The Studios of Key West
Encyclopedia
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, based at the Historic Armory at 600 White St.
Established in 2006, The Studios of Key West began with a visionary plan from civic and arts leaders Peyton Evans, John Martini, Lynn Kuafelt, Deborah Goldman, and others. The campus, programming, and operational models were crafted by founding director Eric Holowacz during the start-up three years. The organisation now provides a collaborative and supportive environment for the creative process, nurtures the development of new work, and supports the advancement of established and emerging artists and cultural producers in the Florida Keys, as well as visiting creative people from around the world.
TSKW, as the organisation has become known, is a starting point for tourists and visitors who would like to connect with the cultural life of the island. The facilities offer a full program of cultural experiences each year, including exhibitions, lectures, workshops, concerts, and community partnership projects.
TSKW’s residency program provides 4-6 week residencies on the island for artists from all over the world, and has hosted more than 100 artists, writers, film-makers, and performers. TSKW’s studio artist program provides long term work space for Florida Keys-based artists and currently maintains 15 dedicated studio spaces.
Campus and Facilities
The ArmoryThe historic Key West Armory building (built between 1901-03) is the hub of TSKW’s campus and provides the base for most programs.
TSKW renovated the building between in 2006 and 2007, under the direction of founding executive director Eric Holowacz, and the campus is now home to a sculpture garden, exhibition and performance hall, and two separate spaces for exhibitions including the downstairs Main Hall and Space 2 upstairs. The second floor also houses studios for artists and writers.
Sculpture Garden
Adjacent to the Armory is The TSKW Sculpture Garden, a landscaped area that hosts several sculpture installations each year. The garden presents temporary installations and outdoor exhibitions and has been home to the work of many artists including John Martini, Susan Rodgers, Lauren McAloon, CR Gray, Anja Marais, and others.
610 Studios
In 2010, to meet the growing demand for additional work space for artists, TSKW expanded their studios program by adding several studios two doors down from the Armory at 610 White Street.
Ashe Street Residency Cottages
In mid 2011, TSKW began renovation work on 607 and 609 Ashe Street for use as residency cottages for visiting artists. Upon completion of the project in early 2012, the cottages will include three suites with two attached working studios, an outdoor nature center, an expanded sculpture garden adjoining the Armory and Mango Tree House, and an outdoor area for small gatherings.
Residency Program
The Studios of Key West launched a residency program in 2007, based in the accommodation now known as the organisation's Mango Tree House. The Southard Street space has since hosted dozens of artists, musicians, and cultural figures from all over the world, including Madison Smartt BellMadison Smartt Bell
Madison Smartt Bell is an American novelist. He was raised Nashville, and lived in New York, and London before settling in Baltimore, Maryland....
, Nemo Librizzi, MOMO, Coleman Barks
Coleman Barks
Coleman Barks is an American poet. Although he neither speaks nor reads Persian, he is nonetheless renowned as an interpreter of Rumi and other mystic poets of Persia.- Biographical notes:...
, Curt Richter, Herbert Weissberg, Sandro Kopp, Helen Whitney, Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard...
and Britta Phillips and many others.
Stays average 4–6 weeks, and the proposal period for applications is January 1-May 15 each year. Successful applicants are provided with living space, and in many cases are also afforded work space.
Programs
TSKW hosts many programs, workshops, cultural gatherings and exhibitions throughout the year.Exhibitions
TSKW hosts approximately 32 exhibitions and installations each year in the Armory Main Hall, Space 2, and the Sculpture Garden
Sculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
. Proposals for exhibitions are accepted from local and visiting artists and are installed for 2-4 week periods. The third Thursday of the month is known as Walk on White, and TSKW, along with other businesses and galleries along White Street, hold open their doors for a festive gallery walk. The TSKW artist studios are open to the public and visitors are encouraged to also view the current exhibitions.
Workshops and Classes
Each year, TSKW offers a full season of weekly classes, workshops and longer-term courses that cater to both local island residents and visitors. Weekly classes and courses provide opportunities for study with artists like Rick Worth, Karen Beauprie, Jim Salem, Rosalind Brackenbury, Richard Grusin, Mike Rooney, Roberta Marks, Letty Nowak and others.
TSKW also offers many 1-4 day workshops in the visual, performing and literary arts each year. These workshops are taught by instructors like Frank Francese and Robert Burridge. Past instructors have included Charles Reid
Charles Reid
Charles Reid, nicknamed Hippo, was a Scottish international rugby players. He was capped twenty times for between 1881-88. Reid vies with Ninian Finlay for the title of the youngest player ever to be capped for - he was seventeen years and thirty six days old when he was capped against on 19...
