#ArtMatters Issue 3 - Spring/Summer 2023

EXPERIENCE

Upscale shopping, sophisticated dining options and South Walton’s premier events and entertainment await you Along the Boulevard.

SHOP

Altar’d State

Anthropologie

Arhaus

Arula

The Beaufort Bonnet Company

Billabong

Bluemercury

Hemline

J.Ji l l

J.McLaughlin

johnnie-O (Now Open)

The Jewel

Kendra Scott (Now Open)

KREWE

La Luna

Lilly Pulitzer

lululemon (Now Open)

Ophelia Swimwear

Orvis

Peter Millar

Pottery Barn

Pure Collective Salon (Now Open)

Rose & Co

Seabags (Now Open)

Southern Tide

Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles

Vineyard Vines

Williams Sonoma

Courtyard

Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

AMC CLASSIC Boulevard 10

grandboulevard.com

#GrandBlvd

DINE

Another Broken Egg Café

The Bistro (Located in Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard)

Black Bear Bread Co.

Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican

The Craft Bar

Emeril’s Coastal everkrisp

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

Kilwins

PF Chang’s China Bistro

Starbucks

Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar

Vin’tij Food & Wine

The Wine Bar

Boulevard

Grand Fitness

Emerald Coast Theatre Company

Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand

by

Introduction

2 Welcome Letter from CAA Executive Director, Jennifer Steele

Art Month Walton

4-5 Calendar of Events

35th Annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival

6-7 How to Enjoy the ArtsQuest Fine Art Festival

ArtsQuest Judges

9 Meet the Judges

Featured Artist - Dallas Primivera

10-11 Featured ArtsQuest Artist

ArtsQuest ImagiNation

12 Kids Activities at ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival

Meet the CAA Team

14-15 2022-2023 CAA Staff & Board of Directors

Art For All

16-17 Supporting Walton County’s Creative Community

Staff Spotlight

18 Celebrating 15 Years for CAA Executive Director, Jennifer Steele

Introduction to the Arts

19 Your Art Story featuring CAA Board Member, Kara Wootson

Art in Public Spaces

20 The Underwater Museum of Art

Event Recap

22-23 30A Songwriters Festival & Valentine Tour of Homes

Featured Artist - Bradley Copeland 24-25 2023 Walton County Artist of the Year

The Miramar Beach Creative Campus

26-27 The Foster Gallery Spring Rotation

Hello and happy Art Month from all of us at the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County! We are excited to lead this annual initiative that brings together Walton County’s neighborhoods, businesses, organizations, artists and art lovers to celebrate the creativity that makes our community thrive.

Each year brings more participation by presenters and more opportunities for the public to enjoy a cultural experience nearly every single day of Art Month. I thank our partners for their support, along with all of those who are creating events for the enjoyment of all. The detailed Art Month schedule is located in this program and at CulturalArtsAlliance.com. Art Month is a perfect time to “dive into your own creativity,” be inspired, and connect with your community. I hope to see you there!

ART MONTH PARTNERS

Dive Into Creativity This May

Art Month Walton is an initiative of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County with the purpose to bring communities, organizations and businesses together to present quality arts and entertainment to the community. Spanning the month of May, Art Month will feature visual, performing, and literary arts programming in diverse formats and in various venues throughout Walton County.

MAY 2023

ART MONTH WALTON

Locals and visitors can activate their imaginations and experience a collaboration of visual, performing and literary arts events presented in diverse formats and various venues throughout Walton County. Spanning the month of May, Art Month Walton includes events such as ‘Under the Sea’ a fundraiser for the nation’s first Underwater Museum of Art, ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival, Digital Graffiti Festival, Longleaf Writers Conference, Gallery events and so much more! Art Month Walton is an initiative of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.

MAY 5 FOSTER GALLERY FÊTE

It’s a party and you’re invited! Join us for an event celebrating the Foster Gallery’s 7th Anniversary and the regional artists selected for the Gallery’s “Up for Interpretation” Abstracts. The Foster Gallery Fête is scheduled for Friday, May 5 from 5-7pm. Meet the artists and enjoy live music, complimentary light bites, beer & wine while strolling through the gallery, which is full of art works available for purchase.

