Key West ghost stories and characters will be the topic for the Key West Art & Historical Society’s upcoming Distinguished Speakers Series talk, “They Only Follow Us At Night” with Key West native and folk artist Wayne Garcia on May 10. Tickets can be purchased by visiting kwahs.org/dss-garcia (Photo Credit: Wayne Garcia) April 22, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). On Friday, May 10, join folk artist, third generation Cuban American and Key West native Wayne Garcia as he presents a night of eerie storytelling spotlighting the island’s ghost stories as part of the Key West Art & Historical Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series. His talk entitled, “They Only Follow Us At Night” takes place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street.
During his presentation, Garcia will delight attendees with yarns of old Key West, his memories from growing up, and several of the island’s lesser-known ghost stories. His tales will be accompanied by his colorful woodcarvings and vintage photographs depicting the island’s incredible and idiosyncratic past. “The Society is delighted that Wayne has once again agreed to present an evening of Key West stories, using his striking artwork and the characters within as a visualization tool,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator for the Society. “Wayne deftly weaves together thoughtful yet lighthearted accounts of the people, the places, and the events that make us long for Old Key West, and I am eager to hear about the spirits that only come out at night.” The presenter, Wayne Garcia, is a third generation Cuban American and Key West native. He learned the techniques of carving on wood from watching legendary folk artists Mario Sanchez and Papito Suarez. Garcia’s delightful accounts of Key West’s past should not be missed. He literally and figuratively paints a picture of an island paradise rich in community and culture, validating all the reasons why many of us have chosen Key West as our home. To reserve tickets for the lecture; visit kwahs.org/dss-garcia - $12 for KWAHS members, $15 for non-members. This program is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, Aloys & Carol Metty, and the John & Marilyn Rintamaki Family Charitable Fund. For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island.
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Key West Art & Historical Society Commemorative Brick Program Paves the Way for Preservation4/22/2024 The Key West Art & Historical Society has launched another round of its popular commemorative bricks campaign to support the ongoing preservation efforts of its Key West Museum of Art & History. Bricks are now available for purchase through www.kwahs.org/support. (Photo credit: Damali Phipps/Key West Art & Historical Society) April 22, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). The Key West Art & Historical Society has announced it will be adding a limited number of personalized commemorative bricks along the southeast walkway adjacent to its Key West Museum of Art & History. Bricks are available for purchase for the remainder of the year with a projected installation date of June 2025.
Personalized bricks are the perfect way to celebrate your connection to Key West and to ensure that you, your business, a friend, a loved one, or even your pet will be memorialized in history. Funds from the brick campaign provide for the ongoing costs of safeguarding the Society’s architecturally significant museum building—a beacon of historic preservation and center for community engagement. Your $130 donation secures one commemorative brick which can accommodate up to three lines of text and can also be embellished with a selection of decorative symbols for an additional $25. To leave your legacy and help preserve Key West’s most historic structure, visit www.kwahs.org/support. Alternatively, you can contact the Society’s Membership Coordinator Kim Livingston at 305-295-6616, ext. 506 or klivingston@kwahs.org. The Key West Art & Historical Society is a registered 501(c)(3) organization under IRS guidelines and contributions may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for more details. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. Thought-provoking male characters developed by Tennessee Williams will be explored in the upcoming “The Men of Tennessee Williams” event at the Little Room Jazz Club on March 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The program is organized by the Key West Art & Historical Society, Tennessee Williams Museum and Fringe Theater. Tickets available www.kwahs.org/tw-men. (Photo Credit: Tennessee Williams Museum) March 19, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). On Thursday, March 28, join the Key West Art & Historical Society, Tennessee Williams Museum and Fringe Theater as they together present “The Men of Tennessee Williams” as part of the annual month-long Tennessee Williams Festival. The staged reading, directed by Wende Shoer, takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Little Room Jazz Club, 821 Duval Street.
