Platform Art is grateful for:

volunteers || GFWC Junior Women’s Club of Lakeland, serving the community since 1928.
sponsors || George W. Jenkins Fund within the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, Florida Refuse/Republic Services, City of Lakeland, CSX, Lunz Prebor Fowler.
platform.5 coordinator || Karen Grisham

I was fortunate to sit next to a really nice young woman named Lori, who drove an hour-and-a-half from Orlando to see Ms. LuPone. She said “it’s so easy to just hop on I-4 and come over.”  I also found out that Lori is in the cast of Theatre Winter Haven’s production of “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story” which is in rehearsals right now for the show’s run from February 23 through March 18 (Thursdays-Sundays).  Learn more about the production on the Theatre Winter Haven website.

I recognized many in the audience, including several students  from the Harrison School from the Arts theatre program.  Definitely make the effort to take in one of their performances.  The talent is amazing.

Upcoming performances at The Lois Cowles Harrison School for the Visual and Performing Arts include–

Winter Dance Concert Friday, February 17 – Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 PM.

Little Women Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 PM, and on Sunday, March 4 at 2:00 PM.

Check out Harrison’s new website for more information.

Don’t miss out on these performances and many more.  Learn more at PolkArts.org and VisitCentralflorida.org.

Attend arts activities this month and register for a chance to win awesome “ARTS” prizes! The rules are easy. Look for the Heart of the Arts Logo at participating arts and cultural events in Polk County.  Provide your contact information one time at each activity, so we can contact you if you are a winner. The more activities you experience, the more opportunities you have to win. Drawings take place in early November.

This weekend in the Heart of the Arts (Oct 7-9):

Oct 6-9: The Full Monty at Theatre Winter Haven

Oct 7: View & Review – Critiquing Emerging Artists (Photography) at Polk Museum of Art.

Oct 7: Ask a Gardener at Bok Tower Gardens

Oct 7: People’s Choice at Arts on the Park

Oct 7: Half Price Admission to Explorations V from 6-8pm

Oct 7: Cracker Storytelling Festival Ghost Stories at Polk County Historical Museum

Oct 7-8: THE EDGE Stage Read Series – “Hot L Baltimore” LCT at Lake Mirror Theatre

Oct 8: Opening Reception for Student Exhibition at Polk Museum of Art

Oct 8: History Highlights Polk Proud 150 at 2pm at Bok Tower Gardens

Oct 8: Underground at the Polk at the Historic Polk Theatre

Oct 9: Edward W. Bok Birthday Carillon Concerts at Bok Tower Gardens

View the complete EVENT CALENDAR.

Visit our listing with links to Polk’s arts & cultural organizations.

Arts & Cultural Events and Exhibits this week.
Monday, September 26 – Sunday, October 2, 2011
Click the links below to learn more.

Events:

Sep 26-Nov 5: Fall Art Classes at Polk Museum of Art
Sept 26-30: Explorations V Children’s Daily Sessions
Sept 26: After School Art (Ages 5 & Up)
Sept 26 & 27: Auditions for LCT Main Stage Production of Anything Goes
Sept 27: ISO Masterworks I: “Magic of the Flute”
Sept 29: Fall Film Series – Islands in Time
Sept 29-Oct 2: The Full Monty
Sept 30 – Oct 1: Le Cabaret de Polk
Oct 1: Meet the Highwaymen & Painting Workshop
Oct 1: Beginning Photography – Point & Shoot
Oct 1: Family Fun Workshop – Drawing
Oct 1-2: Ultimate Broadway – Memorable Movement & Musical Moments
Oct 2: Final 2011 Sunday Summer Classic Film – Walk the Line
Oct 2-3: Auditions for “It’s A Wonderful Life”

Exhibitions:

