Thursday, January 21st, 2010
The arts are alive and well and Anna Maria Island. In addition to the frequent arts and crafts fairs, there are wonderful exhibits at the Anna Maria Island Art League in Holmes Beach. Island Gallery West and the Artist’s Guild also have galleries in Holmes Beach. In addition to this, a very fine new gallery has been operating in Anna Maria for a couple of years. Formerly the Bistro at Island’s End, the building has been transformed into The Studio at Gulf and Pine. Owned by Rhea Chiles, the former first lady of Florida, this exquisite center for arts and intellectual pursuits presents art exhibits as well as classes in everything ranging from the game of bridge to lectures about science and philosophy.
One exhibit at the Studio that has received tremendous press coverage is “Beach Paths and Other Paintings by Maro Lorimer .” The opening reception was last Sunday afternoon, on January 17. After several days of cold rain, the sun came out and many people came out that afternoon, as well, to enjoy the serene setting of the Studio and the beautiful art it holds.
One wing of the main gallery contained eight original collages, each inspired by a particular beach path on Anna Maria Island. In addition to the originals, limited edition signed giclées were available. The artist’s statement explained that the art was a tribute to the wildness of the beach paths that connect the neighborhoods of the island to the beach. The fact that these paths are not manicured is what makes them so appealing.
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Anna Maria Island art,
art studio,
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Doors, entrances, portals and passages are the theme of the Anna Maria Island Art League’s first show of the 2009-2010 cultural season. It opens on November 13, as part of the island-wide ArtsHOP, a weekend full of art, theater and music. Hosted by the Anna Maria Island Art League, Island Gallery West, The Artists’ Guild Gallery, and The Studio at Gulf and Pine, ArtsHOP includes a Friday evening gallery walk through all these fine galleries, and more.
An ArtsHOP Passport listing all the participating galleries can be picked up at any of the participating locations. Those who get their Passports stamped at six of the locations will be offered a 20 percent discount on dinner, afterward, at any of three of the Island’s favorite waterfront restaurants: The Sand Bar, The Beach House, and Mar Vista, on Longboat Key. A stamped Passport turned into the Art Leagues of Anna Maria Island before 8:45 Friday night will also serve as a raffle ticket for a huge basket of art-related gifts from Keeton’s Office and Art Supply of Bradenton.
Also on Friday and Saturday night will be performances by the Island Players of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” a show originally performed by Lily Tomlin. On Saturday and Sunday during the day there will be an arts and crafts fair at the Holmes Beach City Hall Field. A Sock Hop on Saturday night will be held at the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Jail and Museum Complex. It is appropriately called “The Jailhouse Rock Sock Hop.” Suggested attire is poodle skirts and greaser outfits. Music of a very different kind will be featured on Sunday afternoon at 2 in the season’s first performance of the Anna Maria Island Orchestra and Chorus at the Cross Point Church.
A special part of this year’s ArtsHOP is an art happening in which local artists painted doors that were displayed all around the island in the weeks leading up to ArtsHOP. On Sunday afternoon, November 15, the doors will be auctioned under the banyan tree at the Anna Maria Island Art League, with proceeds going to the Cultural Connections. The mission of this organization, founded in 2008, is to promote Anna Maria Island as a cultural destination.
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Tags:
Anna Maria Island Art League,
Anna Maria Island Historical Society Jail and Museum,
Anna Maria Island Orchestra and Chorus,
Art League,
Arts,
ArtsHOP,
Cultural Connections,
Island Gallery West,
The Artists’ Guild Gallery,
The Studio at Gulf and Pine
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One exhibit at the Studio that has received tremendous press coverage is “Beach Paths and Other Paintings by Maro Lorimer .” The opening reception was last Sunday afternoon, on January 17. After several days of cold rain, the sun came out and many people came out that afternoon, as well, to enjoy the serene setting of the Studio and the beautiful art it holds.
