Vol. 3, No. 3

January 2007

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Photo by Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau

Art lovers at last year's Sculpture Key West investigate "Pulling III," a metal sculpture created by Jack Howard-Potter.

Sculpture Key West to Present Fine Art in Three Civil War Forts

Three Civil War–era forts on Key West's Atlantic Ocean shore are to become the backdrop for unique artwork during the popular annual Sculpture Key West exhibition.

Pieces are slated for display beginning Sunday, Jan. 14, at Fort East Martello, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd., and West Martello Tower, Atlantic Boulevard at White Street. Six weeks later, large-scale sculptures are to be unveiled on the grounds surrounding Fort Zachary Taylor, located at the end of Southard Street beyond Truman Annex.

The exhibition is to include work in a variety of traditional and experimental media. Adding the two Martello venues — a significant expansion for the event — allows inclusion of smaller sculptures, indoor works and those requiring electricity such as light sculptures, videos and interactive pieces with sound.

Sculpture Key West is scheduled to kick off with Art Lights Martellos, a multimedia fundraising gala set for 7-10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, at Fort East Martello. The evening is to include live video art by Jorge Enrique. Cost is $10 per person.

The exhibit at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is to debut with a free afternoon of viewing 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25.

Artist-led tours are to be offered throughout the three-month show, and free programs with exhibition maps are to be available for self-guided tours. Sculpture Key West runs through April 14.

For more information, visit sculpturekeywest.com.

Delta Connection's commuter jet service is to begin Atlanta-to-Marathon air service on Feb. 15.

This commitment means Delta Connection is to begin roundtrip, daily flights from Atlanta to Marathon Feb. 15. Airport officials anticipate other airlines will follow suit with service to the airport centrally located between Key Largo and Key West.

Almost $4 million in federal, state and private sector funding was spent to refurbish the airport and make it ready for the resumption of commercial service.

But in July of last year, TSA said it would not provide screeners, citing budgetary issues.

"It was like having the rug pulled out from under us," said June Helbling, a member of the Keys tourism council who resides in Marathon. Besides public moneys, the local community raised $300,000 for the effort.

"Now we have two airports visitors can use to get to the Keys," said Helbling, crediting efforts of South Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to convince TSA to reverse the decision.

Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau

Officials unveil the historic cannon exhibit at the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce.

New Historic
Cannon Exhibit Unveiled

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce recently unveiled an 18th century British cannon and a series of educational panels documenting one facet of maritime history in the Florida Keys.

The display is at the chamber's visitor center, mile marker 106, and is open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The cannon is one of 13 first documented near Carysfort Reef off North Key Largo in 1994 by volunteers from the sanctuary's maritime heritage research inventory team. Little evidence of a shipwreck has been found, leading archaeologists to believe the cannons may have been heaved overboard in a successful attempt to free the vessel from the reef. The cast iron gun was manufactured between 1760 and 1780 and weighs more than 1,000 pounds.

"The cannon may have been mounted for defense on a British privateer or naval ship at the time of the American Revolution, when the colonies were at war with England and Florida was not yet a state," said project archaeologist Duncan Mathewson.

A festival attendee views artwork.

The critically acclaimed festival is named for Pigeon Key, a small island beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge that housed workers constructing the Overseas Railway in the early 1900s.

The picturesque island has been the festival's traditional setting, but the 2007 event is being relocated because planned repairs to the old bridge will require its closure to vehicular traffic.

The festival's participating artists and artisans were selected by a five-member jury.

Admission to the festival is $7 per person for adults, $3 per person for students and free for children under 12. For more information, call (305) 289-0025 or e-mail pigeonkey@aol.com.

In 2003, Wyland painted this Whaling Wall in Key West.

Acclaimed environmental artist Wyland is to paint the 95th in a planned series of 100 mammoth marine life murals, known as Whaling Walls, Feb. 1-12 in Key Largo.

Art and ocean lovers are encouraged to visit the wall site, at mile marker 99.2 on U.S. Highway 1, to watch Wyland paint, learn about his environmental initiatives and view a collection of his artwork.

The mural, the last Whaling Wall Wyland intends to paint in the United States, is to showcase North America's only living contiguous barrier coral reef, which parallels the Keys. The painting is to wrap completely around a large building at the location and be visible to all driving into and out of the Keys.

For more than 25 years, Wyland has used his art to increase awareness about the need to preserve the world's marine environment. A part-time Keys resident, he says he draws inspiration for his art from diving on the island chain's reef.

A dedication ceremony for the Key Largo Whaling Wall is set for Monday, Feb. 12.

For more information, click here.

In the 1930s, when he wasn't writing, fishing or indulging at Sloppy Joe's Bar, Ernest Hemingway often officiated boxing matches outside a small bordello near his home on Whitehead Street.

That tradition is scheduled to return to Key West in a harborside series of bouts set for Friday, Jan. 19, at Mallory Square.

Dubbed "Rumble in Paradise III," the seven-bout evening card is to feature two title fights and is slated for a live broadcast on ESPN 2's "Friday Night Fights."

For more information, click here.