Art Basel is back. After a break in 2020 due to COVID-19, the uber-popular art event is back with a vengeance. They brought together 253 leading galleries from around the world, representing 36 countries and territories.
This year, some new participants from Africa were a part of the show, adding to its diversity, including Afriart Gallery from Kampala; First Floor Gallery Harare with spaces in Harare and Victoria Falls; SMAC Art Gallery with spaces in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Stellenbosch; and Rele Gallery with spaces in Lagos and Los Angeles.
Due to the issues surrounding the pandemic that galleries were having, they also relaxed many of the exhibitor application requirements, including the minimum number of exhibitions a gallery must hold per year, the need to have a permanent space and the number of years the gallery must have been in operation. The changes allowed the fair to welcome a broader range of first-time participants, including the newly-opened Nicola Vassell in New York and the roaming Kendra Jayne Patrick Gallery.
This reporter found this year’s event to be the best yet as people seemed genuinely happy to be out in public again, albeit still in masks. It was the friendliest Art Basel ever and still brought forth cutting-edge and groundbreaking artworks just as it does every year.
More photos available on the Observer Newspaper Online Facebook site.
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Miami Dade College’s (MDC) 38th Miami Book Fair (MBF) will return Nov. 14 – 21, 2021, with both in-person and virtual events, including the popular Street Fair in downtown Miami, Nov. 19 – 21, featuring book vendors, author presentations and entertainment for all ages.
“This year’s Fair will offer the best of both worlds,” said Delia Lopez, MBF director of operations. “We are very excited to once again open our doors to the public for the Miami Book Fair, this year a hybrid event that returns stronger than ever and with even more opportunities for engagement, whether you physically attend our activities or join us online.”
With a mission to engage the community through inclusive, accessible, year-round programs that promote and support writers South Florida, the Miami Book Fair will once again present hundreds of renowned authors, as well as the weekend’s Children’s Alley, live music on The Porch stage, and books, artisanal goods and a farmers’ market. Miami Book Fair Online, its virtual component, will offer author conversations not found elsewhere and some livestreams from events on campus. As in years past, the Fair will feature programs in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
“Our lineup of authors this year will reflect our commitment to diverse voices and topics. Whether online or on campus, Miami Book Fair will present fiction, nonfiction and poetry by authors and thought leaders animating the national conversation and inviting us all to take deeper dives into other worlds and experiences,” said Lissette Mendez, MBF director of programs.
The City of Deerfield Beach is holding its annual Book and Toy drive for children less fortunate in our community. A book and a toy will be handed out at the Ice Cream Social with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Oveta McKeithen Recreational Center, located at 445 SW 2 St. in Deerfield Beach.
Book and Toy Drop off locations are:
· City Hall located – 150 NE 2 Ave.
· Center for Active Aging – 227 NW 2 St.
· Hillsboro Community Center – 50 Hillsboro Technology Dr.
· Constitution Park – 2841 W Hillsboro Blvd.
All residents and local organizations are encouraged to help in this effort by donating new, unwrapped toys and books for kids ages 4 – 16 years of age, boys and girls. The City will be collecting the items until Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Community Services Department at 954-480-6420.
For additional information, contact the Community Services Department at 954-480-6420 or VWyatt@deerfield-beach.com.
Did you see the Haunted Arboretum in Deerfield Beach? It was filled with spooky ghosts and scary goblins. The Deerfield Beach Parks & Recreation Department and volunteers made the landscape filled with fright, perfect for kids of all ages, and their parents, looking for a little Halloween fun.
The terraced landscape of Machu Picchu seems worlds away, touching the heavens and steeped in mystery, but the magic of its land and the traditions of its peoples have been brought right here to the Boca Raton Museum of Art. A very special exhibit opened October 16 and runs through March 6, featuring the most impressive collection of Andean gold to ever travel the world and 192 artifacts from royal tombs. Guests are immersed in the culture of the Andean peoples through music and narration, pictures and artifacts.
The self-guided tour begins with an introductory video then a door slide upward and guests enter an ancient world. Everything from the way the artifacts are spaced out to the music brings you further into their ancient culture. Guests learn about daily life, beliefs and their gods. The life and death of these ancient peoples is told in vivid detail in a unique way.
This is the first stop of many on a world-wide tour. The exhibit is presented by City Neon with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Peru in partnership with Inkaterra Association. The artifacts are from the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru and the Museo de Sitio Manuel Chavez Ballon in Aguas Calientes, Peru.
To enhance the experience of this exhibit, they provide an audio component to the tour, which is sold separately. Viewing the exhibit with the audio adds another layer of explanation for a richer experience.
Something unique about this particular exhibit is their Virtual Reality experience. This is a great add-on that is highly recommended. People can sit up in an egg shaped chair that has 360 degree rotation and is equipped with VR headsets so the guest looks like they are flying led by an animated guide over the terraced landscape of Machu Picchu. It is a full sensory experience.
Before the exhibit even begins, a staff member takes photos of guests in front of a green screen, which can be purchased at the end of the tour with Peruvian backdrops. Also they have a gift shop where people can buy Peruvian gifts or a commemorative catalogue, or magazine, about the exhibition.
This exhibit is packed with information presented in an interesting way that will keep everyone engaged and wanting to learn more about the rich culture of the Andean peoples and their land.
For more information about the exhibit, the museum and how to get tickets, visit https://bocamuseum.org/
See more pics on the Observer’s Facebook page.
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The City of Pompano Beach presents Boo Bash: Creepy Carnival! This Carnival event is free and takes place on Friday, October 29th, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Pompano Community Park located at 1660 NE 10th Street.
Join in for a family-friendly night with carnival and inflatable rides, fantastic stage performers, a wittily fortune teller, fall fun pumpkin patch, hay ride, DJ music and dancing, haunted trail and more!
Don’t forget to dress in your best costume for the costume contest at 8:00 p.m. For more information, visit the Parks & Recreation website at www.parks.pompanobeachfl.gov or call 954-786-4111.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue will be hosting a multi-agency mass casualty incident (MCI) training exercise with Tri-Rail on November 3 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Tri Rail train tracks located at Andrews Avenue and MLK, Jr. Boulevard in Pompano Beach.
The drill is going to be a simulated train derailment with a Tri-Rail passenger train that has struck a car. The person in the car, which will be on its side, will be extracted and airlifted. Approximately 25 passengers on board the train will be extricated and triaged. The fully smoked up passenger train will require extractions, passengers treated, transported, etc. The exercise is designed to assist Tri-Rail with their crews and how they handle emergency situations. It is also intended to train emergency responders in MCI situations, including size-up, triaging, Haz-Mat, landing zones set up, mitigation and working with multi-agency responses.
The training exercise will include a mutual aid response from local fire departments including a Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) helicopter unit, BSO Fire Rescue, Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, Coconut Creek Fire Department, Coral Springs Fire Department, Oakland Park Fire Department, Lauderhill Fire Department and Margate Fire Department
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On October 16, Pioneer Park was filled with people for this year’s Fall Festival. Not only was there live entertainment, but also a bouncy maze for kids, cotton candy and other snacks, a pumpkin patch, a storyteller, games, arts and crafts, and more.
The Kiwanis Club of Deerfield Beach held their annual golf tournament on Saturday, October 16 at Galuppi’s in Pompano. They had 112 golfers. Golfer
s also enjoyed lunch and could bid on the silent auction, and participate in the raffle or the 50/50. There also were prizes for Closest to the Pin, Hole in One and Longest Drive. The funds went toward their dictionary and thesarus project (they give them to students), high school scholarships and more.
