Florida Culture for the Week of July 9 by Josh Garrick

July 14 -- Wine Tasting Event
Wine lovers and ‘cheese foodies’ will sample fine wines and artisan cheeses during the Inaugural Garden Party Wine and Cheese Tasting set for July 14 from 6 to 7 pm in the Audubon Park Garden District. Hosted by wine expert Jeremy Byrd and cheese expert Carol Overstreet, the event takes place at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Timed to coincide with Orlando's Fourth Annual Bastille Day Festival, handpicked French wines, (along with their American counterparts), will be paired with cheeses, both French and American. Proceeds benefit the Audubon Park Garden District. Pre-sale tickets are $25. Tickets at the door are $35. The Emmanuel Episcopal Church is at 1603 East Winter Park Road in Orlando. Visit apgardens.com or call 407-590-8776.

July 14 to October 28 – Artist John Rocco at the Orlando Museum of Art

Artist and illustrator John Rocco, who created the covers for the best-selling Percy Jackson series, will be featured in an exhibit From Alice to Zeus: The Art of John Rocco. In 2010, 20th Century Fox released the movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on a book from this series. The exhibit will feature 60 drawings by Rocco, and will be on view through October 28. John Rocco will be at the opening on July 14 at noon for a presentation and book signing. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City, Rocco published his first children's illustrated book Alice in 1992. It is an interpretation of Alice in Wonderland as told by actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg.  The OMA is located in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park. Call 407 896 4231 or visit omart.org.

Cover image by John Rocco for The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) written by Rick Riordan, published by Disney Hyperion Books. 

July 17 and July 27 – Collagraphs at the Mennello Museum

As part of the Mennello Museum’s current exhibit – Imprints: 20 Years of Flying Horse Editions – the Museum is offering classes for both adults and children related to the printing press and the ever-evolving process of transferring ink to paper. Flying Horse Editions is a research studio committed to working with Artists who fuse traditional and innovative printmaking processes. The exhibit may be seen through August 12 with one of the Museum's galleries transformed into a print studio for the workshops. On Tuesday, July 17 (from 9 to 10:30 am) an adult workshop will be led by David Shapiro based on his 2007 print, Savasan 16. He will be joined by UCF Artists in Action Anna Cruz and Paul Finch to create sophisticated collagraphs with everyday materials. After the workshop, we’ll go home with prints that no one would suspect were made from gauze, hemp, tulle and feathers. And while we create, the Museum invites us to enjoy coffee and pastries. Reservations are required and the cost is $12 per person. Then – on July 21 from 11 am to 1 pm, a Saturday Workshop for Kids and Families will teach kids and families how to use printmaking techniques to create a print that advertises the fun things there are to do where we live. $5 per child, with no charge for accompanying adult. Call 407.246.4278 or visit mennellomuseum.com

July 19 – Marcos Cruz and Roberto Gonzalez – Sculptures and Paintings

Hard to imagine that we are already talking about the Third Thursday of JULY, but we are!  Third Thursdays are the day on which all the galleries – and spaces that exhibit ART – in Downtown Orlando hold their monthly Openings.  It’s one big, friendly “Gallery Crawl” with free wine. Each month I highlight an exhibit that is “not-to-be-missed,” and this month it is a duo-exhibit of the sculptures of Marcos Cruz and the paintings of Roberto Gonzalez.  The Opening Reception is THURSDAY July 19 from 6 to 9 pm, and the exhibit will be on display through September 14.  Cruz, director of design for the Culinary Team USA for the World Cup in 2010 and the 2012 Olympics in Europe, has work that keeps getting bigger and more wonderful leading to a diversity of perceptions as you walk around the work. Roberto Gonzalez is a native of Mexico City and shares his rich heritage and passion for life through the vibrant colors and unusual movement of his canvases. The exhibit will be held at the Gallery at Avalon Island at 39 S. Magnolia Ave in downtown Orlando. Call 407-312-0708 or visit GalleryatAvalonIsland.com

Marco Cruz - untitled

Roberto Gonzalez - the Lake

Now through August 3 -- Free Family Tours at the Morse Museum

The Morse Museum in Winter Park, the largest collection of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany (in the world),  invites families to continue the Museum’s celebration of its new Tiffany wing through two FREE summer programs designed for elementary-school-age children. Family Tours – 45-minute guided tours of the Museum are held on Tuesdays: July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The program includes a take-home art activity with the supplies to make a Japanese sword guard like the ones Tiffany collected.  Friday Family Films include a short film, gallery tour, and art activity on Fridays July 13 and 27, and August 3. (90 minutes). Children must be accompanied by a parent. A $5 refundable deposit per child is requested when securing a reservation for either program. Call 407.645.5311x136 or visit morsemuseum.org

Open call to Artists – Deadline: August 1

The 20th WORLD Bromeliad Conference, hosted by the Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies, will be held in Orlando from September 24 to 30. This world-class event includes sales, a Rare Plant Auction, seminars, tours, and an opportunity to meet bromeliad collectors and growers from all over the world. To celebrate the conference, the Society will present an exhibit of bromeliad related ART to be held at the Caribe Royale Hotel. The art will be on display beside exceptional plants to be judged by specialists in the field of bromeliads.  Five cash awards will be presented, and Artists have until August 1 to submit their work. For conference information, visit fcbs.org. Artist applications may be obtained at tinyurl.com/BromeliadArt, or call Mary McBride at 386.736.3039

Darleen Hunt, watercolor

Urszula Dudek, oil, ‘Cryptanthus’

And Not-to-be-Missed through July 16 – “fragment(ed)” is a ‘fusion’ of dance, movement, spoken word, aerial acrobatics, and original music exploring the very adult world of love, sex and desire. With direction by John DiDonna and original music by Tod Kimbro, “fragment(ed)” will be performed through July 16 at the Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. Call 407.328.9005 or visit redchairproject.com

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators