Cultural Alliance Members Are Winning Big in Literature
Scream congratulations with us to Alliance editor of St. Lucie Arts Magazine and contributing writer Dorothy Kamm, first-place winner in the Free Verse category for her poem “Satori” in the Florida State National League of American Pen Women Letters Competition. READ THE POEM
Applause go to Jane Baldridge and Barbara Lyons for being featured in the recently released And Then The Pandemic Hit…COVID Chronicles. And Barbara’s artwork made the cover.
More about Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
Ripped from the pages of the newest issue of Art St. Lucie Fall 21 | Winter 22 Issue. Learn about the fantastic Alliance Partner, Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens.
Heathcote Botanical Gardens
Long before Heathcote Botanical Gardens became the garden that it is today, it was a plant nursery called Heathcote Nurseries, Inc., owned by Jim and Mollie Crimmins. According to Carol Herzog, Mollie and Jim’s daughter, and the Garden’s archives, Mollie Bunting Crimmins was a native of Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania…
Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
History tells us that sometime around March of 1513, Ponce De Leon arrived on the coast of Florida. Smitten by the abundance of plants, flowers, and colors, the explorer christened the land L…
Manatee Observation and Education Center
The Manatee Observation and Education Center has been combining arts with the environment for over 25 years, starting in the nineties with “manatees on parade,” a special competition led by Main Street Fort Pierce where artists designed life-sized…
Treasure Coast International Film Festival
The Treasure Coast International Film Festival, also known as TCIFF, has been dedicated to the promotion of independent and foreign films as an artform and to bring films of artistic and cultural importance to our community. Founded in 2007, TCIFF was…
St. Lucie County Rock and Gem Club
St. Lucie County Rock and Gem Club has celebrated lapidary sciences and jewelry arts since 1978. Beginning with only 45 rockhounds attending monthly meetings at the Ft. Pierce Municipal Power Plant, the Club has…
Fort Pierce Art Club
There is rarely a dull moment with the Fort Pierce Art Club, Inc. The membership includes professional and emerging artists from various walks of life: school teachers, a video artist, retired St. Lucie County art teachers, a retired Indian River State College professor, graphic artists, professional framers, a fashion designer, professional ceramic artists, journalists, a landscape architect, and a retired police officer. In a…
The Inner Truth Project
“What if you could take the clay and make something that represented safety?” This was the therapist’s directive to me in my first art therapy session. I was angry and confused and feeling overwhelmed by my lack of artistic ability… Today, The Inner Truth Project provides survivors of sexual abuse, rape, incest, and sex trafficking the same safe space…
Meet Rebecca Miller, Chair of St. Lucie Cultural Alliance!
Rebecca Miller, who is President and founder of Miller Permitting & Land Development, is one of the driving forces behind the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance. She became attuned to art and culture growing up in South India, where her parents were missionaries. They also traveled extensively: by the time she was 12 years old she had traveled around the world…
On vacation in Fort Pierce in 2005, Stan and Jean Synkoski were contemplating their return home to Frederick, Maryland when they realized they were home. One year later, they resettled on Hutchinson Island, setting down roots in what they consider…
Environmental education and art are perfectly partnered at Oxbow Eco-Center. Erin Cartmill, Education & Outreach Manager, reinforces environmental learning and awareness through a variety of art projects designed to get people to re-think and repurpose common items, from soda bottles to potato chip bags to tires, turning what often is considered trash…
Business partners Kai Vincente and Allen A. Kavanaugh were walking around downtown Fort Pierce seeking a location for their real estate company’s new office. Being art lovers, they wandered into the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance’s gallery at 111 Orange Avenue and met Executive Director Alyona Ushe. Recognizing that newly occupied…
Water has been part of Jane Lawton Baldridge’s life since infancy, when her mother took her in her bassinet, placing it beneath her seat when she went boating. Growing up on the coast of Texas, Jane sailed and raced from an early age, ultimately winning a gold medal in 1976 for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship race sponsored by U.S. Sailing. (Jane points out that…)
Debby Coles-Dobay is a public art consultant who served the Boynton Beach Art in Public Places program for 13 years. In her position, she recognized the potential for featuring kinetic art in the city as a unique draw, one that she and the community embraced. “As a public art manager, you want to deliver artwork that’s going to connect with people. Not every…”
As a child Rachel Tennant, Manager of Manatee Observation and Education Center in Fort Pierce spent her free time exploring the outdoors. Growing up in Hollywood, Florida, she saw trees cut down and land cleared for development and she wondered where the animals would go….”
Tom Prestopnik always drew. In third grade he was considered the best in his class. In fact, Tom’s friends would pay him 10 cents for his cartoon drawings, which were based on the Joe Palooka comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion. “I would fold them in a certain way so that my drawings would stand up on the school desks of my classmates…”
Helia Mondou
For almost 20 years, Helia has specialized in belly dance. Prior to that her career was in theater. She is a certified drama teacher and actress. From 1987 through 2002 she transformed a theatrical school into a thriving nonprofit, more than doubling the number of registered students. “Although I was a successful…”
Dr. Douglas P. Jewett
All of us walk around with songs in our heads and our hearts. Some of us have a desire – if not a need – to manifest these songs out loud with our voices. Having a place for people to sing was the driving force behind the establishment of…
The Original Highwaywomen
It was a tragedy and a bus ride that brought Doretha Hair Truesdell from West Virginia to Fort Pierce. Doretha, who was 16 years old, had recently graduated high school when her father killed her mother in June 1959. She and her siblings came to Fort Pierce to join an older sister and an aunt, who took in the family.
