June’s Art Salon: A Master Caribbean Artists Sampling

Last Saturday evening, June 30, members and guests of Venetian Arts Society (VAS) met for our June Art Salon: “Caribbean Visions” at a new and exciting venue with masterful and fascinating artists surrounded and adored by a most eclectic, sophisticated, and appreciative audience…I, personally, was overwhelmed with pride and emotion watching my vision for VAS come to life, once again, so beautifully. The core definition of “Art Salon” is from Homer’s definition of poetry…”to please and to educate…” and VAS is living up to that…but, also, much, much, more!!

June is National Caribbean History Month and VAS took the opportunity to feature a small, but diverse, sampling of master Caribbean artists in our intimate and interactive 21st century Salon setting at the amazingly versatile ArtServe Center. Our Salon featured two riveting Jamaican artists Sonia Lewis and Vaughan Tucker (http://www.facebook.com/vaughn.tucker.5), the brilliant Jamaican documentarian/photojournalist David Muir (Pieces of Jamaica), and the iconic Cuban artist, Hector Cata (www.EssentialArtGallery.com).

It is, both, a daunting undertaking and, virtually, and impossibility to attempt to explain a culture and a part of the world as all-encompassing as the Caribbean… but, we at VAS are not afraid of a challenge, especially when the soul of the Caribbean lives and blossoms all around us. The Caribbean culture and area of the world truly combine as one of THE great melting pots of civilization on our planet and the recipe has created not only a brilliant, soulful, and generous-of-spirit people, but a people that can only be described as truly beautiful…in word, deed, action and person! This particular Art Salon gave us only a sampling…a taste, but oh, how delicious!  Speaking of delicious… I want to thank Mario’s Catalina Restaurant/Fine Cuban Cuisine (www.catalinarestaurant) located at 1611 N. Federal Highway and The Jerk Machine/Great Jamaican Cuisine located at 111 NW 2nd St., both in Fort Lauderdale, for so graciously and generously supplying the sumptuous platters of hors d’oeuvres to complete our Caribbean experience.

By the way, I am certain that Gertrude Stein, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, and the gang, would have been proud and honored to have such a captivating and brilliant group of artists and salonistas as part of their Parisian Salon…something tells me they were all there with us in spirit last Saturday evening!

Through an act of providence, VAS has now become a member of ArtServe at 1350 East Sunrise Bouldevard in Fort Lauderdale 33304…and we could not be more thrilled! VAS offers an extremely eclectic combination of various types of events, exhibits, concerts, Grand Salon, etc…but the “heart” of VAS is our monthly Art Salon, for and about artists and arts-enthusiasts and the inspired and diversely appropriate atmosphere of ArtServe is a perfect fit for the character of our organization! Thank you to the Gods for bringing us here…oh yes, and thank you, too,  ArtServe, for welcoming us!

All of you, artists and guests… individually and collectively, deserve a riotous ovation!

All my best,

Willie

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