BOCA RATON — Grammy-nominated conductor Alastair Willis has been named principal conductor and artistic adviser of The Symphonia Boca Raton. Willis has been a guest conductor with The Symphonia for the past several seasons. He also served as principal conductor for the orchestra’s “New Directions” concert series in 2019. He also is music director of the South … [Read more...]
Arts briefs: Smith wins Frank Prize, ANSG appoints director, and more
WEST PALM BEACH — The 2020 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts was awarded June 25 to Ballet Palm Beach founder and artistic director Colleen Smith during a ceremony streamed live. “In addition to being a brilliant choreographer, Colleen has taught more than 5,000 Palm Beach County students and awarded in excess of $200,000 in scholarships to deserving dancers … [Read more...]
Lazes’ ‘Paper Dolls’ pay homage to McQueen, Greek sculpture
By Sandra Schulman Inspired by both Greek sculptures from the Hellenistic era and the outrageous fashion forward designs of the late provocateur Alexander McQueen, multimedia artist Rick Lazes has created something new – a series of three-dimensional sculptures of paper dolls. As part of the Art Couture: The Intersection of Art and Fashion exhibit at the newly reopened … [Read more...]
Arts buzz: Norton director Davis resigns; Morikiami to reopen grounds
WEST PALM BEACH — Elliot Bostwick Davis, CEO and director of the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach since March 2019, has resigned. “The events of the past months have impressed upon me the importance of being closer to my family and I’m looking forward to returning to Boston and beginning the next chapter of my life,” she said in a prepared statement. She declined to … [Read more...]
Arts briefs: Boca Museum reopens; Flagler back open Tuesday
The Boca Raton Museum of Art in Mizner Park reopened its doors to the public today. It was shut down March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials stress the plan complies with guidelines from the state of Florida, Palm Beach County and city of Boca Raton, and is subject to change depending on circumstances. The museum has created an intense sanitizing program and will … [Read more...]
FAU names Studio One Theatre for arts benefactor Marleen Forkas
By Dale King Tradition has it that actors love to see their name in lights. A Boca Raton arts aficionado and longtime philanthropist has just solidified her own presence in dramaturgical nomenclature. Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters announced earlier this month that it had received a $1.125 million gift from benefactor Marleen … [Read more...]
FAU Theatre Lab readies second online monologue festival
By Dale King Zen Buddhists are notorious, perhaps apocryphally, for spending time pondering the sound of a single hand clapping. But the nearly 40 South Florida actors and artists gathered up last month by Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab for its first-ever Online Original Monologue Festival concluded their singular performances to the sound of no hands … [Read more...]
Some of the best local virtual art shows to see now
By Sandra Schulman The art world has moved virtual, adapting to the new physical unreality we are all living through. Spring season has a variety of new shows that may or may not be able to be seen in person, so museums, galleries and artists have made online tours to see the new work. Here is a roundup of some of the best. While the galleries are temporarily closed, ICA … [Read more...]
Online Boca Museum show finds revelation in the artist’s mirror
By Sandra Schulman Artists make art in a search for self. Eye to I: Self-Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, a stunning show at the Boca Museum of Art, now being exhibited through June 14 on online and digital programs, brings solo works together of major artists of the 20th and 21st centuries and dating from 1901 to 2015. There are treasures large and small … [Read more...]
Delray author’s debut thriller aims for ‘Homeland’ territory
By Sharon Geltner Goodbye, Homeland. Hello, Sandblast. Showtime’s hit series Homeland ends in May. But covert ops fans can now turn to Sandblast, the first book in an action, adventure and suspense trilogy by Al Pessin, a local author who has covered the world’s hot spots from Afghanistan to Washington, D.C. The plot: after terrorists blow up a plane carrying the … [Read more...]