Panel Discussion February 12 - Culture among the Vultures: Art in the Everglades

Date: February 7, 2013
Contact: Kevin Bowles Mohr, 305-242-7752
Contact: General Park Information, 305-242-7700
Contact: Mary Plumb, 303-242-7714

CORAL GABLES, FL: OnTuesday, February 12, 2013, apanel discussion will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.,at Books & Books in Coral Gables,featuring Artist-in-Residence-in- Everglades (AIRIE) fellows in a discussion about culture in the Everglades.People often associate the Everglades with its abundant natural vistas: The river of grass, mangrove islands and glorious skyscapes. This panel discussion will focus on how people have made expressions of culture in the Everglades. 

Cultural highlights in the Everglades over a 6,000 year period include Calusa shell architecture, Seminole textile design, Charley Harper's work for the National Park Service, and an Artist in Residence program situating contemporary artists and writers deep in the Everglades for a month at a time. 

Anyone interested is invited to attend the event, which will include a question and answer period about culture in the Everglades. Panelists include Miami-based artists who were inspired by the Everglades:Tori Arpad-Cotta, video artist;Ana Mendez, dancer and performance artist; and the current AIRIE fellow, Jane Abrams, a painter from New Mexico. The panel will also include Laura Ogden, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University and author of, "SWAMPLIFE: People, Gators and Mangroves Entangled in the Everglades." Christy Gast, artist and AIRIE board member, will moderate the panel discussion, and question and answer period.

Books & Books is located at 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, Florida 33134. The event isfree.Networking in the courtyard will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by announcements inside at 6:30 p.m. The panel discussion and a question and answer session is being held from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. RSVP's are requested.ToRSVP, [e-mail], subject: ARTtuesdays Culture among the Vultures RSVP.  

This panel is presented byARTtuesdays/MIAMI, a group of volunteers who donate their time and resources to ensure that meetings are professionally organized and well attended. Following the panel discussion, ARTtuesdays guests may enjoy a 10 percent dinner discount in the cafe, graciously donated by Books & Books.

          For more information on the AIRIE program call 305-242-7752, or visithttps://www.nps.gov/ever/ supportyourpark/ everartistinresidence.htm

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.  Learn more atwww.nps.gov.