and supports cultural programs that provide artistic excellence, diversity, education, access and economic vitality for Floridas communities. For more information about the division and its programs, visit www.florida-arts.org.