MAY 5-14

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Don’t miss the world’s most beloved musical based on the true story of the Von Trapp family. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including “Climb Every Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do Re Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and the title number “The Sound of Music,” this is one inspiring musical that brings joy to audiences of all ages. Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Produced by Emerald Coast Theatre Company

MAY 11 UNDER THE SEA

The CAA and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) will host the sixth annual Under the Sea fundraiser event for the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) on May 11, 2023.

The Underwater Museum of Art is the first permanent underwater sculpture garden in the U.S. and is the inaugural presentation of the CAA’s ‘Art in Public Spaces’ program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in South Walton.

Located in the Gulf of Mexico, off of Walton County, Florida. The museum lies at a depth of 58-feet and at a distance of less than one mile from the shore of Grayton Beach State Park. Each year, a juried selection of sculptural works, drawn from artists throughout the world, is installed in the underwater garden.

The sculptures quickly attract a wide variety of marine life and, over time, metamorphize into a living reef. This eco-tourism attraction not only entices art lovers and divers from around the country and around the globe, it provides a much-needed habitat for local marine life and fisheries as well as providing marine scientists, wildlife management professionals, ecologists, and students, with an opportunity to study marine life and measure the impact of artificial reef systems on the Gulf ecosystem.

MAY 13 - 14

ARTSQUEST FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

Every Mother’s Day weekend, ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival showcases more than 150 local, regional and national fine artists throughout the streets of Grand Boulevard Town Center at Sandestin. The event offers live music, great food, student exhibits, and “ImagiNation: where kids rule.”

MAY 13 - 20

LONGLEAF WRITERS CONFERENCE

The 11th Annual Longleaf Writers Conference (formerly named Seaside Writers Conference) will take place in Seaside May 13 through 20, featuring award-winning, visiting authors Rebecca Makk and Kwame Dawes with other special guests including literary agents Alex Glass and Jade Wong-Baxter. Full conference registrations and a la carte seminars are available, along with options to participate in special events throughout the week, including personal consultations, readings and more. Register and purchase tickets online at LongleafWritersConference.com.

MAY 19-20

DIGITAL GRAFFITI FESTIVAL

Celebrating its 16th anniversary, Digital Graffiti is a one-of-akind projection art festival where artists use the latest digital technologies to project their original works onto the white walls of Alys Beach. This year’s event takes place Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Each year, the festival attracts international digital artists, filmmakers, musicians, interactive designers, photographers, VJs, producers, celebrities, agency executives and fans of art, technology and architecture. Visit DigitalGraffiti.com for tickets and details.

MAY 28

SINFONIA GOES POPS AT ALYS BEACH

Enjoy an evening of your favorite patriotic, movie soundtracks and light classics as Sinfonia Gulf Coast performs a free concert in the Alys Beach Amphitheatre.The music will begin at 7:30 p.m with fireworks at 9pm. Remember to bring blankets or low back chairs for comfortable seating. Henry’s Food Truck will be available for Food & Beverage.For more information visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org

ARTSQUEST FINE ARTS FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 35TH YEAR

ArtsQuest is a juried show that includes artists in the categories of Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media, Oils & Acrylics, Original Digital Art, Photography, Sculpture, Wood and Works on Paper (Watercolor, Printmaking, Pastels, Pencils, Ink). ArtsQuest awards $10,000 in cash prizes. ArtsQuest is a rain or shine outdoor event. The festival is open to the public, and a $5 admission donation is requested.

For More information visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/arts-quest

GRAND BOULEVARD TOWN CENTER

MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND

Saturday, May 13 • 10am-7pm & Sunday, May 14 • 10am-5pm

To view Artists, Music Schedule, and all ArtsQuest info!

THE CULTURAL ARTS ALLIANCE OF WALTON COUNTY MAKES AN ONGOING EFFORT TO ENSURE ALL ITS PROGRAMS ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF OUR ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE USING ADA SELF-EVALUATION, CHECKLISTS, AND GUIDELINES, THE CAA IS FOCUSED ON MAKING ITS PROGRAMS OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.

PLEASE CALL 850-622-5970 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST ACCOMMODATION.