Tennessee Williams, one of the leading American playwrights of the 20th century and a resident of Key West for more than thirty years, has often been credited with crafting compelling female characters such as Amanda Wingfield in “The Glass Menagerie” and Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Male characters, on the other hand, are regularly snubbed by literary critics and reviewers. “The Men of Tennessee Williams” will shift the spotlight to the male characters through two little known one-act plays by Williams.” First to be featured during the evening’s stage reading will be “The Parade, or Approaching the End of Summer” which delves into the story of Williams’ first love during the summer of 1940. It is an unguarded story about gay men, but also a portrait of passions unrequited and denied that reveal the depth in compassion which can be found in friendship. The second play is “The Big Game” that takes place in a hospital room where Tony, a baseball player, has an infection in his leg and insists on joining the big game even though the doctors won’t let him. Dave has a lung infection, sleeps poorly at night, and spends the majority of his time daydreaming. The interactions between patients and staff are lively in this cryptic short work. “The Men of Tennessee Williams” will showcase several local actors including Wayne Dapser, Jim Argoudelis, Merle Dimbath, Jim Speake, Wayne Smith, Nancy 3 Hoffman, Samantha Laskey, Zach Franchini, Thom Masat and Alana Thurston. Tickets are on sale now and the Little Room Jazz Club’s full food menu will be available during the performance. Doors to the venue will open at 5:3 p.m. with the one-act plays beginning promptly at 6:00 p.m. To reserve your spot at the reading; visit kwahs.org/tw-men - $50 for KWAHS members, $60 for non-members. This program is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, with additional support provided by Dennis Beaver & Bert Whitt. For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. “Shadow & Light” Juried Art Exhibition Set to Open at the Key West Museum of Art & History2/16/2024 February 16, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). On February 23, 2024, the Key West Museum of Art & History will open its juried art exhibition, “Shadow & Light” which features over 50 Florida Keys artists. The exhibition beckoned artists to immerse themselves in the outdoors, capturing natural light and its interaction with everyday objects into visual expressions that evoked contemplation, wonder, and introspection. The museum, located at 281 Front Street, welcomes the public to a special reception on February 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to celebrate the participating artists and the exhibit opening.
Juried by Dr. Cori Convertito of the Key West Art & Historical Society, Martha Resk from the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Emma Starr of The Armory Studios, and Elena Devers of The Studios of Key West, the exhibit incorporates the basic painting principals of shadow and light in the broadest sense. A wide range of mediums will be on display including oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, fabric, pencil, sculpture, and mixed media. “In art, shadow and light are fundamental to expressing three-dimensional form. When applied the correct way, shadow and light effects make a powerful storytelling tool,” says Cori Convertito, PhD, curator for the Society. “We were delighted and overwhelmed by the wide-ranging submissions that artists submitted and applaud the endless creativity in our arts community.” “Shadow & Light” runs through April 28, 2024, in the Bryan Gallery and is sponsored by the Florida Department of State, Division of Arts & Culture, with additional support provided by The Helmerich Trust. For more information, visit www.kwahs.org/shadow-light, call Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x 507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden offers “Nature is Art” Workshop Series with a 3-part photography workshop with noted wildlife photographer Kristie Killam. Kristie has a long history with nature in the Keys, as a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ranger at the National Key Deer Refuge, a biologist, a photographer and a teacher.
Workshop I: 9AM, Saturday, February 17, 2024 at the historic Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden Toppino Nature chapel. Introduction, equipment review, techniques and ‘in the Garden’ field work with Kristie Killam. Workshop II: 9AM, Saturday March 9, 2024, individual photo reviews, one on one mentorship session with Kristie to transfer pictures into a final art product (in person and/or zoom). III: Art Gallery Showing, April 20-30, 2024. Finished art will be on display to the public at the Toppino Nature Chapel. Registration required: $25 pp. Registration limited to 25 people. The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island. For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden January 17, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). Raise a toast to Florida Keys history with Key West Art & Historical Society Curator and Historian Cori Convertito, Ph.D., on Monday, February 5, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. during her popular “Happy Hour with the Historian” program at Comedy Key West, 218 Whitehead Street. Enjoy a complimentary draft beer, glass of house wine, or a soft drink while Convertito presents on the evening’s topic, “Keeping the Light: The History of the Key West Lighthouse” in celebration of the arrival of USCGC Barbara Mabrity for a brief port visit. The namesake of the vessel was the principal keeper at the lighthouse for thirty-eight years.
