At the last Funding Arts Broward event in 2020, Bonnie Clearwater, museum curator, gave a tour of the exhibit. This piece was by Takashi Murikami. Photo by Rachel Galvin.

By Rachel Galvin

A FAB event is coming our way! If you are in Broward County and are a lover of the arts, you won’t want to miss this gem of an event. Yearly, Funding Arts Broward holds a special event filled with art and fellowship, music and culinary treats, and more.  This year is sure to be just as special.

To be held Monday, April 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the NSU Art Museum Ft. Lauderdale, the event is slated to include a performance by the Dillard High School Center for the Arts students. This elegant black and white themed cocktail party will also include light bites and a decadent dessert table. The best part about their event is seeing the art on display at the museum. This year, the exhibit is called “Lux et Veritas” and the private tour will be led by Bonnie Clearwater, the director and chief curator at the museum. Make sure to wear your black and white for this elegant affair.

Kehinde Wiley, Karl Spindler, 2017, Courtesy of S. Donald Sussman. © Kehinde Wiley

More about the exhibit:

According to the museum, “Lux et Veritas”  focuses on a generation of artists of color who attended Yale School of Art for graduate studies between 2000 and 2010. The exhibition’s title alludes to Yale University’s motto, “Lux et Veritas,” which translates from Latin to “Light and Truth.” In the context of this exhibition, the title references how these artists thought with critical complexity about their work and their movement through institutional structures. Featured artists include Mike Cloud, William Cordova, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Abigail DeVille, Torkwase Dyson, John Espinosa, Luis Gispert, Rashawn Griffin, Leslie Hewitt, Loren Holland, Titus Kaphar, Jamerry Kim, Eric N. Mack, Wardell Milan, Wangechi Mutu, Mamiko Otsubo, Ronny Qevedo,  Mickalene Thomas, Anna Tsouhlarakis, Shoshanna Weinberger and Kehinde Wiley.

As with similar programs, Yale School of Art, in New Haven, Connecticut, had not been historically diverse, which spurred these art students to form affiliations across the departments of painting, graphic design, sculpture, photography and art history. They filled gaps in the school’s curriculum and counteracted the lack of diversity among the faculty by inviting artists, curators and writers of color as advisors and guest speakers, developing an interdisciplinary forum, publishing art journals, organizing exhibitions and documenting their experiences in video and photography. The relationships they formed at school evolved into communities that networked and provided essential support and feedback for one another, often passing on these efforts beyond graduate study. Their reevaluation of the Western art canon, and commitment to the method and practice of teaching has contributed to a greater recognition of artists of color, challenged stereotypes and enriched the overall shared spaces of learning and thinking about art and the art praxis.

“Lux et Veritas” provides a public forum in which to address the directions these artists took based on the explorations that began in graduate school and were instilled thereafter in their practice. The exhibition is curated by Bonnie Clearwater, director and chief curator, NSU Art Museum. Mike Cloud (Yale, MFA 2003), William Cordova (Yale, MFA 2004), Leslie Hewitt (Yale, MFA 2004) and Irene V. Small, associate professor, Contemporary Art & Criticism, Princeton University (Yale, Ph.D. 2008) are advisors on the exhibition. Oral histories with the artists who attended the School of Art provided significant insight into their experiences, relationships, and work.

The exhibit is currently on display until October 23. It is presented by S. Donald Sussman and sponsored by Funding Arts Broward.

This event is for FAB members, friends and public supporters of the arts. Tickets for “Black & White: A Night At The Museum” are $75 per person and are available at fundingartsbroward.org. For more information, please call 954-353-7673 or email fundingartsbroward@gmail.com.

When was the last time you played Monopoly? Now is a chance to try your hand at the real estate game and give back to an important local nonprofit at the same time.

Boca Helping Hands (BHH) will host the 16th Annual Monopoly Event & Casino Night on Saturday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at The Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, 2425 West Maya Palm Dr. in Boca Raton. 

Besides guests playing the game and trying to become the champion, the evening will also include hors d’oeuvres and dinner, a silent and live auction by auctioneer Neil Saffer, as well as casino gaming and a DJ.

Proceeds from the event will help assist 27,000 people in the South Florida community through BHH’s various programs, including hunger relief, job training, healthcare, emergency financial assistance, childcare and weekend meals for Palm Beach County school children.

