In January we are having our long-anticipated showing of the work of Fritz Seyfarth, father of Cedar Key resident Bill Seyfarth. As you know, Bill`s wife, Sue, is a member of our board. Mr Seyfarth retired to Cedar Key after a long career as Art Director for the well-known publishing house, Harper and Rowe. And with him he brought hundreds of paintings which he produced during his Art Director years.
These pictures have never been offered for sale, nor have they ever been shown in a public exhibit. With the permission of the Seyfarth family, the Arts Center is honored to host a memorial showing of Mr Seyfarth work including some 40 or 50 of his paintings including landscapes, portraits, Cedar Key Scenes, Egyptian images and illustrations from children`s adventure books once published by Harper and Rowe.
The exhibit opening and reception will be on Saturday, January 4th from 5 until 7 and the showing will continue until the end of the month. This is rare opportunity to see the work of an accomplished artist whose collection may never be shown again. Also in January , Chris Rexroat with the aide of Carol Dye, will hold a basket weaving workshop stepping up the student`s skill to larger, more intricate baskets. The minimum number of entries for this class is four with a maximum of eight. The class will meet on Monday, January 27th from 8:30 to 4:00. A basket will be completed during this period. The cost of the session is $30 ( $35 for non members) plus a nominal cost for material. Registration may be completed by calling Chris at 543-9191 or at the Cedar Keyhole. Information is also available at 543-5830. We have set aside February to install our air conditioning and to prepare for our national juried show in March. Although lots of work will be in progress during that month, we may be tempted to have a small celebration when the A/C is a reality. Keep tuned! From the number of entries received and the quality of the paintings, as seen on the preliminary slides, we will have a successful national exhibit. I cannot say we will make a bundle of money, but, for our first show, breaking even will be accepted. I can promise it will be a wonderful, exciting attraction. We will need some volunteers as curators during each day of the show. Call Joy at 543 5830 to get your name on the list. April will be spent packing up unsold paintings and returning the Upstairs Gallery to normal use. May will feature the "Downtown Cedar Key-Second
Street" Competition. That is always a fun show and the quality of work gets better every year. One of the earliest members of the Cedar Key Arts Center, Lola Roppell, has moved from Cedar Key to Gainesville. Lola has been a faithfull participant over the past 7 years in all of our activities involving art and poetry. She will be missed, but promises to visit us frequently. Lots of good things are happening to make the Cedar Key Arts Center a significant cultural organization in North Florida. Thank you for your support and have a happy New Year. | 