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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 12, 2023
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“We Are All Pearls” earned Brazilian artist Whittney de Araujo Best In Show among adult artists featured in the show. The piece references Johannes Vermeer’s famous “Girl With a Pearl Earring” painting as a way to illustrate that beauty in art isn’t only relegated to the classic blond-haired, blue-eyed muse.
A BIG EMBRACE ‘Embracing Our Differences’ is taking its visual tribute to cultural diversity on the road. Now in its 20th season, the outdoor art exhibition will open Jan. 22. BY HEIDI KURPIELA CONTRIBUTOR
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ach year, artist Clifford McDonald submits pieces of art for acceptance into “Embracing Our Differences,” the annual outdoor juried exhibition in Bayfront Park — 10 submissions each year to be exact, hoping that at least two will get selected for the show. So far, McDonald has been successful. For five years in a row, the 35-year-old Booker High School graduate has had his art blown up to billboard size and put on display in Bayfront Park. “The exhibit aligns with how I think and the message I want to spread,” McDonald says. “To be able to go out there and see all these different people from all over the place taking in the work on such a large scale. It’s powerful.” This year McDonald, a former art teacher at Visible Men Academy in Bradenton, did something different when the call for artists went out. Rather than turn in 10 entries hoping to have a couple picked for the show, he submitted only two — and to his delight, both made the cut. SEE EMBRACING, PAGE 2
“Free Hugs” by Clifford McDonald