Paradise has arrived

ON THE EMERALD COAST

LIVE THE LIFE YOU’VE DREAMED AT LATITUDE MARGARITAVILLE WATERSOUND!

Sunshine and cool breezes. Palm trees and margaritas. Welcome to Latitude Margaritaville, a 55-and-better community inspired by the legendary music and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, built on food, fun, music and escapism.

Escape to the place where fun and relaxation meet. Escape to island-inspired living as you grow older, but not up. Escape to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, located on Hwy 79, less than 8 miles from the beach.

New homes from the low $300s

ArtsQuest Judges

APRIL FITZPATRICK

April Fitzpatrick, LMHC, ATR-BC is a mixed media visual artist and CEO of Pineapples with Purpose, LLC, a mobile mental health service that introduces art therapy to communities impacted by race-based traumatic stress. Her current project calls into question her role as a visual artist and art therapist within Black communal spaces. Combining contemporary abstraction with experimental narrative, she captures the layered realities of Blackness. She uses auto and medical ethnographic processes to confront the invisibility of race based traumatic stress (RBTS). Investigating the insidiousness of racial messaging, her work sits at the intersection of cultural memory and symbolism. Together, these processes coalesce (1) personal experiences of RBTS, (2) client-practitioner relationships (3) histories of racial violence and (4) contemporary impact of racial trauma. Her practice, as both a process and product, visually translates the complexities of RBTS using the pineapple as a guiding metaphor. Employing art therapy as a tool for storytelling, she creates space to construct new narratives and progress racial healing.

JAYSON KRETZER

Professional Cartoonist and Designer for more than 25 years and recently became the Executive Director for the Bay Arts Alliance in Panama City, FL whose mission is making art accessible for all in the community regardless of location or income barriers.

illustration agency that represents international illustrators and designers. He received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern California with a BA in Fine Arts, and from Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration. He received his MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

DALLAS PRIMIVERA FEATURED ARTIST

Art has always come naturally to me. When I was three my family moved from Miami to New Jersey while waiting for our house, we shacked up in some Manhattan hotel. My first artistic memory is seeing a small painted character on every New York City corner. Later I found out it was Keith Haring. In Fourth grade, I was one of two chosen to meet every Friday afternoon for two hours of artistic freedom and personal lessons by my art teacher. Seventh grade came and was accompanied by my two new best friends: good times and classic rock & roll. Immediately I began guitar lessons.

Ninth Grade consisted of me starting a punk rock band that jammed in my garage. My senior year I managed to get off in the afternoons to work as a market research recruiter. It was way too easy for me. In my first hour, I would get four leads. I would turn one in every hour, and spend the

remainder of my time drawing pictures out of the magazine I had snuck to my desk.

My mother eventually saw my drawings and challenged me to draw houses from pictures she gave me. In New Jersey, when a realtor sells a house, the buyer receives a framed hand drawn picture of it, as a gift. When I found out it paid two hundred dollars a picture, I quit my marketing job instantly. I was getting a 200% increase in pay, and I could do it in the comfort of my sunny backyard. For the first time I saw money mixed with my talent. While playing rock and roll as my goal, I majored in studio arts at the Florida State University. After years of frustration pursuing music, I had an epiphany New Years Eve, 2004. I realized that if I did not make it as a musician, all of my energy and effort would be forgotten. But my art will out live me, giving me chances even after I die. That is when art became my life.

FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

I have always been a vivid dreamer. I have developed a skill that I will try to put into words. As I close my eyes, every night I relive the same dream. Long halls filled with paintings on both sides, in every color, shape, and size. At first, I would wake up with a feeling of jealousy, like what I saw was exactly where I was going. A warm wave of understanding washed over me as I realized everything I saw was mine to come. Best part, I remember everything I dreamt about. To this day, this process is the source of my inspiration and it keeps getting stronger.

On the back of most of my paintings I write either a journal entry or a poem. I have developed a system to put that entry on the front, in color. I call it – the color code. Like a map, in order to understand what`s going on you need the key. The color code acts as the “key“ to the painting. There are 26 dots in 26 different colors representing A thru Z in the alphabet. This is usually located by my signature in a square formation. Look in the painting for the dots, this is my message. Just match the colored dot with the color in the “key“ and you can decipher my message. As far as I know, this has never been done before.

