Gulfport Arts Center to Host Art Shows, Summer Camps and Short Plays

Creativity has been flowing at the City of Imagination Gulfport Arts Center at 2726 54t st. s.,in Gulfport. A curated art show is open through April, artists plan to partner with the Industrial Arts Center and the non-profit will invite children of all ages for summer art workshops.

Special thanks to Jonathan Schork for sharing the following press release with Gulfport Patch!

Having kept the ship afloat since the arrival of the new economy in 2008, board president Marlene Shaw is pleased to announce a series of new initiatives by local artists that promise to turn the art center into another “it” destination in Gulfport.

After installing one of his monumental sculptures in front of the building in December 0f 2012, polymath artist Jonathan Schork was invited by Shaw to help create some new activities for the art center. With the addition of longtime resident & theatre producer Ciara Carinci, dancer & henna artist Shawnna Savani, and  polymath artist Mary Joyner to the growing team, there is a renewed sense of enthusiasm for the art center in the community.

Schork & Carinci spent most of the month of March giving the center a makeover. With generous donations from the Gulfport merchants’ association, Rick & Mary Joyner, Rachel Harrison, and others, the building has a new, chic, industrial look inside. “We thought it was important,” schork remarked, “to get the community reinvested in the art center.”

And the art center is buzzing with activity!

Schork is planning an inventory of curated art show, the first of which opened on the 5th of April, from 5-9pm, with food provided by Habana Cafe. Titled “Radca & Glueck: shamanic pathways…” the show features original works in pottery by Tom Radca & paintings by Nikita Glueck. The show will be up through April; all the work is for sale, with some of the proceeds benefitting the center.  

On 6th April , long-time Gulfportian & City of Imagination vice president Patsi Aguero offered her “wild-woman” workshop, at which attendees worked across a spectrum of media to create icons of their femininity.

Carinci has been holding rehearsals for the 27th April Gulfport Springfest, for which she is producing an original show, as well as preparing an improve troup to interact with patrons. She will be bringing Kenny Silkie to the stage at the art center on the 20th April for a performance of his “Makin’ Larvae”, a play about the plight & purpose of honey bees, which will reprise at the Springfest.

Carinci hopes to be bringing her own theatre work to the imaginarium in May with another set of short plays, and the return of Wilson Loria after a long absence promises a resurrection of his “Solos” theatre project.

On 3rd May, the City of Imagination will be partnering with So49 to give us a preview of the 2013 artists’ studio tour. Artists on the tour will each have a work of art in the art center for the month of May, and both raffle- & silent auction items will be on display.   

Also in May, a set of Intro-to-World-Dance classes are scheduled; the workshops run four successive weeks for an hour-and-a-half each night, and teacher Sumayah with be offering dances of India, Polynesia, north Africa, and others. The cost for the course in $18 per night, and no previous experience is required.

In June, schork expects to curate a show in partnership with the Industrial Arts Center of Gulfport to feature work by the artists & teachers of the IAC. The show will be predominantly glass from Owen Pach, Tony Vouis, Brad Bedillion, and others, but should also include some pottery by Stone Handy, and some sculptural steel.

One of the more exciting new initiatives is a summer art camp for kids. Beginning with a week of workshops led by Gulfport artists, the art center will host a show of work the children have created in the program. Subjects being discussed for inclusion are paper-making, drawing & painting, & even an introduction to theatre guided by Carinci. “Parents are often looking for activities for their kids during summer vacation,” she notes. “We think that moving fluidly between the plastic & performing arts will really excite their imaginations.”

As a correlary to the art receptions, which he intends to schedule for each art walk, schork would like to stage some live accoustic music. He will also be developing a volunteer list, and is specifically looking for people willing to tend the art shows on Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. Anyone interested in signing up for either initiative should contact him at schork.jonathan@gmail.com. Meanwhile, “like” the City of Imagination on facebook to keep apprised of all the latest developments.  

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