Saturday's ArtSlam to be Bigger Than Ever

BRADENTON – ArtSlam, a celebration of the arts featuring dozens of artists, musicians, performers, installation art, and interactive art experiences, returns to Old Main Street this Saturday from noon-10 p.m. In its 4th year, this will be the biggest ArtSlam yet and there are plenty of new events and exciting collaborators planned for 2014.

The Village Magazine will be bringing together 15 regional artists from St Petesburg, Sarasota, Bradenton and Anna Maria Island for a very special installation. They'll have over 100 ft of art hung in their outdoor Pop-Up gallery.

The gallery artists are Derek Donnelly, Auraelius Artist, Jameson Wilkins, Brandon Scott, Samantha Drexelius, Tracy Wheeler, Tony Corbitt Jr., Taylor Robenalt, Wilks Mammone, Emily Miller, Laura Spencer, George Retkes and Bonnie Ferran. Along the center back wall will be a 200 sq ft mural created by Bradenton artists John Suarez and Jennifer Glenfield.

There will also be live music from local musicians Erik Livingston, Sean McInerney & Danny Wampole from 12-4 p.m. Click here for a full event and gallery preview article.

Musical Highlights: ArtSlam 2014:

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Kristopher James: Acoustic Americana
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Kristopher James creates meaningful, original music with a folk/indie vibe and an acoustic sound that has been called reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, Amos Lee and Leonard Cohen.

1-2 p.m.: Michael Miller: Folk Americana
Singer/songwriter and front man for The Heart Machine, Michael Miller has been playing and performing his music for more than 20 years and brings a breath of fresh air to the original and local music scene in southwest Florida.

3:15-4:00 p.m.: Del Couch Music Education Foundation: Piano and violin act

4-5 p.m.: Becca and Dan Duo: Bluegrass
Area husband-and-wife Americana duo, blending bluegrass-inspired guitar, fiddle and vocal harmonies with a modern punk edge.

5-6:45 p.m.:  A Sunset Drum Circle led by Scott Blum

5:15-6:15 p.m.: Jun Bustamante: Conscious Indie Folk
Jun Bustamante is a composer, producer, and singer/songwriter whose music has been described as conscious indie folk with influences of jazz, hip-hop, and electronica. Her ability to convey a broad range of vocal expressions, eclectic instrumentations, and skillful use of lyrics, is empowering.

6:30-7:30 p.m.: The Northwest: Alternative Indie Rock
The Northwest is an alternative indie rock band from Florida. Its sound is composed of shearing/melodic guitar, driving bass lines, enveloping synth sounds, danceable drum beats, and baritone vocals.

7:45-8:45 p.m.: Seven Years Past: Florida Rock
The band members are passionate songwriters and serious about their craft. The musical influences of the band span many genres and, as a result, their sound contains many nuances of different styles, yet they remain identifiable as, Seven Years Past.

9-10 p.m.: The Wallies: American Rock
With their fusion of ‘60s surf rock and post-punk revival, The Wallies are quickly turning heads.  Their live shows have been described as raw, honest and energetic with the kind of no-frills performances that leave the audiences wanting more.