Morning Glory Humming, 16x20, Acrylic on Canvas

Awaiting Luka, 48x60, Acrylic on Canvas

ImagiNation Where Kids Rule!

At ArtsQuest, kids can let their creative minds run wild in ImagiNation, the place where kids rule!

Kids of all ages and experience levels can participate in lots of artistic activities to inspire and engage your emerging artists all weekend long!

Merrill is proud to support the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.

Brown, Burns & Associates

Jerry S. Brown, CPWA® Senior Vice President Senior Financial Advisor Portfolio Manager

850.269.7002 jbrown75@ml.com

William L. Burns, IV Financial Advisor

850.269.7015 wburns2@ml.com

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

34990 Emerald Coast Parkway 4th Floor Destin, FL 32541

fa.ml.com/brown-burns-and-associates

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Investment products: Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value

The Bull Symbol and Merrill are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. CPWA® is a registered certification mark of the Investments & Wealth Institute®. For more information about the Institute and the CPWA certification, please visit investmentsandwealth.org. A Portfolio Manager can help clients pursue their objectives by managing on a discretionary basis his own Personalized or Defined Strategies, which may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, Merrill model portfolios, and third-party investment strategies.

© 2022 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

When you’re ready to make a difference, we’re ready to help

What is your coffee order?

French press with half and half

MEET THE TEAM

2022-2023 CAA STAFF MEMBERS

What was the last thing you did that gave you child-like joy?

Ziplining in the rainforest of Costa Rica

What’s your creative muse?

Nature is one of my creative muses. I love it all... beaches,mountains, forests, deserts! I always find inspiration there.

What is your favorite book?

What’s your favorite color and why?

Pink! To me, pink represents love, happiness, youthfulness and women empowerment.

What is your favorite color and why?

Yellow because it symbolizes happiness, hope and spontaneity. And because everything is better with bright yellow sunshine.

MELISSA WHEELER Marketing Director

GABBY CALLAWAY Membership & Development Manager

JENNIFER STEELE Executive Director

LEE GREENE Director of Administration

COURTNEY MALONE Marketing & Program Manager

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Events Director

What’s

Allison Wickey, Vice President

Kevin Dooney, Secretary

Tom Watson, Treasurer

is your creative muse?

Chloe

Doug Foltz

Jerry

JoAnn Ribaudo

Shawn Tomasello

Through the success of its events, the CAA funds arts education initiatives through its Art for All program, providing grants and scholarships that impact thousands of Pre-K to 12th grade students annually.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS & TEACHER MINI GRANTS AVAILABLE!

FOR SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

CulturalArtsAlliance.com/artist-resources

The CAA kicked off its ‘30K for 30’ campaign in celebration of our 30th Anniversary!

All funds raised will go towards the cornerstone program the CAA was founded on, its Art For All giving program. Art For All grants are available to students, teachers, artists and arts organizations in Walton County. Over the last three decades, the CAA has been able to grant three quarters of a million dollars back out into the creative community impacting over 7,000 children and countless adults annually - and we’re just getting started! Help us have our biggest giving year yet!

Cheers to Jennifer

15 YEARS

As we continue our year long 30th Anniversary celebration, we ask you to join us in acknowledging another very special milestone. Our Executive Director Jennifer Steele recently began her 15th year at the helm of the CAA and we couldn’t let the opportunity pass without honoring her contributions to the organization and the creative community.

15 years ago, when Jennifer came to the Cultural Arts Association as it was known then, there was one part-time employee and a part-time volunteer bookkeeper, so when she arrived, the staff doubled.

Under her leadership the CAA has flourished ... with the staff now at a team of nine, Art For All grant awards increasing to Walton County students, teachers, artists and art organizations; enlarging CAA membership to over 900 art lovers; expanding CAA cornerstone events and adding new ones including the popular 30A Songwriters Festival; creating income opportunities for artists of all disciplines; opening the county’s first professional artist collective, The Foster Gallery (named for the CAA’s founder), which showcases rotating regional artists, special exhibits and featured guest artists; and launching the nation’s first Underwater Museum of Art, a permanent underwater

sculpture installation that becomes part of an artificial reef system to strengthen the Gulf’s ecosystem.

