July 22, 2008 — A cultural festival with art workshops, live music and more is coming Sunday to the Fort Frederik Museum, as the Society of Caribbean Artists (SOCA) presents its first "Artist Circle" Arts Fest.
The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the fort's newly renovated gallery space, and will include two free art workshops for children and adults, a musical performance, a panel discussion of artist dialogue, screening of an award-winning film and an exhibition of the works of SOCA members. Artists are invited to come and sketch the historic Fort Frederik site and create a work of art during the course of the program.
Parents are encouraged to bring their children to participate in two free workshops. Class size is limited, and enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The "Artist Circle" Arts Fest is the first in a series of cross-discipline presentations at Fort Frederik Museum by SOCA, founded in 2006 and based on St. Croix. SOCA's founders, Norma Krieger, Maud Pierre-Charles, Roy Lawaetz and Nii Ahene, are well-known professional artists who formed a core team spearheading the effort to build a successful visual-arts organization in the territory. SOCA's mission is to foster and promote the artistic expressions of the Caribbean visual artist and Caribbean aesthetics.
"The artist is one of the most important and valuable members of society," Krieger said. "SOCA would like to expose young people and the community to all forms of art, the creative process and encourage art as a vocation. It will be a day of cross-discipline creative exchange by well-known local artists who have come together and donated their time for this event."
One of the exhibitors, Lourdes Neugart, touts the health benefits of creative work.
"The benefits of art are enormous," Neugart said. "There are several studies that have shown how the practice of creating art through drawing, painting, sculpting, assemblage/collage, can have an impact on every cell in the body to create a healing internal environment that changes the immune system and aids in blood flow to all organs. It can instill hope, positive thinking and helps people cope with difficulties."
Artists showcased include Neugart, Phyllis Biddle, Danica David, Sue Snow, El'Roy Simmonds, Preston Doane, Pedra Chaffers, Ademola Olugebefola, Marjorie Robbins, Yemaha Jones, Avelino Samuels, Willard and Curliss John, Chouquette Giraud, and Judy Bain.
After Sunday's show, the artists' works will remain on exhibit through August 27. There will be a wine-and-cheese closing reception at 6 p.m. August 27.
For more information, see the SOCA website.
Here is Sunday's schedule of events at Fort Frederik:
— Music and sound by Jumbie Productions;
— Sketching: Create a work of art! Sketch Fort Frederik. Bring your own materials;
— SOCA Membership Exhibition: 11 a.m. to noon Sunday to August 27;
— Tours of Fort Frederik's permanent exhibitions by Fort Frederik Museum curators;
— Musical performance: Listen to the creative sounds of the drum and horn by Eddie Russell and Junie Bomba of the famous Quelbe/Latin Jazz Band;
— Watercolor workshop by artist and educator Phyllis Biddle. Total class size of 10, with both youth and adults. Watercolor paints and brushes will be provided. Bring pencils, paper and two sheets of watercolor paper from The Frame Up in Sion Farm Shopping Center. Bring cups, plastic, and water and a landscape image to work from with your watercolors. Instructor will demonstrate the painting of a landscape. Participants will learn to paint wet into wet on watercolor paper and when the paper dries they will be able to go in with dry brush and provide detail. You will play, and learn a lot,
1 to 2 p.m.:
— Film showing: "Vieques: An Island Forging Futures," by award-winning documentary filmmaker Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz. The documentary demonstrates part of the peaceful resistance movement against the bombing practices of the U.S. Navy in Vieques, a sister island of Puerto Rico;
— Demonstration of calypso and banjo culture by King Derby (total class size is 20, for ages 6 to 60). Derby teaches calypso and banjo culture to youth. King Derby has been consecutively crowned seven times as Calypso King on St. Croix and has won numerous other Calypso crowns throughout the Caribbean — 2 to 3 p.m.;
— Panel Discussion — artist creative exchange: "The Creative Process: How Does it Work?" Panelists include dancer and choreographer Monty Thompson, dancer and filmmaker Johanna Bermudez and filmmaker and sculptor Mike Walsh.
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