Calling all women! You're invited to Girls' Night Out with a Purpose!

Karen Errico moved to Safety Harbor almost three years ago and immediately got involved in the community.  Now she, Irma Cardoso, Lisa Kothe, Amy Stinsman and Julie Brannon are a volunteer team leading others to help our community, and guess what? SHAMc is next on their list!

The Women of WHO aren’t exclusive. They want to meet other women whose desire is to make something small turn into something big, and all by spending an evening out with other women. 

“I went through the Citizens Academy," Karen says. "Janet Hooper spoke and gave the statistics regarding poverty in Safety Harbor.  I kept thinking, ‘I want to do something, but what can one person do?’”

Now, just over a year after the first WHO gathering,  WHO―Women Helping Others―has raised much needed funds for five groups and/or non-profits based in Safety Harbor. 

“WHO Safety Harbor is a girls’ night out with a purpose,” Karen says. “And it has grown bigger than I ever imagined it would.” 

Thirty-eight women attended their first gathering and they raised $695 for the Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center. That was in November of 2014. Only a year later, 54 women attended and they raised $1249. for Safety Harbor Elementary School classrooms. Karen says the next WHO gathering might attract more than 100 women if all goes as planned. 

The way it works is that each woman who attends donates $20 at the door. The gatherings are four times a year and each one benefits a specific non-profit or organization in Safety Harbor. Besides the donation, women are asked to bring a bottle of wine or a dish to share. 

If you are looking for a way to help our community, to connect and make new friends, join us at Whimzey on Friday, February 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. We will be raising money for the WHO door—a glass garage door that connects the Rigsby house to the music pavilion. The door costs $2400., so everyone hopes at least 120 women will come out for the evening. 

“I am thrilled that WHO has been so well received,” says Karen. “The women of Safety Harbor, they want to help and do something for others, and they are willing to give. Many times WHO women have given more than the $20 donation we ask for. They have such good hearts.”

Besides the food, wine and fun, there is also a table full of donated baskets, gift certificates and merchandise donated by local businesses and residents. Tickets are only $1.00 or six for $5.00. 

“It's just fun,” Karen adds. “It's a feel good group. You’re meeting women and having a good time and at the same you are helping your community.”

Special thanks to Karen, Lisa, Irma, Julie and Amy for all their hard work, the fun they’ve created, and for all the great things they have in the works for the future. By the way, if you have a daughter, granddaughter, or young friend between 6 and 14, who wants to get involved, the group has already formed a Junior WHO. Check out their website for more information and we hope you’ll attend the Whimzey WHO event on February 5. 

Whimzey  is located at 1206 3rd St., Safety Harbor, FL - (One block north of Main St., 12th Ave and Okeechobee St.) Cash or checks only please. Receipts will be available. 

Art Environments

Hello everyone! My name is Katie Bush and I am excited to be given the opportunity to be a guest blogger for SHAMc's awesome blog. I  recently wrote and illustrated a book called 1206 Third Street- it's about Todd and Kiaralinda, SHAMc's founders.  I am an art museum educator, art blogger, and artist and I love to visit art environments around the world. 

So, before I begin telling you about some really cool art environments, you might be wondering... what IS an art environment?

An art environment is a piece of property that has been transformed in some way. For example, Todd and Kiaralinda created Whimzey Land. It has been an ongoing project for over two decades, one that has resulted in an art environment that people travel from all over the world to visit! Take a look for yourself:

The Whimzey house in all of its teal glory!

Todd and Kiaralinda in front of their lovely home

The "Florida Orange Tree"

A lot of the materials they use are repurposed, like this bicycle wheel!

Whimzey Land images via The Daily Telecraft

Art environments are literally everywhere all over the world. There is no one type of art environment because each space is as unique as the people who make it. There are also many reasons that people create art environments.

I want to share with you some really fun art environments from around the world...