Jennifer is currently Chair of the Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and is past Chair of the TDC’s Arts, Culture, Events and Activities Committee, which implements the Walton County Artist of the Year program. She has served on the Americans For The Arts Private Sector Network Council as well as on Visit Florida’s Culture, Heritage, Rural, Nature committee. In 2016, she was awarded the Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality Award, which recognizes excellence in hospitality service, travel/tourism marketing, advertising, promotion and contributions to the local community.

Thank you for your leadership, your compassion, inspiration, and your unwavering commitment to fostering creativity!

WHAT’S YOUR ART STORY?

Think you’re not creative? You’re selling yourself short! We believe that everyone is inherently creative. We asked CAA Board Members to share their introduction to the Arts. Follow along for inspiration!

So when asked where something of Interest in my life originated from, I find it difficult to pin-point. That’s with anything...Professionally or Personally. Even Love (except for giving Birth...that was instant) takes time and situations.

With Art though, and when I realized it was exciting, I think back to the times my uncle dragged us to the Brooklyn Academy of Music to watch musicians and dancers perform, or when my Mom made me go to the Library after school on Wednesdays because they had Poetry readings at our local Branch. Maybe it was the MOMA school trips or the Graffiti that was everywhere as I rode the NYC Subway. The street murals that moved with you, or the RIP images for the Fallen neighborhood loved-ones on sides of buildings. Maybe it was just the Music!

Growing up in NYC, the Art of Music was always in our homes/ life and then the popularity of Freestyle cyphers, Dj-ing and Hip Hop allowed me to experience Art in a different way. Allowing the stories of my youth to be expressed on rotation.

I don’t have a favorite. It’s ALL great to me. Sculptures, Theater, Orchestra, Canvas, Aluminum, Opera, Abstract, Wood carving. Capoeira. It’s Matter (no pun intended) being turned into something that was NOT before....Growth, expression, flexibility; each in its own space and available for me/you/us to interpret how I see or feel or hear it. The “feeling” that Art I had a big imagination as a child and would spend hours thinking. Worrying, wishing and finding peace within the paintings my Parents had in our home (not expensive or originals but nice)

The Cultural Arts Alliance, the little GEM in the smallest town I’ve ever lived in, has continued to introduce the Universal language of Art to it’s Members, Board and Volunteers in ways that some would never imagine...packaged in bags that most people wouldn’t open. Thanks for that!

Best thing is….the Story continues.

Kara Wootson

PUBLIC SPACES ART IN

Underwater Museum Of Art Prepares for Fifth Installation

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) recently revealed the seven new sculpture designs, chosen by jury for permanent exhibition in the fifth installation of the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA).

The 2023 installation will include the following pieces of sculpture: Quantum Reef by Chris Chubb (Tallahassee, FL), Space Nest by Frank Henderson (Evanston, IL), Welcome Home by Zachery Long (Oklahoma City, OK), Madam Nature by Andrew Luy (Huntsville, AL), Cetacean Remains by Pat Mclain (Stone Mountain, GA), One Tree by Ann Moeller Steverson (Huntsville, AL) Opus by Allison Wickey (Santa Rosa Beach, FL).

Named in 2018 by TIME Magazine as one of 100 “World’s Greatest Places,” the UMA is presented as part of CAA’s Art In Public Spaces Program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in Walton County.

UMA sculptures are deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA and FDEP permitted artificial reef projects that includes nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in approximately 58 feet of water. The 2023 installation will join the 34 sculptures previously deployed on a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park, further expanding the nation’s first permanent underwater museum.

Deployment of the 2023 UMA installation is slated for Summer. Visit UMAFL.org to learn more about each of this year’s selections and for more information on timeline and events surrounding UMA’s launch.

Project and sculpture sponsorships are available. Please contact Gabby Callaway at gabby@culturalartsalliance.com for sponsorship details.

Quantum Reef by Chris Chubb

Space Nest by Frank Henderson Welcome Home by Zachery Long

Madam Nature by Andrew Luy

Cetacean Remains by Pat Mclain One Tree by Ann Moeller Steverson Opus by Allison Wickey

That’s a Wrap!