Through Sept 29: Emerging Environmentalists Art Exhibit
Through Sept 30: Artists Alexis Gonzales & Evelyn Verhey
Through Oct 8: Figuration
Through Oct 9: Inspirations, The Members Exhibition
Through Oct 13: Against All Odds: The Florida Highwaymen
Open Sept 30-Oct 28: Blacklight by Al Kriston
Through Oct 31: Hispanic Heritage Gallery Exhibit
Open Oct 1-31: Artist Ronald Fields & the High School Show
Through Nov 13: The (Lost) Art Of Drawing
Open Oct 1-Dec 1: Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson Music & Nature Paper Painting Art Exhibit
Through Dec 10 – Jessica Lange: In Mexico
Through Dec 10 – En Plein Sight: Paintings by Lilian Garcia-Roig
Through May 1, 2012: Ridge Art Presents Third Annual Aviation Exhibition

The Festival will take place on April 16, 2011 at 12 p.m. at Lake Mirror Promenade and will feature amazing Jazz musicians such as:

• Jimmy Cobb Quartet featuring Javon Jackson
• Larry Willis Quartet featuring Steve Davis
• Belinda Wornack with Nat Adderly, Jr.
• Phillip Booth Trio
• Florida Southern College Jazz Ensemble

You can leave your coolers at home as there will be food & beverages sold throughout the promenade. Admission to this Jazzy event is free to the public. You will not want to miss outstanding jazz musicians at a beautiful location such as Lake Mirror Promenade! For more information on the Jazz Festival, click here.

Lakeland Rotary is marrying their health and arts ideals by hosting an Urban Triathlon on April 16, 2011 at 7:30 a.m. at Lake Mirror Park. For more information on the Urban Triathlon click here.

Nov 11-14: Harrison School of the Arts presents Camelot
Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm / Sunday at 2:00pm
Ticket Prices: $10 Adults / $8 Senior Citizens and Students
Purchase tickets online.  The box office will be open 1 hour prior to the performance.  Phone: 863-499-2939.  Harrison Arts Website.

Nov. 12-14: Architecture in Landscape Art Workshop
A three-day workshop for intermediate & advanced students of watercolor, acrylic and oils with artist Gary Gessford at Bok Tower Gardens in the setting of Pinewood Estate.  Bok Tower Gardens Website.

Nov. 12: View & Review at Polk Museum of Art
Polk Museum of Art hosts another installment of View & Review, an informal art critique for emerging artists. This View and Review is led by Rocky Bridges and Leslie Neumann, two of the artists who have work on display in the exhibition Visual Unity 2. The event starts at 6:00pm. Artists who wish to have their work critiqued by Bridges and Neumann must pre-register, but the event is also open to people who are interested in simply hearing what is said.  Admission is $15 per piece for artists who are presenting artwork, and $5 for the audience.  A cash bar will also be available.  Artists must pre-register by calling 863-688-5423 by November 9.  Polk Museum of Art Website.

Nov 13: Behind the Art of Visual Unity 2
On Saturday, November 13, Polk Museum of Art hosts a roundtable discussion of the Visual Unity 2 exhibition. At least nine artists are confirmed for the event, which delves into the experiences of the artists as they prepared their artwork for the exhibition. The event is from 1:00 – 2:00pm, and is free with regular Museum admission.  The confirmed artists to speak at Behind the Art are: Rocky Bridges (Tarpon Springs), Leslie Neumann (Aripeka), Lucia Taxdal (Winter Haven), Monica Eastman (Plant City), Monica Londono (Sarasota), Theo Wujcik (Tampa), Kirk ke Wang (Tampa), Jill Cannady (Deland), and Robert Stackhouse (St. Petersburg). Other artists may appear if their schedules allow.  Learn more at the Polk Museum of Art Website.

Nov 13: Polk County Art Teacher’s Invitational Reception
A reception for the Polk County Art Teacher’s Invitational takes place at Ridge Art Association Gallery on Saturday, November 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  The exhibition runs in the Gallery from October 26—November 17, 2010.  Visit the Ridge Art Website.

