2005 Poster:
"Coral Gables" by Lisa Morris | Join
us in welcoming Spring and for an exciting, entertaining and educational weekend
under the banyans at George Merrick Park for the sixth annual Art in the Tropics
presented by the Cultural Development
Group. Art in the Tropics is
a direct descendant of the Coral Gables Art Show. My father, Mel Morris was the
chairman of the show for many years during its growth and pre-eminence in the
community. A time long before the plethora of Art Festivals existing today, that
bring artists from around the world to the South Florida Community. Then the artists
were all local and they displayed their works anyway they could (such as clotheslines).
The Coral Gables Art Show along with the shows in the Grove and at the Lowe started
it all. With local artists being showcased annually for residents and tourists
alike to admire, interact and purchase their works. No musical acts, no food vendors
- just good old fashioned quality artwork from professional and semi-professional
artists from our community. Following in the tradition of the Coral Gables Art
Show, Art in the Tropics presents emerging and established fine art and craft
artists from Miami-Dade and Broward along with selected artists from around Florida.
In addition, through our association with The Merrick Festival and the City of
Coral Gables we will be showcasing artists from the Coral Gables Sister Cities
of Aix-en-Provence France and Cartagena Colombia. I founded the Cultural Development
Group nearly 20 years ago with my wife, Anna and a group of dedicated supporters
of the South Florida Arts community. Art in the Tropics was a passionate idea
that I have had for a very long time, to showcase the often overlooked local Artist
community, by featuring and showcasing Fine Arts and Craft artists from our own
community. It came to life in 1998 when Sally Baumgartner, the founder of the
Merrick Festival, wanted to expand the festival from solely a performing arts
event into one that included the Visual Arts. The now partnered festivals offer
a sampling of many different art forms - Theatre, Dance, Music, Buskers, Culinary
Artists and Fine and Craft Artists. Nearly 100 diverse Visual Artists were selected
from our committee of artists - Humberto & Lissette Benitez, Bodo, Margarita
Vidal, Daniel Garcia, Antonia Gerstacker, Federico Carosio and Robin Morris. All
participating once more at Art in the Tropics.
2004 Poster:
"Coral Gables City Hall" by Colette Raker |
In addition to the Artists you can explore your own creative side at
the Do-It-Yourself Area. Here artists of all ages can create their own memento
of an enchanting weekend with the Coral Gables City Hall as a backdrop and the
sounds of the Performing Arts Showcase and the smells of Taste the Gables completing
the experience (and don’t forget those imaginative Buskers). All proceeds
from the Do-It-Yourself Area benefit our outreach programs- The Open Art Studio
and The Disadvantaged Children and the Arts Program. Please join us at Coral
Gables City Hall and George Merrick Park, April 7, 8 & 9, 2006 11 AM to 6
PM. The Cultural Development Group
The Cultural
Development Group was founded to provide direction and support in order to develop
South Florida as a world-class Arts Community; to establish an alternative to
the existing funding sources available through the creation of a bartered resources
pool; to create programming for the public to increase their interaction with,
and awareness of the Arts through entertainment, exposure, enrichment and education;
to nurture an environment where local artists can establish a strong foothold
in their own community; to provide sponsorship to members of services, consultation,
facilities, promotion and/or funding; to help educate our members in their own
discipline and the business of art; to identify and provide networking opportunities
not only locally, but nationally and internationally.
2003 Poster:
"Dance" by Chantele Philipon | We
need your support!
The Cultural Development Group’s board of
directors is dedicated to advancing the arts and artists of Miami- Dade County.
This program is a part of their commitment to the community as a whole. To be
able to provide arts interaction for children outside the loop, is a very important
and gratifying aspect of the essence of CDG. Our members all believe in the need
to expand the scope and visibility of arts in our community, at all levels. Volunteers
as well as financial support are always needed and greatly appreciated. If you
would like to help or would like to learn more, please feel free to contact our
office at 305/448-2021. Disadvantaged Children and the
Arts
Creativity in any form is an expression of emotion. To assist
and allow a child to express their feelings in a safe, peaceful and magical way
is a benefit to society. For a young one to learn that there are ways to tell
the world how you feel without the destructive methods that make headlines every
day is a major goal of this project. Through the arts, we hope to enliven and
educate the targeted children of our community that have been shunted to the side
of society, due to their illness, disability, environmental conditions, loss of
parental guidance and many such complications of life. Most organizations that
provide shelter for these children do not have the manpower, expertise or budgets
to allow them to provide adequate activities. This project is designed to supplement
current programs and provide the needed tools to help do them. The Arts is a very
powerful force for establishing both a person’s individual identity through
self-awareness and self-esteem, but also aids in a cohesive society and cultural
identity, thus enabling people to work together for a common goal. The program
is striving to bring the arts into their lives to help develop a more well-rounded
person, and thus an individual better able to grasp the concept of community,
cooperation, culture and self, not only oneself, but self as a part of the whole.
There are programs related to the arts at private schools and in the public school
system, both during and in after school programs. But these programs are not available
to children who are part of alternative facilities, such as our participant organizations
run. These organizations have limited resources and expertise to provide adequate
arts involvement. The Arts are a vital element in our life. Reports continue to
be issued discussing the importance of the Arts in the education and development
of a strong, independent, successful adult. The Cultural Development Group (CDG)
looks to provide Arts to the selected population of disadvantaged children for
this very reason. The program exists to help bring a sense of accomplishment and
self-worth into the lives of the children, who due to circumstances beyond their
control have been living lives with a piece of the magic missing.
The Open Art Studio
Creating art contributes to a sense of well being
and promotes the healing process. Working with others stimulates exploration,
self expression, collaboration and supports the healing process. Although open
to anyone, the project’s focus is primarily on those adults in the grieving
and/or recovering process from a physical or emotional loss, addiction or illness.
“Psychologically appropriate art substantially affects positively such patient
outcomes as high blood pressure, anxiety, intake of pain medication and length
of hospital stay.” - Journal of the American Medical Association ‘The
Arts of Healing’, May 1999. Proven projects are Ceiling Tiles, Mobiles,
Multiple Canvas Paintings, and Wall Murals. Research has shown that natural scenery
is therapeutic for people under stress. Butterflies on ceiling tiles and walls
are universally understood and conjure images of hope, metamorphosis and nature.
Animals are friendly and tender. Aquatic scenes are relaxing and peaceful. The
Art projects are pre-prepared and color-coded for ease in instruction and supervision,
but with enough interaction to establish a satisfying creative process. The painting
process is supervised by Cultural Development Group (CDG) member artists, who
prepare the designs, transfer them to the painting surface, prepare the paints,
retouch the completed work and coordinate participation. The work is designed
so that each person has their own section to paint. Larger projects that require
assembly into a larger mural are completed by the Instructor. The completed project
will be donated by CDG to local care facilities to provide comfort, to bring joy
and to offer colorful surroundings to the patients. Murals can transform a blank,
depressing wall or place into a world of hope. No artistic experience is necessary,
everyone participates - “all you need is a heart to make beautiful things
happen,.” as quoted from the Foundation for Hospital Art website. |