January 13-16,

2023

More than 6500 music lovers come together over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January to attend the 30A Songwriters Festival. This unique event, co-produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and Russell Carter Artist Management, is a four-day music extravaganza featuring over 175 artists performing original songs in various genres ranging from country to Americana and folk as well as blues and soul in over 30 dedicated listening rooms along South Walton’s scenic Highway 30A and beyond. The Festival brings together nearly every South Walton community and many businesses to showcase our home as a destination not only for its beautiful beaches but also for its creative excellence, which is the purpose of the Cultural Arts Alliance. 100% of the festival’s net proceeds benefit the CAA allowing us to continue to be a champion for the arts in Walton County.

Photo by Shelly Swanger

Photo by Nathan Zucker

Photo by Nathan Zucker

Photo by Nathan Zucker

February 10-12, 2023

Valentine’s weekend typically means romantic dinners and flowers for most, but for South Walton residents and visitors alike, it signals the highly anticipated annual Valentine Tour of Homes. The tour is known for showcasing stunning interiors, architecturally acclaimed homes and picturesque settings bringing inspiration to tour goers’ winter weekend at the beach. Guests take a self-guided tour of a variety of homes throughout South Walton. The 2023 Valentine Tour of Homes kicked off on Friday, Feb. 10 with a ColorMix Forecast at Stock & Trade Design Co. This new event was presented by Sherwin Williams and brought together drivers for design to network and hear from the most instrumental leaders in the industry. Interior designers, architects, realtors and artists were all in attendance. All net proceeds benefit the CAA’s Art For All Program, which provides support to Walton County schools, teachers, students, artists and arts organizations to further arts education in the community.

Photos by Lynn Crow Photography

BRADLEY COPELAND

WALTON COUNTY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2023

The artist graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, but it wasn’t until the end of her time in college that she realized her relationship with art was much more than mere amusement; it was completely indispensable.

After graduating from college, Bradley apprenticed under an Alabama artist and moved to Florida’s panhandle a year later in 2020. Here, Bradley’s passion and career flourished. She has since held several solo and group shows, participated in numerous live painting events, and was featured on the cover of Emerald Coast Magazine. Bradley recently completed 30A’s newest public art mural located on the side of Linda Miller Real Estate.

The up and coming artist’s work can be found in several galleries across the Southeast, including her own studio/ gallery where she obsessively paints, inspired by everything around her. Bradley considers art to be her religion, her compass, and her greatest love. Her passion for creativity evolved into a need to share its healing abilities with others, and with the help of the CAA, a brand new prison art program was born. Above everything previously described, her most rewarding accomplishment is teaching this type of creativity every week to the residents of Walton Correctional Institution.

Photo by Lynn Crow Photography

Bradley Copeland is a prolific 25 year-old artist living in Santa Rosa Beach, FL with an inventory amassing over 600 pieces and growing rapidly. Bradley’s passion for art has existed for as long as she can remember.

What are you most excited about as Artist of the Year?

I am most excited about having the opportunity to call attention to the healing properties of creative expression. Art has saved me so many times throughout my life. Teaching painting classes at the Walton Correctional Institution has proved to me how art can do the same for so many others in their own lives. Painting full time has helped me learn to accept and love myself on levels that I did not previously know existed. This area has completely embraced the most authentic version of myself that I have ever presented to the world, and I am so honored that I get to represent it as this year’s Artist of the Year.

What are you most proud of to date?

I never imagined I would be a full-time artist starting at the age of 23. That dream was too big for me to ever admit to myself before I started living it. I often still cannot believe I get to do this with my life. Truthfully, the pride that I feel when I think about the men I teach at Walton Correctional Institution overrides the pride I feel for myself in my business. I have overcome a lot in my personal life that I don’t think I would have survived without the insights that painting has taught me. Being able to pass these lessons over to others in need of healing and actually see the differences that it makes in each of them, makes my heart glow brighter than anything else I’ve ever done. Some of my methods seem silly or bizarre to

others and even myself sometimes. So, sharing these wacky lessons and watching them resonate with people is extremely validating and heartwarming. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to witness and contribute to the growth and transformation of these men, and the fact that I can do so with the power of creativity and expression blows me away.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to explore their creativity?