Nov 15: American Festival Pops Concert
The Lakeland Choral Society presents an American Festival Pops Concert at the Ramon Theater in Frostproof on Monday, November 15 at 7:30pm.  Tickets: Adults $10, Students $5.  Tickets are available at the door on the evening of the concert.  Click here to visit Lakeland Choral Society on the web.

Learn more about arts and cultural activities and how you can support the arts by visiting the Polk Arts Alliance Website.

Friday, November 5th, Lakeland: Florida Dance Theatre is holding open auditions for Publix Super Markets Charities Dance Scholarships at The Academy of Florida Dance Theatre, located at 305 W Main St. in downtown Lakeland.  Audition Times are: Ages 6-8 from 4:45 -5:30pm, Ages 9-12 from 5:30 – 6:15pm and Ages 13 and up from 6:15 – 7:00pm.  Information phone (863) 802-0399 or email floridadancetheatre@gmail.com.

Friday, November 5th, Lakeland: The Imperial Symphony Orchestra‘s FREE Pops by the Lake: Music from the Movies takes place on November 5, 2010 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM at the Lake Mirror Amphitheater.  But, you definitely won’t want to miss Leroy Sutton’s famous fried chicken dinner in the Magnolia Building before the concert.  Chicken dinner tickets are $16 in advance, $20 on November 5th…but they always sell out before then!  Purchase your fried chicken dinner tickets online now or call (863) 688-3743.  Visit the Imperial Symphony Orchestra website by clicking here.

Friday, November 5th, Winter Haven: DUELIN’ DIVAS II at Theatre Winter Haven, 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd in the Chain of Lakes Complex. The event begins at 6:15pm.  Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, diamond giveaway courtesy of Andy Thornals plus a chance to have dessert with the Divas following the performance! Plus, Karen Olivo,Tony award winner for her role as Anita in WEST SIDE STORY and a Theatre Winter Haven alum returns to be a part of the evening.  Event tickets are $55 each. Reservations can be made online or by phone at (863) 294-7469 (SHOW).

Friday, November 5th, Lakeland: The Polk Theatre presents Emmy Award-winning comedian Dana Carvey at 7:30p.m.  Tickets are $55, $45, or $35 and are available at www.polktheatre.org or by phone at 863-682-7553, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, November 6, Lakeland: Polk Museum of Art will host a Saturday Adult Workshop with a focus on the media of clay. The workshop will be held from 1:00 – 3:00pm, and will be led by Rick Olivo. The cost is $10 for Museum members, and $25 for non-members. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.  For more information or to register for the workshop, call 863-688-7743 or visit www.PolkMuseumofArt.org.

Saturday, November 6th, Bartow: Polk County Historical Museum presents a Taste of Polk on Saturday, November 6, noon to 6:00 p.m. at the Polk County Historical Museum in Bartow.  Taste of Polk featuring great food, live music, entertainment, kid’s activities.  Tickets are $10 for 10 food tickets. All proceeds benefit the Polk County Historical Museum.  Held in conjunction with the Hotrods & Hogs Benefit Poker Run, to benefit the Women’s Care Center.

Saturday, November 6th, Lake Wales: Sunset & Symphony at Bok Tower Gardens is a highlight of the fall cultural calendar. The award-winning Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Singing Tower carillon present an evening of pops and light classics. Bring your family and a picnic to enjoy the outdoor concert on the Great Lawn as the sun sets atop Iron Mountain. Preordered boxed picnic selections are available in advance from the Blue Palmetto Café at an additional cost.  Food and refreshments also will be available for sale at the Hilltop Café. The Gift Shop and Visitor Center will remain open until after the concert. Event ticket includes all-day admission to the Gardens.  Get Sunset & Symphony tickets here.  Learn more about Bok Tower Gardens here.

Sunday, November 7th, Lakeland: Join Florida Dance Theatre for “Dancin with the Big Band” at Florida Southern College’s Branscomb Auditorium at 2:00 p.m. The exciting and dynamic professional dancers will be accompanied by the wonderful Big Band sounds of ‘Rob Arnold and the Continentals.” Don’t miss this exhilarating music and dance experience that’s fun for the whole family!  Tickets are available at the door or call Florida Dance Theatre (863) 802-0399.  Adult tickets are $12.50 / Student, Senior, and Children are $10.