Almost immediately after the U.S. Navy established a base in Key West in 1823, the need for a lighthouse became evident. Erecting a lighthouse was essential in assuring the safe arrival of both military and commercial vessels navigating the shallow, reef-laden waters off the Florida Keys. The current lighthouse opened in January 1848 with a woman as its keeper; nearly unheard of during the nineteenth century. In the years following, the Key West Lighthouse underwent several upgrades including the installation of a Third Order Fresnel Lens, an extension to the tower which allowed the light to be seen from a greater distance, the addition of Keeper’s Quarters, and finally the electrification of the light. “Our Key West Lighthouse is unusual for many reasons, most noticeable is the fact that it is located inland,” says Convertito. “Aside from the location, it is also distinctive in that it had a total of three female lighthouse keepers between 1826 and 1914. They resided on the property with their families and were responsible for grueling responsibilities to keep the lighthouse lit every night, even during treacherous conditions, including hurricanes.” In 1969, the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned the Key West Lighthouse since there was no longer a need for a full-time keeper due to technological advancements. Today, this sentinel of the sea stands as a museum dedicated to Key West’s maritime heritage and to the men and women who bravely kept the light burning through the threats of war and weather. Happy Hour with the Historian is limited to 75 attendees; reserve your spot now at kwahs.org/hh-lighthouse - $12 for KWAHS members, $15 for non-members. This project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, with additional support provided by The Helmerich Trust and Comedy Key West. For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barbara Mabrity (WLM 559) Scheduled for Key West Port Visit and Public Tours1/16/2024 January 15, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). The USCGC Barbara Mabrity (WLM 559), a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard is scheduled to arrive in Key West on February 5, 2024, for a working port visit. Docking at Truman Waterfront Park, the crew will host free public tours on February 6 and 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Key West Art & Historical Society is also planning a series of events to mark the ship’s stopover.
Named for nineteenth century Key West lighthouse keeper Barbara Mabrity, the 175-foot ship was commissioned in 1999 and is home-ported in Mobile, Alabama. USCGC Barbara Mabrity is the ninth of the fourteen keeper class buoy tenders built by Marinette Marine Corporation during the 1990s. The cutters are named for famous lighthouse keepers of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the Coast Guard. These technologically advanced cutters take advantage of state-of-the-art electronics and control systems including dynamic positioning system capable of maintaining the vessels positions within five yard in 20 knots of wind and 4 knots of current. USCGC Barbara Mabrity services aids to navigation from the St. Marks River in northern Florida to south central Louisiana including the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge south to the mouth of the river. Other missions include Marine Environmental Protection and Search and Rescue. “We are delighted to welcome USCGC Barbara Mabrity to Key West to celebrate a quarter of a century of the ship in service and the 160th anniversary of Barbara’s retirement from the U.S. Lighthouse Service,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator and historian for the Society. “Due the grueling physical labor involved in operating lighthouses, female keepers were nearly unheard of in the male-dominated field. Not only it is incredible to honor Barbara for her thirty-eight years of service at both Key West lighthouses, the Society is also grateful to the ship for agreeing open for public tours.” Barbara Mabrity was the keeper of original Key West Light from its first lighting in 1826 to 1846 when it was destroyed by a powerful hurricane. During that hurricane the tower collapsed and twelve people, including some of Mabrity’s children were injured or killed. When the present-day tower opened two years later, she returned in the same capacity until 1864 when she retired from the service at the age of 82. For more information about the ship’s visit to Key West and public tours, visit www.kwahs.org/upcoming-events or contact Convertito (cconvertito@kwahs.org). Those who would like more facts about the ship should visit the official U.S. Coast Guard website https://www.uscg.mil/ The Key West Art & Historical Society will be hosting its annual fundraiser, “Back in Time – Caliente Cayo Hueso” on February 2, 2024, under the stars on the grounds of the Key West Museum of Art & History. Proceeds from the Cuban-themed fundraiser benefit the ongoing restoration needs of the museum. (Photo Credit: Key West Art & Historical Society) January 15, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). Take a trip back to 1950s Cuba during this season’s “Back in Time” fundraiser hosted by the Key West Art & Historical Society. Themed “Caliente Cayo Hueso,” the party takes place Friday, February 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. under the stars at the Key West Museum of Art & History. Proceeds support the ongoing preservation needs of the museum, the island’s architectural crown jewel that has graced the Mallory Square area for the last 133 years.
