By Sandra Schulman
During this year’s newly created Art Affair, which opens today and runs through April 15, the action is centered on Rosemary Avenue in West Palm Beach, with a new series of events and an influx of vendors as well as the unveiling of a mile-long “road tattoo” named Genii Loci, stretching from Okechobee Boulevard to Sunset Lounge.
There will also be a new artwork called Assemblage: An Organically Grown Exhibition, a yearlong visual art project on the first floor of the Culture Lab.
The road tattoo’s Latin title means “protective spirits of a place,” and is being painted by artist Steed Taylor. The painted street mural, described by the artist as the “skin” of the community, features three elements: a twisty rope of local native flowers in blue and yellow, Celtic knots emphasizing the power of community, and music notations for the jazz standard “’Round Midnight,” by Thelonious Monk, as a nod to the historic Sunset Lounge and its unique history where the mural will wind up.
“I wanted to find a common public space for art and take possession of the roadways,” Taylor said by phone before arriving in West Palm Beach earlier this month. “The first one I ever did was dedicated to a lady that had passed away, and that gave me the idea to embed her name into the work and to include the community. That’s why now I paint peoples’ names into the design but then cover it up so it’s part of it but underneath the surface, like how tattoos get under the skin.”
The installation will be the longest continuous road tattoo Taylor has done. The installation will engage local artists, organizations, students and community groups to paint a portion of the project.
“I’m using students from Dreyfoos School to help research the names we’ll be painting into it,” Taylor says. “I want the piece to honor the ecosystem and environment, particularly the people who fight to protect those resources in this unique state. Beyond the beaches and fun-in-the-sun ethos, what has always fascinated me about Florida is the abundance of unique waterways, flora, fauna and history not found anywhere else in our country. When I was approached to do a road tattoo in West Palm Beach, I knew this was exactly what I wanted it to be about. ”
The road tattoo will take Taylor about six to 10 days to create, and the road will be closed at night in sections as he works. The consumer-grade traffic paint will last about two years before eventually wearing away. The actual tattoo paint will be a few inches away from the traffic lines and markers.
Taylor is known for his public artwork as well as his work in galleries. Born near Fayetteville, N.C., and a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Taylor’s road tattoos have been inked into cities such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans.
Over at Culture Lab, Assemblage will begin with two artists, Ioanna Pantazopoulou (New York/Athens) and Jennifer Steinkamp (Los Angeles), and more artists will be added until the exhibit’s culminating event in December 2018. Pantazopoulou’s vibrant interactive work called Oasis consists of nine unique hammocks that weave in common objects and are hung in a carousel-like display, and displayed with local plants. Visitors are invited to get on the hammocks and literally lie back into these sculptures where they can view Steinkamp’s projection titled Cultured, depicting large scale, gently swaying pearls.
This digital artwork is playfully site-specific within what was the “jewelry section” of the former department store. This evolving exhibition will be free of charge and open to the public during the Culture Lab’s normal hours during weekdays through Art Affair.
The 8th Annual Downtown West Palm Beach Arts Festival runs this weekend. (Photo courtesy CityPlace)
This weekend, Rosemary Avenue will transform into an outdoor art showcase during the 8th Annual Downtown West Palm Beach Arts Festival, featuring more than 100 artists’ tents, arranged gallery-style and filled with all mediums of fine art. The free, outdoor event takes place from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on both days.
For those looking to explore the new art and cultural attractions downtown, a 90-minute walking art tour has been created. Visitors will learn the intention and meaning of various murals and installations while gaining a better understanding of the artists who created them. The tour, led by Ashley Capps of Gravity, a locally based arts and culture consulting firm, will start and end at Hilton West Palm Beach and include free valet parking and refreshments at the Hotel. The walking art tour will be launched during Art Affair, with more dates to be added throughout the year.
With new murals at Culture Lab and on the parking garage on Hisbiscus, a huge new mural by Retna on the Restoration Hardware building on Okeechobee and new sculptures by the plaza fountain, there is a veritable flurry of new art in the area since last year. Taylor’s Genii Loci will be celebrated with a special ceremony and public dedication closer to the completion of the project.
Friday, April 6
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Opening day of Assemblage, featuring visit with artist Ioanna Pantazopoulou
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Meet and greet with sound artist Stephen Vitiello
6:30 – 9 p.m. Armory Art Center Experience at CityPlace opening reception
Saturday, April 7
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 8th Annual Downtown West Palm Beach Arts Festival
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Palm Beach Dramaworks pop-up showcase
10 – 11 a.m. Yoga at Culture Lab
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Culture Lab open with sound artist Stephen Vitiello
12 – 9 p.m. Armory Art Center Experience grand opening
3 – 5 p.m. Walking art tour
Sunday, April 8
9 – 11 a.m. Walking art tour
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Palm Beach Dramaworks pop-up showcase
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 8th Annual Downtown West Palm Beach Arts Festival
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Science Center Kids activity on the square
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Culture Lab open
12 p.m. Live painting project by Frankie Cihi at the WPB Collective
2 p.m. Palm Beach Symphony’s Conduct Us on the stage
Monday, April 9
3 – 6 p.m. Culture Lab Open
Tuesday, April 10
3 – 6 p.m. Culture Lab Open
5 – 7:30 p.m. Dreyfoos School of the Arts’ Seeds literary magazine hosts an Open Mic Night on the stage
Wednesday, April 11
3 – 6 p.m. Culture Lab open
Thursday, April 12
3 – 5 p.m. Walking art tour
3 – 6 p.m. Culture Lab open
5 – 7:30 p.m. Dreyfoos Seeds Open Mic Night on the stage
6 – 8 p.m. Garala Art Fashion Show with David Maison
Friday, April 13
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Culture Lab open
Saturday, April 14
10 a.m. Yoga at Culture Lab
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Palm Beach Dramaworks pop-up showcase
3 – 5 p.m. Walking art tour
11 a.m. – 2 :30 p.m. Carole Feuerman artist talks and book signing at Culture Lab & fountain
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Daruma doll painting class with Frankie Cihi at WPB Collective
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Daruma doll painting class with Frankie Cihi at WPB Collective
Sunday, April 15
9 – 11 a.m. Walking art tour
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Palm Beach Dramaworks pop-up showcase
12 p.m. Live painting project by Frankie Cihi
2 – 2:30 p.m. Urban Youth Impact drum circle performance
2:30 – 3 p.m. Casper pillow painting activity
3 – 3:30 p.m. Casper pillow painting activity