, William Welch, and Susan Sugar.
Concerts
TSKW hosts two concert series each year, a contemporary folk series called Old Town New Folk which features national singer/songwriters, and a cabaret series which features local island talent. Past Old Town New Folk musicians have included Peter Mayer
Peter Mayer
Peter M. Mayer is an American independent publisher who is president of The Overlook Press/Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., a Woodstock, New York - based publishing company he founded with his father in 1971. At the time of Overlook’s founding, Mayer was head of Avon Books, a large New York - based...
, Emily Saliers
Emily Saliers
Emily Saliers is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Indigo Girls. Saliers plays lead guitar as well as banjo, piano, mandolin, ukulele, bouzouki and many other instruments.-Background:...
, Livingston Taylor, Susan Werner, Noel Paul Stookey, and Ben Harrison.
The Cabaret Series is also popular, and recently, TSKW has begun presenting 1-2 classical concerts each year with esteemed musicians.
Lectures
Since 2008, The Studios of Key West has partnered with The Friends of the Library to host their free lecture series every Monday evening from early January to late March at 6 pm. the series hosts leading writing and cultural figures and in the past has included presentations by Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
, Jean Carper
Jean Carper
Jean Carper is a New York Times best-selling author, an American medical journalist, syndicated columnist, consumer advocate and author of 24 books including Your Miracle Brain, Miracle Cures, the award-winning Stop Aging Now!, Food: Your Miracle Medicine and The Food Pharmacy. Her latest book, ...
, Lee Smith, Lou Harris
Lou Harris
Lou Harris is a former all-star Canadian Football League running back.A graduate of USC, Harris played 4 seasons with the British Columbia Lions. His best year, his second, 1974 saw him rush for 1239 yards, 3rd best in the CFL...
, former U.S. Poet Laureate Maxine Kumin
Maxine Kumin
Maxine Kumin is an American poet and author. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1981-1982.-Early years:...
, poet Billy Collins
Billy Collins
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida...
, authors James Gleick
James Gleick
James Gleick is an American author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology...
, Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara Ehrenreich
-Early life:Ehrenreich was born Barbara Alexander to Isabelle Oxley and Ben Howes Alexander in Butte, Montana, which she describes as then being "a bustling, brawling, blue collar mining town."...
, Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
and Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is anAmerican author of romantic and paranormal fiction for teens and adults and used to write under several pen names, but now writes exclusively under her real name, Meg Cabot...
, to name just a few.
History
The Studios of Key WestKey West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
was founded as a non-profit cultural organization in 2006, with a mission to support the island's creative community, the development of artists and audiences in the Conch Republic
Conch Republic
The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city since...
, and new partnerships near and far. It is based on successful 20th century models for artist colonies, but aims to expand the approach and model for the 21st century artist community. Founding executive director, Eric Holowacz, came aboard in early 2007 and was responsible for developing and implementing a bold new strategic plan for the organization. The Studios of Key West now maintains a growing campus based at the historic Key West Armory building, located in the Old Town neighbourhood at Southard and White Streets, and offers a dynamic mix of community workshops, performing arts events, exhibitions, lectures, and island residencies for creative people from around the world.
The Armory building, originally built between 1900-1903 as the drill hall and armory for the Florida state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, the Island City Rifles, is the only wood-frame government structure in the Keys. It underwent historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
efforts in 2006 and 2007, and now comprises a main hall exhibition and event space, twelve studio spaces for Key West artists and writers, a sculpture garden with rotating three dimensional and public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
, and several properties that are to become residencies for distinguished visiting artists. By offering free and regular creative opportunities, such as the monthly Walk on White open studio tours, weekly life drawing sessions, and a series of lectures and presentations by and about creative people, the Armory has become a destination for both residents and visitors.
Core programming has grown from a few workshops in 2007 to over 100 creative classes during the 2010-11 season. These have been delivered by notable American cultural figures, including watercolorists Frank Webb, Charles Reid
Charles Reid
Charles Reid, nicknamed Hippo, was a Scottish international rugby players. He was capped twenty times for between 1881-88. Reid vies with Ninian Finlay for the title of the youngest player ever to be capped for - he was seventeen years and thirty six days old when he was capped against on 19...