Sponsors include JM Family Enterprises, Gary Peters Family Foundation, Tandy and Joe Robinson, Rochelle LeCavalier, and Peter and Susan Brockway.

The chairperson for the event is Rochelle LeCavalier, Executive Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Tickets start at $250 and are available for purchase at BocaHelpingHands.org/MONOPOLY. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Karen Swedenborg, Development Manager, at 561-417-0913 ext. 202 or Karen@BocaHelpingHands.org.

Mayor Troast at RECORD TV grand opening in 2019. Photos by Rachel Galvin.

By Rachel Galvin

We were very sad to hear of the passing of Lighthouse Point Mayor Glenn Troast on March 23 after a long illness.

During a March 31 meeting, Commission president Kyle Van Buskirk was chosen as mayor-elect. According to a source at the meeting, he says he wants to be sworn in after Keepers’ Day, which is this weekend. 

William Gallo, Chip La Marca, Chuck McLaughlin, Glenn Troast & Ryan Kolb at Honors Memorial Shrine during it being unveiled in 2018.

Kyle VanBuskirk, commission president, now mayor-elect, with his wife Christine… taken back in 2016.

Mayor Troast and his wife Marjorie at 150 Drawdown event in 2018.

Volunteer Award Winners with BHH Staff Members (L to R): Greg Hazle (BHH Executive Director), Rusty Cobb, Lourdes Harman (BHH Food Center Manager), Charles Crowley, Denise Crowley, Sal Perla (BHH Distribution Coordinator), John Wyman, Richard Weinstein, June Freedman, Jason Cascio (BHH Distribution Coordinator), Joan Novellino, Bill Harper (BHH Director of Food & Warehouse Operations), Larry Cellon, Terry Blackman, Tom Groendyke, Jerry Schwartz, Gary Hildebrand, Tara Currier (BHH Volunteer Manager), Maria Puente (BHH Content Specialist). Submitted photos.

Boca Helping Hands celebrated their committed and hardworking volunteers with a dinner and awards ceremony at The Addison of Boca Raton on Wednesday, March 9. Boca Helping Hands staff members recognized superstar volunteers for their relentless dedication to the organization and its mission to give a hand up to those who need it most in the community.

Boca Helping Hands is a community-based nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to meet basic human needs, as well as education, job training and guidance to create self-sufficiency.

For more information, visit www.bocahelpinghands.org.

Photos by Amy Pasquantonio

Get launched into Doo-Wop heaven with the nifty and nostalgic Sh-Boom! Life Could Be a Dream at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton.  Featuring over 25 of your favorite 1950s songs, Sh-Boom! will have you longing for the days of American Bandstand, the Twist and perfect 4-part harmonies.  The show runs through April 3, 2022, with matinees at 2 p.m. and evening performances at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $75-$95, available at www.thewick.org or by calling the box office at 561-995-2333.

“Sh-boom is the jukebox musical we need right now!” said Marilynn A. Wick, Managing Executive Producer. “Expect pristine harmonies, peppy dance steps, and of course our signature period-perfect costumes and sets that will transport you directly to this beloved era.  We dare you not to grin and sing along to classic hits including ‘Unchained Melody,’ ‘Runaround Sue,’ ‘Duke of Earl,’ and more!”

The frothy plot centers on Denny and the Dreamers, an amateur doo-wop group preparing to enter the Big Whopper Radio contest. They hope a win will lead to their big break, but complications ensue when former classmate Lois steps in to provide some much-needed polish.

Sh-Boom! Life Could be a Dream was written by Roger Bean who scored a huge hit with The Marvelous Wonderettes, which ran for over 1,200 performances Off-Broadway, and lead to three sequels for the franchise including Wonderettes: Caps & Gowns, Winter Wonderettes, Wonderettes: Dream On, as well as the new large-cast Wonderettes: Glee Club Edition.

The Wick’s production is being directed and choreographed by Wick favorite Jonathan Van Dyke, who previously helmed critically acclaimed shows including Hot Shoe Shuffle and BeeHive–the 60s Musical. The cast includes Jeffrey Keller as “Denny,” Dorian Quinn as “Duke,” Julia Rifino as “Lois,” Willy Beaton II as “Wally,” and Ricky Cona as “Eugene,” along with a stellar ensemble.

