By Chloe Elder Ahead of the 2021 fiscal year, the city of West Palm Beach addresses the economic shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in its annual budget. Not unlike any other municipality, business or individual, cuts must be made to reckon with a revenue stream impacted by lockdowns and uncertainty. What is exceptional, however, is that the current proposal balances … [Read more...]
Arts briefs: Symphonia taps Willis as chief conductor
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...]
Cultural Council offers summer virtual programs
Like many art institutions and organizations in this time of COVID-19, the Cultural County for Palm Beach County has shifted its offerings online, with a summer lineup of free virtual programming, including art exhibitions and the performing arts. Their six-performance music series began in June with “A Jazz Tribute to Musicals” featuring Yvette Norwood-Tiger and continues … [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...]
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...]
A tree of hope grows in my mind
Fructiferous. He said it didn’t exist. That word: Fructiferous. He was a seasoned editor, and who was I? But deep down I knew it did. Watching now the fruit-bearing tree in front of me weather a storm of bad news I, too, feel particularly fructiferous. My mind ventures out freely to catch whatever train of thought it feels like riding without abruptly being called back to … [Read more...]
Local arts organizations hopeful even as future looks bleak
By Jan Engoren When the Cannes Film Festival is canceled and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is projected to lose $100 million after closing down because of the coronavirus, the impact on the arts and culture all over the world is significant. And Palm Beach County is no exception. While many sectors are suffering, arts organizations and cultural … [Read more...]
What we’re missing: Critics reflect on an arts-less season
The coronavirus pandemic, coming as it did in the heart of the arts season in South Florida, almost literally stopped Palm Beach ArtsPaper critics in their tracks. And it’s not just the arts events themselves that they miss. Here’s a roundup of mini-essays from some of our critics as they take a look at a season that stopped: * Camaraderie vanished, too, as theaters … [Read more...]