• Paradise Gardens in Georgia

One of the most famous art environments was created by Howard Finster. It's called Paradise Gardens, and it's located in north west Georgia, USA. Finster was a minister who created artwork. He created Paradise Gardens to emulate his idea of the Garden of Eden, and to be used as a chapel. He spent years creating the space, which he decorated with his favorite artworks. According to the Paradise Garden Foundation website,

"Paradise Garden Located in Summerville, Georgia, is a maze of buildings, sculptures and displays. The Gardens were built from found objects and recycled materials ranging from bottles, bathtubs and toilets to bicycle frames and cast-off jewelry. The setting is a four-acre swampland that is drained by numerous canals."

Paradise Gardens images via Creative Loafing Atlanta

• Watts Towers in California

If you've ever been to Los Angeles, I'm sure you've heard of Watts Towers. The towers were created over 30+ years by Simon Rodia, an immigrant who worked at the Malibu tile factory. He would bring pieces of unusable tiles back home and mosiac them into the towers. He even lived in a cottage attached to the towers for years. The pressure from his neighbors' distaste of his art made him leave and never come back. They are now a national landmark and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

Images via The Daily Telecraft

• The Palais Idéal in France

Over in France is the Palais Idéal, created by a French postman named Cheval. On his daily run, he would pick up fragments of rock. Over the course of many decades, he fashioned his "ideal palace" using concrete and the rocks that he collected.

Images via The Daily Telecraft

Here are some other art environments, but without all of the fun background information:

Salvation Mountain in Niland, CA

image via BadBirds

The Bone Zone in Madrid, New Mexico

image via Kelly Ludwig's Flickr

Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Channai, India

image via All Around the World Art

The Heidelberg Project in Detroit, MI

image via BlueWolves

Solomon's Castle in Ona, FL

image via Wandering Educators

The Rhinestone Cowboy House, now located at the JMK Arts Center in WI

image via AtlasObscura

The Cathedral of Junk in Austin, TX

image via NarrowLarry

The Magic Garden in Philadelphia, PA

image via Modenus

Thanks for reading! Peace, love, and art! -Katie Bush

Poll Results are in!

Regular readers probably noticed the poll we had here for the past few weeks. The question was: What do you hope to experience at SHAMc? We didn’t limit the votes on choices, but you were only allowed to vote once per idea.

Well, the results are in! Voters—-a percentage of you blog readers—-decided the most important offerings at the future Safety Harbor Art and Music Center is to 'Meet the artist' and host art shows. In second was to invite Musicians/bands/singers; 75% of you said so! In a close third was ‘art classes.’

I secretly wished to find more hopeful authors, or short story writers. Maybe hopeful columnists ... Well, I am happy to say that 40% want SHAMc to offer writing classes. Take a look at the final results. The only category I’m really curious about is the one reader who voted for ‘other.’ What do you want, voter? Do tell!

Musicians/bands/singers 78% 25 votes
Art shows/meet the artists 87% 28 votes
Poetry readings 34% 11 votes
Improv/acting 43% 14 votes
Small theatre/live stage shows 65% 21 votes
Writing workshops 40% 13 votes
Art classes 75% 24 votes
Stage performance workshops 31% 10 votes
Other 3% 1 vote!

Victoria Vox

My first view of Todd and Kiaralinda's impact on the arts was gathered as I hung out of the passenger side car window with my cell phone camera, taking pictures of Whimzey. (Imagine! I was actually trying to be discreet!) But soon after my cell-Paparazzi incident, I met the Whimzey Twins. I was touched when I received an invitation to hear Victoria Vox down at the Safety Harbor Marina on November 8th, 2010.

But...a ukulele? I wondered. Who plays ukuleles? I figured it would be a fun experience, and since I pride myself on having an open mind, I went.

WOW! What an experience indeed! Victoria not only played her uke with a modern flair, she sang, played the mouth trumpet (it sounded like she was playing a real trumpet!) and she brought out a squeezebox! Vox got the crowd involved in her beautiful music. We clapped, stomped our feet, and truly enjoyed the evening.

In a recent e-mail, Victoria wrote about her Safety Harbor concert and experience. "The arts community in Safety Harbor is really special and I feel that the creative arts (either visual or musical) are truly embraced. The people have been nothing but warm and friendly. Todd Ramquist and Kiaralinda are excellent ambassadors for bringing more culture to Safety Harbor for all to enjoy. I've been to Safety Harbor twice now to perform...and would return again any day!"

Victoria Vox travels throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and averages over 125 performances each year. Her album, Exact Change is available through her website, where you can also check tour dates, read her bio, and listen to her music.

Who ARE these people?

Does your house have a name? Well, Kiaralinda and Todd's does. It's called Whimzey, and as you can see in the pictures, the name is perfect.

These two Whimzey Twins travel throughout the country selling their creations. Their art is sculpture, it's color, it's shape and form, it's texture and emotion. Think of what art means to you and you'll find it in their unique, original pieces. And hey, not only are their homes and creations downright cool, they are too!

Were you in town that one Christmas when Whimzey and every spot in the yard was covered in silver? If not, you might have heard or read about it. Thousands of people came to see the beautiful display, which Kiaralinda and Todd began in order to raise funds for charity.

"All of the Christmas house decorating was a community "labor of love" since we always had a lot of volunteers or "elves" help us create these fundraising installations.

"The first one was called "Silver Lining" and we wrapped everything on our property in tinfoil and the house was wrapped in silver mylar. This [in the picture] is the singer, Melanie who lived in Safety Harbor at the time and came and posed with her "aluminum foil ornament" that she made, as everyone was encouraged to park and walk up and participate and give a donation. This year was for Toys for Tots.

"The other picture is of the millennium holiday house called "Shine On," since it was the last one we thought we would ever do. This one was wrapped in hologram Mylar and space-age type robots, Santa and his spaceship, and CDs hung everywhere. This year the participants got a slip of Mylar to write their millennium thoughts, dreams, or wish on, and then we hung them all over the lawn." ~Kiaralinda

Kiaralinda and Todd are known for such displays of beauty that we all wish we could somehow eat up and swallow...Okay, maybe that's just me. But I admit...

I want this much color in my life too!

It's possible. We can do this! 2011 is the year of the Art and Music Center!

Spreading the word and painting boxes

Whether or not you're a Safety Harbor resident, you might have heard of, driven by, or visited the Bowling Ball House. It's obvious that artists' hands and imaginations have been at work for some time. Passersby can't help but to pause and appreciate the beauty that Todd Ramquist and Kiaralinda have on display in the form of their home. I know, because when I moved to Safety Harbor two years ago, I drove by, discreetly snapping pictures with my cell phone, admiring not only the art, but also the type of people who would create it. Now I know these two amazing people, and their dream has become mine.

Kiaralinda and Todd own several homes in their neighborhood, and like their home, the surrounding houses and studios are decorated like works of art. Now, they want to turn an old building into a place where artists, musicians, and others will thrive in creativity. The future Safety Harbor Art and Music Center building is downtown, behind Cello’s Charhouse. Their plans are for a complete renovation and they've already contacted an architect.

But first, before anyone can start hanging drywall, painting walls, or scheduling events, we need to focus on winning the $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant! Yesterday, that meant painting boxes to prepare for Saturday’s Holiday Parade float.

I’m asking for your help, especially next month. Let’s spread the word any way we can. This project is going to have a lot of competition—people who know how to win this type of grant—they spread the word; they ask for help. I’m a local who believes in people, art, and dreams, and I know that this town is the perfect place for an art and music center. For updates, follow this Blog, look for the (soon to be created) Facebook page, and tell your friends, relatives, co-workers, and their grandmothers. As a community we can make this happen!