COCA-Notes

COCA ANNOUNCEMENT: COCA’s First Friday Gallery Hop (Friday, September 5, 2008, 6pm – 9pm)

Partially Sponsored by Tri-Eagle Sales & Stella Artois Beer, The Council on Culture & Arts’ monthly First Friday Gallery Hop will take place from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Over twenty galleries and museums will be open to the public with no admission charges and many often feature openings, receptions, and special events.

Participating sites include:

Northeast:

•Glasshopper Gallery (1419 Market Street)

•Humidity Gallery (1355 Market Street Suite A-3)

•Images of Tallahassee (1355 Market Street Suite A10-2)

•Signature Art Gallery (2779 Capital Circle NE)

•Southern Scenes Gallery (4500 Shannon Lakes Plaza #18, Northeast)

Midtown:

•Lake Ella Art Gallery (1621 North Monroe Street)

•Tallahassee Senior Center for the Arts (1400 North Monroe Street)

Downtown:

•LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts (125 North Gadsden Street)

•Museum of Florida History (500 South Bronough Street)

Southwest:

•621 Gallery (621 Industrial Drive in Railroad Square)

•Artisans (625-C Industrial Drive in Railroad Square)

•Big Bend Contemporary Gallery (629-A Industrial Drive in Railroad Square)

•Character & Heritage Institute (450 St. Francis Street)

•Depot Agent Gallery (565 Industrial Drive in Railroad Square)

•FSU Oglesby Gallery (Oglesby Student Union, FSU)

•Linda Clark Watercolor Studio & Gallery (676 Industrial Drive)

•Railroad Square Art Park (567 Industrial Drive)

•South of Soho (629-C Industrial Drive in Railroad Square)

Also, please be sure to visit these businesses that will also feature original artwork during the First Friday event:

•1123@Midtown (1123 Thomasville Road, Midtown)

•Almost Exclusive (1460 Market Street Suite 2, Northeast)

•Bali HI Trading Company (617 Industrial Drive in Railroad Square, Southwest)

•Sally Rude Antiques & Fine Art Gallery (1123 Thomasville Road, Midtown)

In conjunction with the regular First Friday Gallery Hop, two shuttles will depart from Chez Pierre restaurant (1215 Thomasville Road) at 6:00 p.m. for a three hour tour of many of the participating galleries and museums. Riders have the opportunity to spend twenty to thirty minutes at each stop to sample each site’s unique art and gifts, as well as enjoy refreshments at certain locations. Between stops, on-board guides entertain with interesting facts about Tallahassee and the local arts scene. Shuttle tickets are $5 per person and will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. the day of the event outside Chez Pierre. Shuttle riders are encouraged to park in the TMH parking lot across Sixth Avenue from Chez Pierre. Seating is limited and an early arrival is encouraged to ensure ticket availability.

For further information on the COCA’s First Friday Gallery Hop or the shuttle program, contact the Council on Culture & Arts at (850) 224-2500 or online at www.firstfridaytallahassee.com.

COCA Announcement: Become a Friend of COCA on Facebook!

The Council on Culture & Arts is keeping up with the Joneses, or better yet, the Jetsons. COCA now has its own Facebook page and would like to invite you to join us as a friend. Just type in a search for Council on Culture & Arts and join. Also, a Facebook page for COCA’s First Friday Gallery Hop has also been created (search under First Friday Tallahassee) so you can keep up with this popular monthly event in the Capital City. If you don’t have a Facebook page and need some help on how to create one, call Clint Riley at (850) 224-2500. Be careful, though; Facebook is extremely addictive!

COCA Announcement: COCA Presents the City of Tallahassee’s Fourth Annual TOWN Show (Public Reception: Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 6pm to 7:30pm)

COCA and the City of Tallahassee extend a special invitation to the opening reception for the City's Fourth Annual TOWN Show. The TOWN show (Tallahassee’s Own) features art works of City employees and retirees. This year the TOWN show includes 41 artists and over 80 pieces of art and will be exhibited through July 17, 2008. The City is proud of the talent within the COT workforce and the City's support for art in public places. Please join us at the reception. Refreshments will be served. For further information contact Jeanne Kimball at (850) 891-8387 or Leslie Puckett at (850) 224-2500.

