|
Recognizing the great diversity and richness of Florida's history and culture in these"celebrations" — what better way to leap into this new millennium.
The new millennium has arrived. The hype is over, but around the state, cultural activities continue to mark this momentous change. Deeming it appropriate to take official stock of the events planned in its honor, the Florida Department of State recently initiated the Millennium Cultural Recognition Awards.
Ten projects were selected. Some are now memories; some are still in progress; a few are permanent treasures. All shared a desire to bridge historical and contemporary ideas, cultures, and events with hopes for the future. The diversity of these eclectic undertakings only begins to portray the abundance of creative energy at work in the state.
|
|
Capturing both the glitzy hoopla of millennium fever and 10,000 dreams to fill a time capsule, Shine On got it just right. Kiaralinda and Todd Ramquist enlisted 150 volunteers to help them wrap their Safety Harbor home in miles of gleaming silver mylar. Globes covered with silvery CDs, twinkling hubcaps, and whimsical robot constructions perfected the illusion. Lit by 40,000 blue lights, Shine On stopped traffic and drew visitors from miles around.
|
|
Symbolizing a fusion of art, science, and technology, the Corten steel sculpture Photon II will stand almost 20 feet tall and weigh 15 tons. When completed, this golden rectangle with a pierced surface resembling stellar constellations will hover above a lighted reflecting pool facing Sarasota Bay. The work is the sculptor Dennis Kowal's gift to his community. Named for energizing light particles, its magical beauty will only be enhanced by the dramatic light of sunset on the bay.
|
|
|
Tom Toyama dedicated Spirit of the Rain to the Everglades National Park founder, Ernest Coe, and conservation activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The Japanese-born vibraphonist set his multimedia work amidst the Everglades' delicately balanced habitat to emphasize his message of concern for its future. Filmed images, recorded sounds, and live interpretations by Toyama's Pacific-Asia Ensemble convey the voices and movements of the wildlife, water, winds, and flowing grasses as well as those of encroaching development. A two-sided drum, representing the heart of the Everglades, is brought to life by the power and drama of dancer-musicians
|
|
Visual artist Carlos Betancourt called upon ancient mysteries for the Sounds Symbols Project, an equinox event on Miami Beach. On March 19, he and assistants planted over 2,500 wooden dowels topped with sculpted Caribbean and African tribal shapes in the sand between 20th and 21st streets. As the sun moved across the sky, their shadows moved across the sand, and when the full moon rose, the vision was fulfilled. Like the ancient Miami Circle, the 300' by 125' configuration formed a powerful presence enhanced by the sounds of drumming and the voices of poets Richard Blanco and Campbell McGrath.
|
|
 |
|
To Learn More:
"Shine On" lives on at www.kiaralinda.com/ShineOn/
Photon II, scheduled for installation in conjunction with G-Wiz Science Center, Sarasota Bay, late 2000. Contact: Dennis Kowal at (941) 366-1066.
"Spirit of the Rain," available through 2002 through the Department of State's State Touring Program. Contact: Tom Toyama (954) 927-8417 or Robert M. Gewald Management, Inc. (212) 753-0450.
Loxahatchee River Series, on view in December 2000 at the Cultural Courthouse in Stuart and in the Governor's Office in Tallahassee. Contact: Amy Koontz Knippel (561) 219-3723.
Sounds Symbols Project. Contact: Carlos Betancourt (305) 538-4821.
Festival 2000 has concluded. For ongoing programs at University of Florida, contact Center for Performing Arts, (800) 905-ARTS, Florida Museum of Natural History, (352) 846-2000, Harn Museum of Art (352) 392-9826, www.arts.ufl.edu/harn.
Immerse Yourself 2000-2001, events, dates, times, locations listed at www.sunny.org/millenium.
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, for exhibit information, call (727) 896-2667, or visit www.fine-arts.org.
A Kaleidoscopic View of the 20th Century can be seen and heard at www.angelfire.com/fl2/semorgan and will be on exhibit in the Supreme Court Building in Tallahassee during September and October 2000.
My Twentieth Century, published by Orchises Press, available in bookstores.
|
|
|
.