Art and Interactive Highlights of ArtSlam 2014

• Plastics Unwrapped: Jessica Schubick and other staff members and volunteers from the South Florida Museum will install a three-dimensional vignette on the museum’s west lawn, using up-cycled materials to create a Floridian ecosystem—complete with foliage, wildlife and an “underwater” scene.
• DraMature: Producing artistic director Rick Kerby and his team at the Manatee Performing Arts Center will hold improv sessions led by members of their senior acting troupe, DraMature. Performances at 2 p. m. and 4 p. m.
• American Watercolor Society’s 146th Traveling Exhibition: A juried exhibition of watercolors from artists throughout the world at ArtCenter Manatee. The ArtCenter is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The Human Canvas: Students from Southeast High School will create three full-body paintings modeled after renowned works of art. Children can custom order face paintings of objects or scenes from their favorite artworks.
• Spin Art: New College of Florida and IMG will provide an interactive public art piece uses centripetal force and paint to create unique take-home works of art. Participants of all ages are encouraged to drip and pour various colors onto paper using a spinning apparatus in order to create innumerable effects.
• Riverwalk Collage: Bayshore High School teachers and students will prepare two large canvases to be filled with images inspired by Bradenton’s Riverwalk by participants.
• Introspection: Ringling College of Art and Design students will work collaboratively to create a transparent container that will present altered live image content in a dimensional holographic treatment. Viewers will see themselves replicated as if in front of a mirror but with extensive alterations to the background and to their own image.
• Green Earth: Lakewood Ranch High School students raising "green" awareness through interactive sculptures using upcycled materials.
• SCF Student Portraiture: A live exhibition of portraiture by State College of Florida students.
• An Outdoor Gallery Event: Presented by TheVillageMagazine.net, artists from across the region come together showcasing the force of young creatives to create a traditional gallery in a non-traditional space.
• 3D Chalk Art: Presented by the Manatee School for the Arts, a 3-dimensional work of chalk art will be on display and available for interactive pictures.
• Experimental Video Projections: Led by Ringling College of Art and Design’s Dee Hood and Laura Avery will create a series of vibrantly colored, abstract videos to project after dark. Participants will learn about cutting-edge video that transforms space visually rather than physically.
• Get Your Hands Dirty: Sarasota Chalk Festival organizers use chalk as a medium and the pavement surface as the canvas for this creative project open to participants of all ages.
• All Points to Art: Staff members of the Manatee Art Education Administration will encourage festival goers to help create a large-scale mural using the pointillism technique, in which distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Tables will be set up for participants to paint the 32 pieces of the mural.
• Design Your Own Skateboard: Attendees are encouraged to hand paint their own cardboard cutout skateboard deck. Prizes donated by The Shop, a skate shop in downtown, will be given out each hour. Volunteers from the Manatee Young Professionals and BMO Harris Bank will assist attendees.
• Before I Die: This global art project, coordinated by Diana Shoemaker and Cindy Shore, invites participants of all ages to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in a public space. The community is invited to share their dreams in a unique way by completing the sentence "Before I Die..." in chalk on a large wall designed specifically for ArtSlam.
• Spaghetti the Clown will entertain people of all ages.
• Fuzion Dance Artists will be performing contemporary dance and providing educational information while collaborating with artists and the community to further enrich the ArtSlam experience.
• Puppet Power Project at Village of the Arts: Artists from the Village of the Arts and the Bradenton community will create oversized puppets of various sizes and mediums. These will be showcased in a “Puppet Procession” through the Village of the Arts at 2 p.m. There will be interactive puppet-making stations at galleries throughout the Village of the Arts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at least two puppet stages with puppet shows. The village is open until 8 p.m.
• The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path: A 30'x30' temporary labyrinth structure, created by Misha Rubenstein’s team, will be built out of low-ecological footprint materials, allowing participants to journey into their own creative minds, as they move within the labyrinth.
• Creative Caddy Canvas: The first-ever electrically powered Cadillac ELR luxury coupe will be turned into a work of art, thanks to Tropical Cadillac and tattoo artist Brandon Summers and his creative team. J.J. Henthorne, general manager of Tropical Cadillac, says, “We can’t wait to see how our new ELR eco-friendly coupe is visually transformed into a work of art!”
• Food Truck Wars: Experience the first ArtSlam Food Trucks Wars. Watch the trucks battle it out to mouthwatering proportions with a secret ingredient thrown in last minute! Wars begin at 2:30 p.m. Judging by celebrity judges at 3 p.m. on the south Main Street side.
• Meaningful Art: Shop for crafts at the Made Here pop-up gallery temporarily located at the corner of Manatee Ave. West and 13th Street West, next to The Shop skate shop. The Made Here group includes the area’s top crafters who will create an installation of recycled dictionary paper. Add to the installation while shopping for unique items.
• Edible Mosaic Mural: The MTI Culinary team creates a mosaic mural of painted food tiles to produce 100% edible artwork.

For a complete line-up of teams and locations, visit www.RealizeBradenton.com and click the ArtSlam link.