It is with great honor that we feature Terry Long in this week’s Spotlight. Over the last few months, Terry curated a growing number of exceptional exhibitions at the Alliance. Her enormous creativity, talent, and dedication to the arts have made the Alliance much stronger and our artists’ work shine even more! – Alyona Ushe, Executive Director
An infinite debt of gratitude goes to this week’s Spotlight Artist, Dorothy Kamm, for her invaluable contribution to the “Member Spotlight” series and Art St. Lucie Magazine’s inaugural issue. Neither one would be possible without her creativity, passion, and love for the arts. – Alyona Ushe, Executive Dir.
John Hayes has been organizing a museum-quality exhibition of outdoor sculpture in Florida since 1990 and in the United States since 1980. He is particularly interested in following the aspirations of his late father, the American Modern Master David Hayes, by…
Raynelle Benjamin Chapman, also is known as Nfr Ra, is a self-taught artist and designer. Nrf Ra (which is pronounced Nefer Rah) is the signature she uses on her paintings and painted fashions. It was her husband, Dwayne, a teacher at Westwood High School, who gave her that name. Nfr Ra means beautiful energy in the Egyptian language and indeed, Raynelle…
Eat. Sleep. Film. Repeat.
The life of Samuel Vincent. Vincent fell in love with filmmaking at the age of 10 and hasn’t let his camera down since. His passion, he explained, comes from his fondness for storytelling. Decades later, Vincent has produced more than four independent films, written and directed over 30 movies and…
Brian Taylor, better known as Bezo, is a multi-talented artist. His paintings and drawings range from the small-scale intimacy of a tattoo to large stand-out murals. Brilliant color and bold form define his style. It was as a teenager in Baltimore that his creativity and artistic abilities were recognized and encouraged. While in his twenties he worked in computer graphics for…
Amanda Smith is not a typical portrait photographer looking to capture static poses. She prefers working with artists, especially dancers and musicians, where a rapport of creative synergy results in outstanding portraits that truly are artistic compositions. “I strive to capture emotion in motion,” says Amanda. “There is a cinematic quality to my photos, but the most important…”
Creating a craft beer has much in common with creating artwork. Both require experimentation to concoct the perfect finished product, one that resonates with customers. David BuShea, president of Sailfish Brewery and a Board member of the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance, lends his business expertise to the Alliance while supporting…
Lisa Jill Allison creates paintings that defy categorization, which is exactly what she intends. After applying acrylic paint straight from the tube, she uses brushes, rollers, a palette knife, and her hands to manipulate the paint. It’s a very tactile process that results in works of art that are colorful and energetic, loose and lively. While visually…
Treasure Coast Ballet is a non-profit organization that was started to promote the art of dance to all. Founded in 2004 and located in Port Saint Lucie, the mission is to bring culture and the fine art of dance to the community. Lydia Oquendo alongside husband Rogelio Corrales, also owners of St. Lucie Ballet, both have many years of experience that they and fellow board members of Treasure Coast Ballet wish to share.
Anna Preston has been dancing almost her entire life. Highpoints of her career include having danced with a professional modern company that received the industry-acclaimed Bessie nomination and represented the state of Florida, with concert dance in France. She took her own company to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, when it was chosen to perform at the Festival for Modern Dance and was showcased in-residence across the state.
Think you have to travel to a big city or out of state to receive professional ballet instruction? Not since 2004 when Lydia Oquendo and Rogelio Corrales opened St. Lucie Ballet in Port St. Lucie. Prior to that, the couple had spent seven years with Minnesota Ballet and its dance school in Duluth. Rogelio was a principal dancer.
Maritza Diaz may be small in size but she’s large in personality. She’s been a professional dancer and dance teacher for 20 years, adding yoga to her routine 10 years ago. Not only did yoga enhance her flexibility and strength, but it also helped alleviate the high stress and anxiety levels many professional dancers encounter.
The A. E. Backus Museum & Gallery, now celebrating its 60th anniversary, has remained true to its original objective. Founded in 1960, the modest building, whose original design was inspired by the studio the artist Beanie Backus occupied in the 1940s and 50s, opened as the Fort Pierce Art Gallery.
Robbie Sheets and John Furlong believe in the power of membership. Both accomplished visual artists, now retired, they credit longevity and enjoyment of photography to sharing knowledge, experiences, and ideas with others who embrace the ever-evolving medium. One such vehicle is The Treasure Coast Photography Center… Continue reading
Ronni Reed has a vision for the local artist community that centers on collaboration. The contemporary jewelry artisan can see it, and advocates going on six years now – for St. Lucie County to become the cultural ‘hub’ that she knows it will be. “It’s about, ‘what will St. Lucie County be known for?'”
Art and community go hand-in-hand for Jeanne Johansen. The second-term President of The Fort Pierce Art Club, she has been involved in local arts organizations in the greater Fort Pierce area for 16 years – and this year – jumped in to serve as a member of the St. Lucie County Cultural Alliances Board of Directors. “Artists think of art as themselves,” said Johansen, of Fort Pierce, “….but you can share art and be a part of the whole community.”
Please help us welcome Janet Bird Fuller to the Alliance Family featuring her work in the Whirley Inc Gallery. Janet Bird Fuller’s artistry is showcased in her magnificent, eclectic collection of steampunk mixed media. “I truly believe that the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance is of vital importance–now more than ever,” said Janet.