Skip to main content

Tag: Holmes Beach art

IGW says goodbye at Art Walk

IGW says goodbye at Art Walk

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOLMES BEACH – Monthly Art Walks always draw a crowd to Island Gallery West (IGW) and the Artists’ Guild Gallery of Anna Maria Island, as well as many surrounding businesses that participate in the event. The March 10 Art Walk was bittersweet for IGW, as it was the final day the gallery would be open before closing its doors after 33 years to move to downtown Bradenton.

It was the largest crowd to attend an Art Walk at IGW this season, as most of the 33 member artists gathered to say farewell to both locals and visitors who have visited the member-run co-op art gallery, some for decades. While IGW has issued no official statement on the exact reason for the move, conversations over the past few months have alluded to a rent increase and reduced visitation to the gallery due to ongoing road construction in the direct vicinity of IGW being reasons the move was necessary.

The farewell evening was not a sad event; it was very much the opposite, with most of the artists (none of whom resigned from the gallery because of the move) being excited about the future and more grateful for the past 33 years than sad.

“I’ll miss this place very much, but I’m excited to get in the new space,” member artist Charlotte Sorsen said. “We are going to have a lot more space and will be able to hold classes, demonstrations and a lot of things we just didn’t have the space for here at this location. In the end, it’s going to be a very good thing for all of us.”

IGW officials initially kept the new location a secret, but now say the new gallery will be located at 456 Old Main St. in Bradenton.

“We’re going to have so much room at this new location,” member artist Judy Goldman said. “We’ll have room for classes, a design studio, an open studio for artists that are learning to paint and even a painting with the pros studio. It will be a lot of things that will give back to the community. It’s kind of sad because we have so much of our heart invested here, but we’re growing; that’s just how progress goes.”

The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island is now the only remaining member-run artist co-op gallery on the Island and many members there said they are sad to see IGW leave, believing the two galleries helped each other by providing access to the arts for both locals and visitors alike.

“I’m sad they’re leaving, it’s nice to have more than one gallery because people come and shop then they walk around, so things will change a little bit,” Artists’ Guild member and former president Sharon Tarras said. “We have a meeting in the next few days and we’ll have to talk about restructuring the Art Walk now that we have lost IGW. Maybe make it more of a Holmes Beach shopping event. It’s not just the galleries involved, there are businesses here that participate, and I’m sure they want it to continue.”

The Artists’ Guild confirmed there are no plans to leave the Island and the gallery will remain at its current location in Holmes Beach.

Mark Platt

Island resident’s skateboard collection is art on wheels

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOLMES BEACH – Walking into the home of Mark Platt, you’ll see amazing, high-quality works of art on every wall, but it’s a little different than anything you will see in local galleries.

Platt has what he claims is one of Florida’s largest and most well-rounded collections of skateboards.

“It all started in the early 70s when skateboarding first began,” said Platt, explaining the genesis of his love for skating and collecting. “It’s just something that I caught on to right away and I really enjoyed doing. I pretty much skated for about 47 years.”

It’s not just skating; Platt has a passion for any board you can ride. He has been an avid surfer for decades and was one of the pioneers of snowboarding.

“I grew up in Michigan and started snowboarding in 1981 when I had to walk up a hill to take a ride when plastic snowboards first came out,” Platt said. “In 1985 I moved to Colorado, but there were only three mountains that allowed snowboarding – it had just started. In 1986 I did fantastic as an amateur so in 1987 I went pro in the Rocky Mountain division, eventually becoming 18th in the world.”

Platt says he used skateboarding to keep his balance at its peak during the snowboarding off-season. Whether it was surfing, skating or snowboarding, he says the balance required to do one will help you be successful at another. 

Platt is no longer able to surf, skate or snowboard due to the toll that decades of sports have taken on his body, but his passion for collecting has kept him close to the game.

“I started collecting seriously and professionally about 10 years ago,” Platt said. “I’m known as a builder; I like the hunt of putting boards together period correct. Everything you see here I have put together period correct. I’ve never bought anything that was already put together by someone else.”

Boards
A portion of Mark Platt’s collection of skateboards and snowboards. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

To understand what Platt means by “builder,” it’s important to understand that boards were used and wheels and components were replaced with aftermarket parts as they wore out. It’s much like a person who restores a classic car. They have to put together a car with serial numbers that match and use original parts to have the most valuable example. This can take years to accomplish, and Platt says the same is true with his boards. Finding original components from the 70s and 80s can be next to impossible, but that seems to be the thrill. 

As far as value, Platt says they can run from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. His most cherished and valuable example is a one-of-a-kind 1976 Kryptonics board with prototype wheels that never made it to market. There were only seven sets ever made and Platt said his board is the only complete example in existence. He says the value is in excess of $5,000, but isn’t entertaining any offers anytime soon. 

In addition to skateboards, Platt also has vintage surfboards, snowboards and related works of art, proof that art has no boundaries.

artsHOP 2018 artist

Rain doesn’t stop artsHOP

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Art, Entertainment, Events, Festivals.

BRADENTON BEACH – The artsHOP celebration got off to an inauspicious start when rain started to fall a few hours before it began on Bridge Street last Friday.

Shop owners were ready for the art lovers, but would they brave the rain to come out?

As the sun set, the rain let up and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is great, despite the rain,” said Gaydon Shell, owner of The Cove. “We got a great online presence going, and it’s a great opportunity for artists and outlets to get exposure.”

Down Bridge Street, at the Bridge Tender Inn, organizers Diane Phinney and Debra Wing had wooden skimmers and gift baskets on display, out of the dwindling rain.

“This is all coming together, and I see more people walking around,” said Phinney.

The theme of this year’s artsHOP is “Follow the Flock” in honor of skimmers, birds that nest on Anna Maria Island’s beaches. Artists will be selling paintings of the birds with proceeds going to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Artists decorated the dozens of birds to sell with proceeds going to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

As the sidewalks got busier, Wing praised the people who were there.

artsHOP 2018 demonstration
Artist Polly Tetrault applies color with a small blow torch at the Studio at Gulf and Pine. – Tom Vaught | Sun

“The rain didn’t stop them, and we’re off to a slow, but growing start,” she said. “We want to promote all the artists who feature the beauty of the Island and make it a wonderful place to live or visit.”

The next day, visitors to Pine Avenue in Anna Maria enjoyed better weather. The Anna Maria Island Historical Museum treated visitors to live music and opportunities to purchase raffle tickets for lavish gift baskets.

At the Studio at Gulf and Pine artists conducted demonstrations, and there was food and music by Jenna Smith. Music for the three-day event is sponsored by The Ugly Grouper.

On Friday, Nov. 9, the 12th Annual artsHOP concludes in Holmes Beach from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Shops and galleries throughout Holmes Beach and Waterline Marina Resort will feature local art demonstrations, live music and more. Basket raffle prize drawings will be held at the Ugly Grouper starting at 8 p.m.

artsHOP is sponsored by Cultural Connections to highlight Anna Maria Island’s arts and culture. Admission to artsHOP is free.