COCA Announcement: Florida Senior Art Showcase (Awards Ceremony and Opening Receptions, Thursday May 15, 2008)

Florida Senior Art Showcase is a multi-venue exhibition celebrating the creative talent of Florida’s senior-aged artists. Seventy-two artists from all over the state will exhibit throughout Tallahassee as part of this collaborative exhibition. This showcase brings hand-selected artworks to five local galleries and museums: COCA’s ArtPort Gallery, The Brogan Museum of Art and Science, LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts, 621 Gallery and the Old Armory Gallery in the Tallahassee Senior Center.

The all-venue public reception, Thursday, May 15, begins at 6:00 pm at the Tallahassee Senior Center with awards announced at 6:30 pm. The public reception continues from the Senior Center to the LeMoyne, the Brogan and 621 Gallery 7-9 pm. Receptions are free and open to the public, and will serve refreshments.

COCA Announcement: Got Something to Brag About? (Deadline: April 30, 2008)

Send your boasts to randi@cocanet.org for the "News of Note" section of COCA’s next Capital Culture Magazine. Remember, this column is for things that have already happened -- awards you've won, grants you've been awarded, successful events you've held (pictures very welcome!), new staff or board members, the opening of new businesses, etc.

Please do not send information about upcoming events for this column. Upcoming events should be posted to www.morethanyouthought.com -- only events posted there will be highlighted in the magazine, so get your summer and early fall events up!

COCA Announcement: COCA’s First Friday Gallery Hop for May 2, 2008

Find details about tomorrow evening’s First Friday destinations, fringe sites, and the shuttles which can be easily accessed at www.FirstFridayTallahassee.com. Also, be sure to check out COCA’s First Friday Gallery Hop Brochure which can be found at all First Friday destination and fringe sites as well as the Tallahassee Convention & Visitors Bureau (106 E. Jefferson Street) and the COCA offices (816 S. ML King Jr. Blvd). Happy Hopping!

COCA Announcement: Got Something to Brag About? (Deadline: April 30, 2008)

Send your boasts to randi@cocanet.org for the "News of Note" section of COCA’s next Capital Culture Magazine. Remember, this column is for things that have already happened -- awards you've won, grants you've been awarded, successful events you've held (pictures very welcome!), new staff or board members, the opening of new businesses, etc.

Please do not send information about upcoming events for this column. Upcoming events should be posted to www.morethanyouthought.com -- only events posted there will be highlighted in the magazine, so get your summer and early fall events up!

Creative Tallahassee 2008 Presented by COCA (Public Reception: Friday Evening, March 21, 2008, 6:00 – 7:30 pm)

Here’s your opportunity to meet some of the most creative artists from the Big Bend area in this celebration of creativity and talent. Many of our well known Tallahassee artists are on display, as well as exciting emerging artists in this annual juried exhibition. New favorites include abstract paintings by Sunny Spillane & C.L. Whitehead and intricate drawings by Reed Craig. Other favorites include paintings by Russian-trained artist Natalia Andreeva, a funky cat drawing by Mary Liz Tippin-Moody and innovative digital art creations by Edward Babcock. The reception is free and open to the public and includes light refreshments. This exhibition runs through May 13th. The City Hall Art Gallery is located inside City Hall (300 South Adams Street) and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm. For more information about this exhibition, upcoming exhibitions, or COCA’s Art in Public Places program, contact Leslie Puckett at (850) 224-2500 or online at www.cocanet.org.

COCA Announcement: ATTENTION: Different Address, Same Location!

Just a heads up: The City of Tallahassee recently renamed COCA’s little corner of Boulevard Park. COCA is now officially located at 816 S. ML King Jr Blvd. Please be sure to update your records.

COCA Announcement: Catching Smiles CDs, Produced by Whole Child Leon, Now Available for Purchase at COCA

Catching Smiles is a collection of children’s music featuring some of Tallahassee’s most talented local musicians who generously donated their songs to produce this compilation filled with music that makes kids feel good about themselves and the world around them. Musicians include Jim Crozier, Sammy Tedder, Carol Ann Natthews, Pam Laws, John Paul Walters and many, many more. CDs are $10 each and can be purchased in the COCA offices located at 816 S. ML King Jr. Blvd. All proceeds go to benefit local children through Whole Child Leon whose mission is to build a community where everyone works together to make sure children thrive.