, and Don Andrews, writers Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca L. Skloot is a freelance science writer who specializes in science and medicine. Her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , was one of the best-selling new books of the year, staying on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 32 weeks and optioned to be made into a movie by...
, Roxana Barry Robinson
Roxana Barry Robinson
Roxana Robinson is an American novelist and biographer whose fiction explores the complexity of familial bonds and fault lines. She is best known for her 2008 novel, Cost, which was named one of the Five Best Novels of the Year by The Washington Post. She is also the author of Georgia O’Keeffe: A...
, Robert Stone, and Crescent Dragonwagon
Crescent Dragonwagon
Crescent Dragonwagon is an author, writer, teacher, and performer. She has written two novels, several cookbooks, and one book of poetry....
, and mixed-media artists Valerie Goodwin, Thomas Mann, and Roberta Marks. A lecture series by and about creative people was inaugurated in February 2007 by Robert MacNeil
Robert MacNeil
Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil, OC, known sometimes as Robin MacNeil, , is currently a novelist and formerly was a television news anchor and journalist who had paired with Jim Lehrer to create The MacNeil/Lehrer Report in 1975.-Early life:MacNeil was born in Montreal, the son of Margaret...
, and has grown to include several dozen free public presentations each year. In 2008, free professional development sessions, touching on a variety of skills and issues for working creative people, were introduced for Keys artists. A popular music concert series, Old Town New Folk, was introduced under Holowacz's tenure as chief executive, and continues under current director Jay Scott.
Experimental and collaborative projects continue to develop, including the late summertime One Night Stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
new theatre works initiative, the introduction of Key West's first Art-o-mat machine, a partnership with Southern Arts Federation
Southern Arts Federation
South Arts, formerly the Southern Arts Federation, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts...
, workshopping support for Joyce Stahl's imaginative Nutcracker
Nutcracker
A nutcracker is a mechanical device for cracking nuts. Usually they work on the principle of moments as described in Archimedes' analysis of the lever...
Key West production, and an innovative partnership with local artists, schools, and children to create the Keys' first Leathers and Associates community-designed playground. The organisation also convened the 2007 Arts Speak sessions for Key West cultural leaders, in partnership with the Florida Keys Council of the Arts
Florida Keys Council of the Arts
Florida Keys Council of the Arts is a leading cultural organization in the Florida Keys, and serves the population from Key Largo to Key West. A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the on-line...
and Sculpture Key West. Other collaborations have supported Key West Burlesque, Womenfest, Fantasy Fest, film and video projects, and more.
The organization's founding executive director Eric Holowacz, developed the campus, facilities, staff, programming, and residency models between 2007 and 2010. Holowacz left to direct and develop an arts festival in Queensland, Australia in May 2010, after building TSKW into one of the island's most dynamic cultural and community organizations. TSKW is now run by a small professional staff, led by executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
Jay Scott, and is governed by a board of dedicated Key West community leaders. The mission and vision continue to grow, with an increasing emphasis on partnership and collaboration, community interface and involvement, cross-cultural exchange, and wholesale support of the creative process. It works to build on the creative legacy of past and present Key West residents such as Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...
, James Merrill
James Merrill
James Ingram Merrill was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Divine Comedies...
, Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
, Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
, Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is anAmerican author of romantic and paranormal fiction for teens and adults and used to write under several pen names, but now writes exclusively under her real name, Meg Cabot...
, Mario Sanchez
Mario Sanchez
Mario Sanchez is a squash player from Mexico. He was one of the leading hardball squash players in North America in the late-1970s and 1980s.- External links :*...
, Henry La Cagnina and Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard is an American author, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and non-fiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memoir. Her 1974 work Pilgrim at Tinker Creek won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for General...
. The Studios of Key West proceeds from the traditional approach to the artist colony, established by the likes of Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
and MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
, and expanded more recently by Anderson Ranch, Vermont Studio Center
Vermont Studio Center
The Vermont Studio Center is a non-profit organization located in the town of Johnson in the U.S. state of Vermont. VSC conducts the largest fine arts and writing residency program in the U.S., with a significant population of international artists in residency...
, and Atlantic Center for the Arts
Atlantic Center for the Arts
Atlantic Center for the Arts is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary artists’ community and arts education facility dedicated to promoting artistic excellence by providing talented artists an opportunity to work and collaborate with some of the world’s most distinguished contemporary artists in the...
. Key West's version intends to advance this progression, and establish the artist community model for the 21st century.