It all starts Saturday, September 18 at 11:00am, and besides the great entertainment (that I’ll be telling you about below), the first 500 school age children through the door will receive a free bag of art supplies!

So what can you do or see at Family Day? How about performances by Didgeridoo Down Under, magician Luis Campaneria, Tampa Taiko Japanese drumming, and the Kuumba Dancers & Drummers? You can also find balloon bending, face painting, a community sculpture project, a global stick game, portrait sketches, a bake sale, and tables about countries from all over the world. For art activities, you can try your hand at paper African masks, origami lanterns, Japanese kimono dolls and carp kites, Moroccan good luck hands, Australian didgeridoos, and Chinese good luck door hangers.

The event runs 11:00am – 3:00pm on September 18. You won’t want to miss it!

This year’s Family Day features a “Going Green” theme. Activities and entertainment will feature a variety of eco-friendly ways to be artistic and creative, including the chance to participate in the construction of a large sculpture made from recycled materials. A diverse entertainment schedule will include Tampa Taiko, Japanese drummers whose instruments are made from recycled wine barrels; didgeridoos made from old PVC pipes by Didgeridoo Down Under; a recycled magic show by Luis Campaneria; and more.

The event takes place from 11am – 3pm, and art supplies will be given away while supplies last.

Family Day part of the Diversity Partnership Multicultural Week and is sponsored by: MIDFLORIDA,  The George W. Jenkins Fund though the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, BCI Engineers & Scientists, Mosaic, The AT&T Real Yellow Pages, Friends of the Lakeland Public Library, Kohl’s, Pepperidge Farm, and Party People Celebration Company.

Polk Museum of Art

As a special pre-event celebration, on Friday night, May 8, the Museum hosts the Mayfaire Kick-Off Party. The party is fro 5:30 – 7:30pm and is held on the lawn of the Lakeland Public Library on Lake Morton. Some of the artists are open for early viewing, and visitors can check that part out free of charge. But the happening place to be is at the party, which will include an open bar, entertainment, and great hors d’oeuvres by Texas Cattle Company. Tickets to the party are $20 for Museum members, $30 for Non-Members, or $35 at the door.

The main event begins on Saturday at 10am. All of the artists and food vendors will be open and ready for business! As always, a wide variety of artists will have their work on display — from painters to jewelers to ceramicists to wood workers. Everyone can find something they like!

If you’ve ever been to Mayfaire before, you know that finding parking can be a trick. To make it easier, we recommend parking behind the library at Florida Southern college right off MacDonald. PMoA is providing a free shuttle between the parking lot and Palmetto Street. Just hop aboard and you’ll be whisked down to the festival, and then when you’re done, you can catch a ride back to the parking lot.

One of the big changes this year is that the Children’s Art Tent has been moved to the Museum’s parking lot and is now part of a larger Kids Zone. As always, there will be fun, FREE art activities to engage the young ones, but this year there will also be bounce houses and a climbing wall. The bounce houses and climbing wall will involve a small fee.

On Saturday night, the fun moves over to Lake Mirror for Mayfaire Saturday Night/Festival of Arts & Athletes. Entertainment starts at 5:00pm with Quittin’ Time. At 7:00pm, Lakeland Runners Club will start the annual Mayfaire Classic 5k. Then at 9:00pm, you can enjoy a great fireworks display. Music continues until 11:00pm with The Ditchflowers. Admission to this event is free, so feel free to bring your picnic and chairs. If you’d rather have someone else make the food, vendors will be on hand.

MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake continues on Sunday until 5:00pm. The show award winners will be announced at 2:00pm from the stage at the Lakeland Public Library lawn.

We hope you can join us for this Lakeland tradition! Wear your sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses, and come out to celebrate the arts.