Florida Culture for the Week of July 23 by Josh Garrick

Now through August 5 – The 6th Annual Target Family Theatre Festival

The Orlando Repertory Theatre (the REP) will partner with Target to present the 6th Annual Target Family Theatre Festival to be held July 28 & 29 in Loch Haven Park from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 2 pm on Sunday. The Festival features face painting, puppets, masks, the Orlando Philharmonic’s ‘instrument petting zoo,’ balloon artists, games, sample classes, a costume-dress-up station, strolling actors, and backstage tours. The Party is FREE. On additional dates performances by Grammy-nominated Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could; Mr. Richard and the Pound Hounds; Pirate School!; and Nels Ross will take place for FREE. Katie Couric’s The Brand New Kid and the Youth Academy production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair will be offered at $10 and $15 respectively. All shows take place at the Orlando Repertory Theatre at 1001 East Princeton Street in Loch Haven Park in Orlando. Call 407.896.7365 for tickets, dates, and times.

Now through August 5 – Enzian Kidfest Means Free Family Films

Movie lovers of all ages may enjoy an exceptional selection of family-friendly movies ranging from silent comedy classics to popular favorites at Enzian’s annual Kidfest Summer Movies Series.  With movies as varied as Steven Spielberg’s 1980’s classic GOONIES to Robert Zemeckis's trail-blazing fusion of animation and live-action in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the screenings are FREE on weekdays and $5 on weekends.  The schedule, sponsored by Disney World, continues through August 5 at the Enzian at 1300 South Orlando Avenue in Maitland. Call 407.629.1088 x302 or visit Enzian.org

July 27 to November 25 – Mad Science at Museum of Florida Art

There are several ‘Openings’ this Friday (July 27) at the Museum of Florida Art in Deland including the paintings of Purvis Young, a series of photographs by Barbara Neijna, and the most interesting of the lot (upstairs) in works by KYLE and Jim Jipson that the two Artists are calling Mad Science. KYLE’s work is drawn from the news of natural disasters and catastrophes, using broken toys and other ‘found objects’ as potential explanations for the destruction. Familiar to the Central Florida art scene for years, KYLE has included a large new painting that is nothing short of a masterpiece, and that painting alone is worth the trip to Deland. Jim Jipson's art offers metaphors for how we think, feel and experience life with the ‘Mad Scientist’ showing up in three amazing boxes that project beautiful moving images in ways that most of us will never understand, so its best to simply enjoy the trail of images he has created. MOFA is located at 600 North Woodland Blvd in DeLand. Call 386.734.4371 or visit museumoffloridaart.org

Current by Kyle

by Jim Jipson

July 27 to August 23 -- Artist Anne-Marie Colwell in Sanford

Sanford’s ever evolving Gallery Walk – held on the 4th Friday of each month – will feature Artist Anne-Marie Colwell with an opening reception for her show Her Mind was Elsewhere on Friday, July 27 from 6 to 9 pm. The solo exhibit features a selection of paintings on masa paper, a type of Japanese paper suited for water-based media. Colwell typically crinkles, paints on, and ‘sculpts’ the paper – according to her mood. Also on display in her studio will be collages with masa paper, acrylic works on canvas, and oil crayon works on paper. The exhibit takes place at Gallery on First at 211 East First Street in Sanford. Visit galleryonfirst.com or call 407-323-2774

The Wild Edge of Willpower, masa paper collage on canvas, 36x60

July 27 -- BIG BILL MORGANFIELD Live at McWells

Muddy Waters ‘baby boy’ and W.C. Handy Award Winner for Best New Blues Artist Big Bill Morganfield will perform LIVE on Friday, July 27 with the Shaun Rounds Band at McWells in Downtown Orlando. While many men try to fill their father's shoes, few prove themselves in front of an audience as large as the one that watches Big Bill Morganfield. The death of Muddy Waters in 1983 left a gaping hole on the blues scene and a grief-stricken son who retreated into his private world to decide how to pay homage to his famous father. Morganfield spent years studying traditional blues songs written from the 1930's to the 1950's. Morganfield's debut album, Rising Son, was released in 1999 to popular and critical acclaim, winning him the W.C. Handy Award. In 2009, Big Bill started his own record company, Black Shuck Records, which allows Bill to continue honoring his father while telling his own stories with original songs. McWells is at
4757 S. Orange Avenue in Orlando. Visit mcwellsrestaurant.com

August 1 to 5 – The Miami SALSA Congress

Forget the Congress that sits in Washington DC, and let’s focus on the Miami Salsa Congress – now in it’s 11th year hosting over 5,000 fans from across the U.S. and abroad – all traveling for the Miami Experience. The Salsa Congress is a unique compilation of leading artists presented in 5 days of live concerts, dance showcases, workshops, dance parties, pool-parties, and evening galas. The Congress takes over the historic Deauville Beach Resort from August 1 to 5 with The Official Miami Salsa Congress Kick-Off Party on Thursday night with a ‘gathering’ of DJs. Then the workshops begin, including everything from Cuban Rumba and body movement, to ladies styling, to shines, lifts, dips and tricks with more than 30 dance classes to choose from. Even first-timers can jump into the FREE beginner Salsa dance ‘boot-camp’ and get caught up with the moves. Visit miamisalsacongress.com

August 3 to 26 – Mad Cow Theatre Times Two

The Mad Cow Theatre in Downtown Orlando invites us to leave the heat of August and step inside their intimate theaters for two very different plays, BOTH of which open on August 3 and run through August 26. The first is the American classic Twelve Angry Men set on an August night in New York City as a jury files into the deliberation room to decide the fate of a young man accused of killing his father. The men must face themselves, their biases, and their sense of justice knowing the life or death of the young man hangs in the balance.

The second is Billy Bishop Goes to War about an unlikely hero (the worst student in the Royal Military College) who goes on to become the most decorated officer of the Royal Canadian Flying Corps in World War I. Both funny and poignant, the play tells of high-flying escapades and the front lines of battle. This two-man show features a piano player who accompanies Billy as he regales the audience with tales of war while introducing us to the characters he met along the way. Mad Cow Theatre is at 105 South Magnolia Avenue in Orlando. Call 407.297.8788 x12 or visit madcowtheatre.com.

August 4 through October 28 -- Jimm Roberts Photography Exhibition

For more than 30 years, Orlando-based photographer Jimm Roberts captured Florida's most accomplished personalities in portraiture. The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) will share a collection of Roberts' portraits in the exhibit Southernmost Art and Literary Portraits: Fifty Internationally Noted Artists and Writers in Florida by Jimm Roberts on view through October 28. Roberts traveled throughout Florida to meet, photograph and interview prominent artists living in the state. Among the notable artists and authors featured in the exhibit are Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Annie Dillard, and Alison Lurie. Related OMA events include a Gallery Talk by Jimm Roberts on August 15 and a book signing by James Rosenquist on September 22. The OMA is located in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park at 2416 North Mills Avenue. Call 407 896 4231 or visit omart.org

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators