Broward County artists will uncage their creativity at the annual RedEye music and arts festival on Saturday, July 15 at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale.
The theme for this year’s festival, a decade-old tradition, is “Untamed.” The one-night fundraiser for the arts agency will feature dozens of visual artists, musicians, spoken word artists, dancers and performers.
“RedEye’s urban canvas of human artistry began as a way to support our mission, but has turned into so much more,” explained ArtServe CEO Jaye Abbate. “It’s a night for the community to celebrate. For less than the cost of a movie ticket, attendees— even non-art lovers— are exposed to new films, new music, and new dance forms.”
Guests are invited to roam from room to room at the Sunrise Boulevard facility to take in performances by live bands and dancers, observe painters at work on living canvases and interact with a variety of performance artists.
The featured artist this year is Miami-based Cuban-American David LeBatard, better known in the arts community as LEBO. Acclaimed for his work across a variety of mediums, LEBO is the innovator of Postmodern Cartoon Expressionism, a combination of cartoon imagery, richly saturated balances of color and unique linear composition, all brought together in a narrative style to inspire emotion and create layers of meaning.
In his artist’s statement, LEBO describes his unique approach: “My aim in creating is to explore the purest, most spiritual elements of the arts and sciences (from astronomy to history, from music to physics) and to interpret them through the language of cartoons, giving them a unique and vibrant voice. After all, cartoons are a primordial form of expression that have always combined images in order to tell stories. We have only to think of rock paintings, hieroglyphics or religious iconography for our proof. In reality, even when we look at Picasso’s work after 1905, it all becomes very hard-edged yet organic. The very essence of cartooning.
LEBO will be mentoring veteran artists during the event, helping them develop signature art works that represent their “collective emotional journeys.” Whether an artist is writing a rap song, play or poem or creating a painting or sculpture, art can help reveal deep-rooted emotions, he emphasizes.
This year’s festival will also introduce several new experiences for guests, including a Comedy Corner featuring the hilarious “Two Hour Comedy Hour,” screenings of films from the Sundance and South by Southwest (SXSW) festivals and the highly anticipated “Fashionista Fest.”
Emcee Michelle Rose Domb will introduce top bands, including AudioCrisis, The Takers and Leavers, Emily Sheila and Teri Catlin, on the mainstage.
In between performances, guests can cool down at the Shipyard and South Beach Brewing beer garden. Maine’s largest brewery is partnering with South Beach Brewing and the celebration will kick off with the unveiling of an original label design by LEBO.
It’s all about the experience, Abbate emphasized, and guests “can push past their comfort zones, experience something fresh and unexpected, and have tons of fun for a great cause.”
RedEye: Untamed will be held on Saturday, July 15 from 6 – 10 p.m. at ArtServe, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. VIP tickets, including valet parking and access to special lounge, are $75. Tickets and more information at ArtServe.org.
