“This year, CANVAS will be a multi-phase event that will
transform vacant city-owned lots along Flagler Drive into
imaginative, interactive, art-filled parks”
CANVAS happens from November 11
to 20 throughout downtown West Palm
Beach, now well known for its art and
cultural scene.
The people and companies driving the
CANVAS movement include founder and
gallerist Nicole Henry; Mayor Jeri Muoio
and the City of West Palm Beach; the
West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority; the West Palm Beach
Community Redevelopment Agency;
West Palm Beach Art in Public Places; the
Related Cos.; Hilton West Palm Beach;
GlilddenSpina + Partners; and Downtown
Abacoa.
From 2016 on, CANVAS will be centrally
located along the busy Flagler Drive,
directly across the Intracoastal Waterway
from Palm Beach. The lush green space
along the waterfront will be built into a
world-class outdoor museum accessible
to the public year-round with rotating exhibitions and its annual show in
November.
The first phase which will come to
fruition this year will include a Kids Art
Park, Chamber Park, Installation Park, as
well as colossal murals. Attendees will
find themselves in awe of 14-foot-tall
laser-cut sculpture installations illustrating design and technology, exploring
40-foot-long monumental shipping
containers with designs that connect
art to the landscape and examining
railroad boxcar installations that will
reflect on the historical significance of
Flagler Drive. An outdoor classroom and
a playful art-inspired playground will be
featured in the interactive Kids Art Park,
graciously funded by John S. and James
L. Knight Foundation Fund of the Com-
munity Foundation for Palm Beach and
Martin Counties and Knight Foundation
program director, Lilly Weinberg.
Organizers are looking for a permanent home for the CANVAS Outdoor
Museum because CANVAS has become
an ingrained component of the art and
cultural experience in West Palm Beach,
captivating the imagination of the international art community.
Plans are set and renderings approved.
More than 15 cutting-edge artists from
around the world will touch down in
West Palm Beach this November. The
lineup includes some familiar faces
from last year’s inaugural show, while
several new artists are excited to join the
roster in the rotating exhibition. Worldrenowned artists participating in 2016
includes: Amanda Valdes, Amber Rae,
Astro, Brendan Murphy, Case Maclaim,
Filthy Luker, Greg Mike, Griffin Loop,
HoxxoH, Hula, Hybycozo, Kobra, Laura
Kimpton, Lonac, PichiAvo, Pipsqueak
Was Here!!!, Sipros, WRDSMTH, and Zeus.
This year’s theme is “connection”, and
4th quarter edition - 2016
what connection represents to an artist
and to the creative experience.
The event will be augmented by a series
of free and ticketed events, starting with
the CANVAS Art Gala on October 22 at
the VIP Pop-up Lounge at 1016 Clare Ave.
in West Palm Beach hosted by Bettina
Anderson, Lizzi Bickford and Chris Leavitt
with a live musical performance by hiphop superstar Ja Rule. Proceeds from
the CANVAS Art Gala will support CANVAS
Art Charities, a non-profit organization
dedicated to funding visual arts to enrich
public spaces and foster social and economic outcomes.
Public art is becoming important for
our city to thrive. It promotes different
projects in the city that engage local
artists while reflecting the city’s diversity
of cultures.
Art makes people engage with the places where they live. This is what CANVAS
is making a connection for. It will create
experiences that will enrich many of us
and at the same time will attract others,
some as visitors, some to stay.
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