My advice is to first recognize that fear is the only thing holding you back from exploring your creativity. Fear is sneaky and does not always make itself known. If you have the desire to create, but you don’t because of any combination of reasons and excuses your brain feeds you, I guarantee fear is at the root of it all. The world does not necessarily support us in our creative journeys. Society tells us implicitly and explicitly that it is a waste of time or we aren’t good enough or worthy enough to even try. So consider any creative endeavor as an act of bravery and rebellion, you are succeeding already by just attempting. There is no such thing as failure in art. It is all so subjective and highly personal. Any “failure” or mistake or ugliness always serves as, at the very least, a learning opportunity. If the desire to create is there, so is the need for your creation.

Misfire, 48x48, Mixed Media on Canvas

Bradley and her mother at the Mural Reveal Party for Linda Miller Real Estate

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) is proud to announce the regional artists recently chosen to exhibit their original work in The Foster Gallery’s Spring Rotation, which runs February 1st through May 27th, 2023 in its Miramar Beach Creative Campus location.

The selected featured artists are Wanda AzzarioGoldberg, Gisselle Barnhart, Jessica Batson, Dorothea Berkhout, Stephanie Bloyd, Melody Bogle, Kathleen Broaderick, Patricia Bufkin, Lucinda Bunn, Gayle Campbell, Donnelle Clark, Skip Deems, Kim Eifrid, Elena Filshtinska, Jenny Guerra & Jessica Batson, Wes Hinds, Pamela Hutton, Capri Boyle Jones, Hattie Kennedy, Linda Kernick, Sue Knight, Betsy Latham,

Sharon Long, Susan Lucas, Robyn Martins, Mindy McClendon, Theresia McInnis, Linda Kaye Moriarty, Merry Beth Myrick, Ed Nickerson, Marian Pacsuta Norris, Patti Overholt, Courtney Panzer, William Polley, Bailey Rathmann, Mary Redmann, Melissa Rovner, Kathy Schumacher, Kristine Senft, Pam Singh, Barbara Suhadolnick, The Salty Sparrow, Laura Tuvyana and Karen Williams.

Photos by Lynn Crow Photography

All rotation artists are members of the Cultural Arts Alliance. All works exhibited in the gallery are for sale, many works are online for viewing and purchase on the CAA website CulturalArtsAlliance.com/foster-gallery. Curbside pick-up is available.

The Foster Gallery is located at 13370 Emerald Coast Parkway (US Hwy 98) and is part of the Miramar Beach Creative Campus featuring regional artist rotations on a quarterly basis as well as special exhibitions. The Foster Gallery at the Miramar Beach Creative Campus will also host artist receptions and openings, workshops in J. Leon Studio, events, and serve as a community gathering point symbolizing the support the CAA strives to give artists in our community, including those who are members of the CAA.

Since Opening in 2016

$512,000+ Art Sold

175 Regional Artists Featured

500+ CHILDREN Attended Gallery Field Trips

The Foster Gallery is open Tues - Sat from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

For more information visit CulturalArtsAlliance.com/foster-gallery

NEW Online Learning Hub!

Want to learn a new skill?

We believe the Arts should be accessible to all, and through technology and innovation, the CAA can break down geographic & accessibility barriers while being a resource to our partners and bringing national attention to our creative community with our new Digital Creative Campus. We will offer a series of arts related virtual learning opportunities consisting of classes, demonstrations, and other learning events led by creative professionals.

CLASSES

The Painting Process: From Inspiration to Painting

Kathleen Broaderick

Letting Go!!! (Of The Brush)

Bradley Copeland

Conversations with Creatives

Doug Foltz, Gretchen Peters, Kim Eifrid, Susan Gunn

How To Bring Your Space To Life

Kendra Larouche

Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms

Kathy Schumacher

Paint Impasto With Pam

Pam Singh

June 8, July 13, Aug 10, 2023

Oct 26-29, 2023 FLUTTERBY

Nov 11 & 12, 2023

Jan

ALYS BEACH CRAFTED BENEFITTING THE CAA

ARTS FESTIVAL

30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL SUMMER SERIES