What’s Going On Here?

On Saturday, May 30, 2015, Be Your Own Answer will partner with 9 creative professionals to bring a new type of experience to South Florida culture.

This official Broward 100 art exhibition happens as part of the 100-year celebration of Broward County, but this exhibition is different from others- it needs your presence. Why? The collaborators are taking the audience from “exhibition” to “experience”.

“Instead of our audience being disconnected observers, documenting bits and pieces with their phones, we invite them to dive into the event with things to touch, taste, see, smell and hear – during our ‘Here and Now,’ from 8 PM to 9 PM,” says Nerissa Street, curator. “Take a one-hour tech vacation.” RSVP here.

The artists’ goal is to create such a compelling experience of beauty, connection and presence that participants won’t feel the need to check their phones for texts, tweets, and Facebook posts. The group is creating ‘a six-sense experience’ – “not the spooky stuff in a M. Night Shyamalan movie,” explains Street. “It’s the connected, powerful feeling of each of us focusing on the same thing together.”

“Experts talk about it all the time,” Street explains. “When people get into a group, there is a new mind that is formed that is the sum of everyone else’s. It’s called group dynamics. At this event, we’re using the group dynamic to give a more powerful experience to everyone. That experience is how sacred and miraculous the Here and Now can actually be, when you are fully present and sharing that moment with others.”

Artist Lori Pratico is dedicating her portion of the event to Girl Noticed, a nationwide mural project designed to acknowledge an unnoticed, yet impactful woman in every state. Drawn in charcoal, each of her exquisite murals disappear over time, a reminder of the impermanent nature of things and the importance of seeing what’s here and now— the unnoticed brilliance right in front of us.

Flautist and composer Laura Sue, the Silver Nightingale, renowned for her angelic solo flute music, will also perform. She received the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for her over 20 years of hospice music work. Her performance will be one of many mini-shows during the “Here and Now” hour. Participants can also take part in an interactive activity called “Turn Your Situation into a Springboard.”

Through visual art, music, interior design and site-specific performance, The Sacred Here aims to be a playful, yet powerful event; it is the moment when our belief in the great potential of our community becomes reality. Presenters and collaborators also include photographer and filmmaker Cathleen Dean, illustrator Maru, writer P.L. Como, teaching artist and DJ Rich Ejire, photographer Ayanna Muata, textile artist Laraia Dean, writer Tresa Chambers and choreographer Petagay Letren.

This official Broward 100 event is cohosted by Donnet Bruce of Nubian Oasis, and Jacqueline Romano, community activist. As part of the goal in engaging all of the audience’s senses, green sanctuary spaces will be featured throughout the building, created by Fortner’s Garden. The beverage sponsor is Jardesca, a new Sonoma-crafted aperitiva inspired by the vineyards and gardens of California – a feast for the senses in itself. The doors open at 7 PM, and guests are invited to enjoy the atmosphere up until 10 PM. There will also be a free trolley to the Downtown FAT Arts Village.

“Unlike other exhibitions, this isn’t about you wandering from one artist’s wall to another,” says Laraia Dean, another artist. “It’s a journey, like a story, with a beginning, middle and end. It begins as soon as you walk through the doors.”

The official Broward 100 event is part of 1310 Gallery’s 7th Annual May Arts Extravaganza. The event is free to enter, but donations to the collaborating organizations are accepted. Art, media and plants are available for purchase. The visual art will be in the gallery from May 16 until June 14.

EVENT INFORMATION:

THE SACRED HERE (and Miraculous Now)

at 1310 Gallery, Sailboat Bend Artist Lofts

1310 SW 2nd Court, Fort Lauderdale, 33312

Free parking on the street, and in adjacent lots

Event times:

Twitter tweetup: Tuesday, May 26 from 8 PM to 9 PM

Topic: What’s Going On: Here and Now?

Meet the Artists and Get Practical Insights on Living a Creative Life Now

#sacredhere #beyourownanswer

Opening: Saturday, May 30, 2015, 7 PM – 10 PM

Six sense experience with performances from 8 PM to 9 PM

FAT Art Village Trolley stops from 7 PM to 9:30 PM

Workshop: Saturday, June 6, 2015, 10 AM to 1 PM

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