Reservations for dinner at Tavern at The Wick are also available by calling the box office.

The Motowners

Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department is proud to announce the return of the Pompano Beach Arts Music Series featuring virtuoso performances by award-winning, globally acclaimed vocal artists and musicians. For three months, starting in April, the Pompano Beach Cultural Center will be a wellspring of world-class talent with different styles of popular music including jazz, R&B, soul, disco and pop. The concerts featuring Carole J. Bufford, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and The Motowners will all begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45. For more information, please visit www.pompanobeacharts.org

“This year, we are delighted that our audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy these phenomenal concerts live in person,” said Phyllis Korab, Cultural Affairs Department. “While each concert showcases a different musical era, all the performers share the same passion for providing high-energy and extremely entertaining shows for their fans.”

Saturday, April 9, 2022| 8-9:30pm | $45

Carole J. Bufford

Honoring International Jazz Day is New York-style cabaret singer Carole J. Bufford performing ROAR! Music of the Jazz Age, featuring classics from the Jazz Age songbook made famous by the likes of Sophie Tucker, Louis Armstrong, Al Jolson, Fats Waller, and many more.  A recipient of the Nightlife, Bistro and Broadway World Awards for Outstanding Vocalist, Carole has become one of the most sought-after young performers on the American jazz and cabaret scene. Swing with Carole as she travels back to a time where flappers, vamps and sheiks were shimmying in gin joints as great social and political change whirled around them.

Saturday, May 21, 2022 | 8 – 9:30 pm | $45

Evelyn “Champagne” King 

This American singer, songwriter, and record producer is best known for her hit disco single “Shame,” which was released in 1977 during the height of disco’s popularity. Evelyn “Champagne” King went on to place fourteen additional singles in the R&B Top 20 list. Some of her other hits include “I’m in Love,” “Love Come Down” and “Your Personal Touch.” King is a spirited soul-R&B-disco artist who continues to delight audiences with her funk, musicality and prodigious voice. Join us for a night of hits that will have you dancing in the aisles!

Saturday, June 11, 2022 | 8 – 9:30 pm | $45

The Motowners

Celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month and relive the glory years of the Detroit sound with an incredible concert by The Motowners. The songs of that era will never lose their appeal, and this group faithfully recreates the smash hits of The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and many more.

This unique and family-friendly show has been an audience favorite since their founding in 2005, with a classic group sound and approach that remain evergreen crowd-pleasers.

Pompano Beach Cultural Center is located at 50 Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach.  For more info., visit https://www.pompanobeacharts.org.

Photos from a previous year, taken by Rachel Galvin

By Rachel Galvin

Delray Beach Fashion Week 2022 Schedule of Events:

Photo by Keven Major Howard

By Rachel Galvin

You may remember them best from your TV screens back in the 1970s and 80s… Ted Lange is best known for “The Love Boat” and BerNadette Stanis for “Good Times.” But the pair have gone on to do countless projects and graced countless stages, as well as becoming authors. 

Their newest project is a play called “Willie & Esther,” which will be showing at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center March 26 and 27 at 3 p.m.

“Willie & Esther premiered in 1987 at the Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles and won first place at the Center’s first short-play competition, beating out more than 100 other plays from around the U.S.,” said Phyllis Korab, Cultural Affairs Director. “Since then, the play has had many successful stagings, including an acclaimed Off-Broadway run. Now, we are thrilled to launch our own production, showcasing the talent of two beloved television stars.”

The comedic and touching play centers on a couple who hatch a plan to overcome their troubles by robbing a bank. A frustrated scam artist, Willie, is a warehouse worker scheming to achieve a big break.  Meanwhile, Esther endures the drudgery of her beauty parlor job and Willie’s endless schemes. 

In addition to the play, there will be other programming associated with the duo at the cultural center, including a screening of “The Love Boat,” followed by a Q&A with Lange on March 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. and a screening of “Good Times” with Stanis followed by a Q&A on March 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. Also, on March 28, Lange is doing a master class on screenwriting from 6 to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit www.pompanobeacharts.org.

The Pompano Beach Cultural Center is located at 50 Atlantic Boulevard, in Pompano Beach.