The Studios of Key West is Growing, Planning, and Inviting Creative Ideas and New Partnerships from its base in the Historic Armory Building
The Studios of Key West has come a long way since establishing itself in June 2006 as the island's newest non-profit cultural organization. Thanks to strong board leadership, a new executive director and extremely dedicated staff, and generous grants and contributions, the past year has seen major growth. Following the redevelopment of the Historic Armory building, the opening of six subsidized artist studios on the second floor, the launch of a free humanities lecture series, and the completion of the first workshop season, the organization is now planning an ambitious slate of new projects, partnerships, and programming.
The public is invited to get a closer look at upcoming cultural activities during the next Walk on White gallery crawl. The doors open from 6 to 9pm on Thursday 16 August, and the evening will feature works by Barbara Vogel and Jim Racchi in the armory Sculpture Garden, delicious foods from Waterfront Market, and complimentary wine, and live music by Din Allen. Most of the twelve studios will be open, making the event a great way to meet the growing community of artists at The Studios of Key West.
"Our development is about creative people and energy," says board member John Martini, who is also a prominent Key West sculptor. "We have defined a mission of support for local artists and cultural development, installed a great professional team, and assembled a hard-working board of community leaders. We are all working for a positive impact on the culture and quality of life of Key West."
The Studios of Key West has been in development for several years, and became a tax-exempt charitable organization in June 2006. It is based on dynamic artist community models from around the world, but carries a distinct local mission. Its first year has seen the transformation of the Historic Armory building into a multi-use campus for diverse cultural programming and production. Activities thus far have included free humanities lectures, a season of creative courses taught by notable American artists, weekly life drawing sessions open to the general public, and the regular exhibition of new painting, sculpture, and mixed-media works.
In early August, six additional studio spaces were created, bringing the total number of dedicated artist spaces to twelve. Following a formal selection process, seven local creative people have joined the growing community. They include painter A.D. Tinkham, mixed-media artist and photographer Natasha Cole, painters Letty Nowak, Marc Caren, and Rebecca Bennett, writer Mark Hedden, and graphic designer Peter Downie.
“The coming season promises to bring all sorts of opportunities for the local community, including an expanded free lecture series, over 40 artist-led workshops, free weekend arts activities for Key West children, and the introduction of Key West’s first affordable art vending machine," explains new executive director Eric Holowacz, who took the helm in May. "I want The Studios of Key West to invite people to be creative in new ways, to not only discover our culture, but to actively produce it. And I want our young organization to forge mutual partnerships with other weavers of Key West’s creative fabric."
Holowacz, who relocated to Key West from Wellington, New Zealand in May, has already found inspiration in the work of island artists and organizations. There is so much going on, at every level of the community, that he likens the current state of the arts to a kind of renaissance. To further develop things, The Studios of Key West and partners Sculpture Key West and the Florida Keys Arts Council will begin holding regular after-work networking sessions for the island’s arts leaders and cultural organization directors. The first will be an informal gathering and information sharing opportunity from 4 to 6pm on Thursday 23 August. All local arts leaders are welcome to attend.
One Night Stand, a collaborative theatre project to be based at the Armory, takes over the campus on 10 and 11 August. The innovative idea will see four teams develop, rehearse, and present new short theatre works over the course of a single day. The public is invited to the One Night Stand reception and public presentations, which will also feature live music by Elilzabeth halbe, from 7pm on Saturday 11 August. Tickets will be available for $8 at the door.
The coming months will bring even more activity and excitement, with the first of many workshops and lectures beginning in October. Plans are also underway for the redevelopment of the tskw.org website, the publication and distribution of the official season catalogue, and the announcement of 2008 exhibitions, projects, and artist residencies.
"Any community, whether in a far corner of the South Pacific or the end of the American highway, will depend on the arts to express its culture. Creativity is an essential part of how we tell our story, how we interpret the world, and how we understand ourselves,” says Holowacz.
“That’s really the crux of our mission,” remarks Martini, “Our board and staff are dedicated to making new and exciting possibilities happen. And at the end of the day, we hope our island can call it a bit of a renaissance."
The Studios of Key West staff keeps an open door, and always welcomes new ideas, cultural projects, and creative possibilities. They can be reached at the The Studios of Key West offices in the Historic Armory, 600 White Street, or at 296-0458 or director@tskw.org.
