Culture Worthy of your Calendar

It’s a cultural variety show, it’s a fundraising auction and most importantly, it’s the official ‘opening’ of the 2011-2012 cultural season in Central Florida. The Seventh Annual Red Chair Affair is set for Saturday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. This is the event that celebrates — and introduces — Central Florida performers and artists to audiences for the season in both the visual and performing arts. It’s our ticket to sample the incredible range of artistic offerings found throughout Central Florida.

At the Affair, patrons enjoy activities in the lobby of the Bob Carr from 7-8 p.m. after which a 90-minute performance is presented onstage from a variety of Central Florida’s cultural organizations. Attractions include everything from Orlando Aerial Arts and the Orlando Ballet to the Orlando Gay Chorus, the Philharmonic, the Shakespeare Theater and the Winter Park Playhouse. Funds raised support the Red Chair Project, a nonprofit service group that includes 360 organizations, promoting the arts through RedChairProject.com, discounted tickets, workshops and cultural getaways.

VIP tickets and corporate packages are available. To purchase tickets, visit RedChairProject.com or call 407-872-2382.

New public sculpture

There’s a new public sculpture in town, and just like the new sheriff showing up in the Old West, this sculpture is standing tall at 18 feet high. Nationally renowned sculptor (and DeLand resident) John Wolfe created and installed the new sculpture at the Mennello Museum of American Art.

Titled “L’homme”, the sculpture was commissioned to be an abstract representation of museum founder Michael Mennello. The sculpture was fabricated from steel and aluminum in Wolfe’s studio in DeLand, where he frequently combines high-tech and traditional metalworking techniques. “L’homme” is the companion piece to Wolfe’s “Les Grande Dame”, a 13 foot sculpture commissioned by Mr. Mennello two years ago. Wolfe has installed many public artworks in Central Florida, including mobiles at the downtown Orlando, Winter Garden and Alafaya Public Libraries, Orlando’s Langford Park, DeLand City Hall and the University of Central Florida. His work is included in corporate and private collections including AT&T and Florida Hospital. Frank Holt, director of the Mennello Museum, said, “It was the ‘missing link’ in the view of the lake.”

The Mennello Museum is located at Loch Haven Park at 900 E. Princeton St. in Orlando. Additional work by John Wolfe may be viewed at wolfesculpture.com

‘Arabia’ at Cinedome

The often-overwhelming screen of the Orlando Science Center’s Cinedome is the perfect place to lose yourself in the exotic — and enlightening — “Arabia,” the newest movie offered at OSC.

Premiering on Saturday, Aug. 20 and playing through May 2012, “Arabia” ‘flies’ viewers through the treasure-laden Red Sea to explore the ruins of a lost city, tells us about three Islamic golden ages and introduces us to the youth of Arabia, who are transforming this ancient land. The movie introduces a country few of us will ever visit while exploring this fabled world with images of more than 20 locations across Saudi Arabia. Spanning 21 centuries of history, the film tells us of an ancient culture based on global trade, an age of scientific discovery in advance of our Western Renaissance, and the current age of technological advances and youthful optimism.

The Premiere is an OSC Cocktails & Cosmos event set for Saturday, Aug. 20 from 7 to 11 p.m., with food and drink specials along with the premiere of the new giant-screen film. Hamzah Jamjoom, a young Saudi filmmaker featured in the film, will be the honored guest of the evening. Call 407-514-2000 or visit www.osc.org

Who is Garrick?

Josh Garrick is a writer, photographer, educator, and fine art curator. He is a member of

the Curatorial Council for the Museum of Florida Art. Garrick can be reached at

[email protected] or 407-522-3906.