Attendees donning their best Cuban attire – think Guayaberas and Comparsa dresses – will enjoy cocktail hour inside the museum followed by an elevated plated Cuban dinner on the Front Street plaza. Pilar Rum mojitos will be flowing at the full open bar while the Latin band Caribe Key West performs so you Salsa the night away. There will be prizes for “Best Dressed”, an extensive silent auction, and an upscale cigar lounge. It will be a caliente evening you won’t want to miss and all for a great cause! “As stewards of the Custom House building, we are grateful for the community’s continued support of our on-going preservation efforts,” says Michael F. Gieda, Executive Director of the Society. “Having completed critical work outlined in a 2013 assessment conducted by Bender & Associates, we continue to preserve and repair the historic building and its systems. With major upgrades to our archives nearing completion, we aim to overhaul and upgrade the elevator in 2024 to ensure access to the second-floor galleries and third-floor program areas. Proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will help offset the steep cost.” Step “Back in Time” to invest in the future; purchase a single ticket for $200 or sponsor a table of eight for $1,600. Proceeds will be contributed to the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ Custom House Preservation Fund. For tickets visit www.kwahs.org/bit or contact Event Coordinator Bonnie McInnis at 305-295-6616 x 505. January 15, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). The Key West Art & Historical Society wants to remind artists that the last call for entries for its new juried exhibition which is slated to open in February 2024 at the Key West Museum of Art & History is January 22. “Shadow & Light” is open to all artists living and creating in the Florida Keys. The new exhibition beckons artists to immerse themselves in the outdoors, capturing natural light and its interaction with everyday objects into visual expressions that evoke contemplation, wonder, and introspection. Juried by Dr. Cori Convertito of the Key West Art & Historical Society, Martha Resk from the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Emma Starr of The Armory Studios, and Elena Devers of The Studios of Key West, the exhibit will include a special opening reception for the artists and the public on February 23, with the show running from that date through April 16.
The Society’s goal with this exhibition is to invite artists to create artwork that expresses ideas about the natural world and to venture into the intricate interplay between the elemental forces of nature and the ever-changing light of the Florida Keys. The museum is seeking submissions of original artwork that captures the essence of “Shadow & Light” in the broadest sense that include a range of mediums such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, encaustic, pencil, sculpture, and mixed media. “In art, shadow and light are fundamental to expressing three-dimensional form. When applied the correct way, shadow and light effects make a powerful storytelling tool,” says Cori Convertito, PhD, curator for the Society. “We seek artwork that represents the dynamics between these two simple, yet powerful, components. The exhibit is open to all visual artists throughout the Florida Keys working in any fine art or fine craft medium or technique, in two or three dimensions, representational, abstract, or non-representational.” The submission fee for artists is $25, which will offset the cost of the opening reception. Only one submission per artist, with a deadline of January 22. All mediums and themes will be considered but work must have been completed within the last three years and cannot have been displayed previously at the museum. Artist notification is February 9 with delivery dates February 13 to 15. Please note that Society policies strictly prohibit the sale of any artwork during the exhibit. Please visit http://www.kwahs.org/shadow-light for important entry details and to submit your work. This exhibit is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, with additional support provided by The Helmerich Trust. For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or cconvertito@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. January 15, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). On Thursday, February 15, from 6:00-10:00pm, Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes Donavon Frankenreiter along with folk rock band Goodnight, Texas to historic Fort East Martello, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd for an evening of music under the stars.
Donavon Frankenreiter made an instant connection with the band Goodnight, Texas recently while out on the road, comparing them to a modern-day version of The Band. He decided not only to bring them out as support for this tour, but also to have Goodnight, Texas play as his backing band alongside his longtime guitarist Matt Grundy. Incorporating their musicianship with a fresh take on Donavon’s extensive catalog, the evening will feature mandolin guitar, banjo, pedal steel, bass, drums, and more! For nearly four decades Donavon has been traveling the globe, first as a professional surfer and now as a musician. Born in Southern California, Donavon spent most of his youth chasing waves, turning pro at the age of 16. These days instead of surf competitions, it’s concert halls that brings Frankenreiter to town, where he entertains audiences with his unique blend of laid-back grooves, philosophical lyrics and soulful delivery. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets for the “backyard casual” setup that will include food vendors and cash bar. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25 at kwahs.org/donavon or at the 6:00pm door opening. Children under 12 are free. Limited parking is available, bicycling, ride-share, or public transit is encouraged. Don't miss this unforgettable night under the stars in the courtyard of Fort East Martello. Secure your spot and be part of a magical experience. For more information, contact Bonnie McInnis, Events Coordinator, at 305-295-6616 x505 or bmcinnis@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. |
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