Thoroughly Modern Millie

Opening next Thursday Thoroughly Modern Millie is set in the 1920s and features Halie Clark as Millie. A strong cast dances and sings their way through a multitude of great numbers full of energy . Directed by Mary T Albright, Musical Director Pat Fleitz and choreographer Abraham Jarell lend their talents to bring you this fun musical.

Performances are 7:30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2pm Sunday - July 16th - 26th at the Lake Mirror Theatre, 121 S. Lake Ave 33801

Tickets are available at www.lakelandcommunitytheatre.com or in the Box Office 863 603 7529 Mon-Fri 1-4 pm and ONE hour before a performance

Go Behind the Art Next Friday at PMoA

Next Friday, April 3, Polk Museum of Art will do a little thing it calls "Behind the Art." The focus will be on the new Gregory Barsamian exhibition, and the Curator of Art and Exhibits Specialist will show visitors exactly how the artwork works. It's pretty mind-boggling even when you see it.

The talk/demonstration will start at 12:15pm and is free with admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 Museum members, $4 member seniors, and $2 for students (K-College).

PMoA Offers Spring Break Art Camp

If you’re looking for something educational and artistic to keep the kids occupied over Spring Break, might I suggest Spring Break Art Camp at Polk Museum of Art? Participating children will rotate through three classes: Sculpture, Drawing & Painting, and Performance and Stage Craft. All of the projects will be inspired by the Museum’s Pre-Columbian art collection.

Camp is for children ages 5 - 13 and runs 9:00am - 4:30pm, March 30 - April 3. Tuition is $130 per student for Museum members or $150 per student for non-members. You can register your child by going here, or you can call PMoA at 688-5423.

Exhibition Opening at PMoA This Weekend

This Friday night, Polk Museum of Art will be hosting the opening reception for its newest exhibition, Unbelievable Transformations: Moving Sculptures by Gregory Barsamian. The artist will be talking about his work at 6:00pm and there will be light refreshments and a cash bar starting at 7:00pm. The reception is free for Museum members and $10 for non-members.

I know I’m biased, but I really can not convey in words how cool this exhibition is going to be. Once it’s finally up, I’m going to post some video to give everyone a better idea. In the meantime, here’s a link to a movie of the piece above in action. Keep watching because there’s another piece shown after the halfway mark.

Art Classes Offered at Polk Museum of Art

Polk Museum of Art will be hosting several art classes starting February 3. Classes are available for children, teens, and adults, and in a variety of media. Classes are offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and last for eight weeks. The cost of the class includes basic materials, and classes are open to students of all skill levels. Classes to be offered are:

For teens and adults:
Chinese Brush Painting, Tuesdays, 6 - 9pm, $130 Museum Members, $145 Non-Members

Digital Photography II*, Tuesdays, 6 - 9pm, $90 Museum Members, $105 Non-Members (*Students must supply their own digital camera and are encouraged to bring a laptop with Adobe Photoshop installed, if possible.)

Portrait Drawing, Tuesdays, 6 - 9pm, $115 Museum Members, $130 Non-Members

Transformation Through Clay, Tuesdays, 6 - 9pm, $115 Museum Members, $130 Non-Members

Life Drawing*, Thursdays, 6 - 9pm, $115 Museum Members, $130 Non-Members (*Nude models are used. Students under the age of 18 must have written parental consent to participate.)

Acrylic Painting, Thursdays, 6 - 9pm, $130 Museum Members, $145 Non-Members

For children:
Cultural Creations, Tuesdays, 6 - 8pm. Learn about world cultures through creating art. $90 Museum Members, $105 Non-Members

Mud Madness, Thursdays, 6 - 8pm. Learn how to work with clay. $90 Museum Members, $105 Non-Members

Recycle that Paper! Papermaking, Thursdays, 6 - 8pm. Learn to make your own paper and how to use it in your artwork. $90 Museum Members, $105 Non-Members.

For more information or to register for any of these classes, call 863-688-5423

MIDFLORIDA Signs On as Title Sponsor of Polk Museum of Art's Annual Mayfaire by-the-Lake

Polk Museum of Art's Mayfaire by-the-Lake, the annual art festival which takes place on Mother's Day weekend each year, welcomes a new title sponsor beginning in 2009. The Polk Museum of Art is proud to announce its partnership with MIDFLORIDA Federal Credit Union who is expected to serve as the event's title sponsor until 2018.

"We've been very fortunate that the both the community and the area businesses have always embraced Mayfaire. That's evident in the event attendance and the array of local businesses that have provided long-term support for the event,” stated Daniel Stetson, Executive Director of the Polk Museum of Art. "We have only had one other business partner serve as the title sponsor of Mayfaire and we are pleased that MIDFLORIDA has joined us as a new long-term sponsor."

The title sponsorship was most recently held by Volvo, a brand that served as the title sponsor for 5 years, but unfortunately, due to Volvo ceasing representation in Lakeland, the title sponsorship was unable to be renewed.

Polk Museum of Art took this opportunity to approach MIDFLORIDA Federal Credit Union because of their prior interest in the title sponsorship of the festival. Beginning in 2009, the event will be renamed "MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire-by-the-Lake," representing the local financial institution's involvement in Polk Museum of Art's most popular annual event.

"We are proud to be associated with such a community-oriented event. While the negotiations for the sponsorship seemed to move quickly, this is the result of years of interest," stated Kevin Jones, President and CEO of MIDFLORIDA. "Mayfaire is one of the best events in central Florida and attracts people from every walk of life and many different communities. It just seemed like a natural fit for our financial institution."

Polk Museum of Art's MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire-by-the-Lake will take place on the shores of Lake Morton in downtown Lakeland on May 9 – 10, 2009.

Other confirmed sponsors of MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake at this time are: Premier Sponsors - Colonial Bank, Frost Van den Boom & Smith, P.A., and The Ledger; Children's Art Tent Sponsors - Publix Super Markets Charities and Tampa Maid Foods; Reception & Entertainment Sponsors - Ron & Becky Johnson and Kristen & Dan Gunter; Official Yellow Pages Sponsor - The AT&T Real Yellow Pages; With additional support from - The City of Lakeland, Polk County Tourism & Sports Marketing, Lakeland Runner's Club, Polk County School Board, and VSA arts of Florida - Polk County.