For more information about the artists, please click on the images below.
Michael Patrick F. Smith
Folksinger, Author
Lexington, KY
Caro Dranow
Painter, Illustrator, Writer
Danbury, CT
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Artist
Chicago, IL
Aube Rey Lescure
Writer
Boston, MA
Michael Patrick F. Smith
Folksinger, Author
Lexington, KY
THE GOOD HAND is Michael Patrick F. Smith. As a musician, Smith has shared the stage with folk luminaries such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, as well as several prominent indie rock bands. His first book, The Good Hand, a memoir about working the rigs during North Dakota’s Bakken oil boom, will be released on Viking Press in February of 2021. Several plays he has written, including Woody Guthrie Dreams and Ain’t No Sin, have been staged in Baltimore and New York. Smith has worked as an actor, a bartender, junk hauler, furniture mover, book store clerk, contractor, guitar player, receptionist, event producer, driver, office temp, stage hand, waiter, security guard, set fabricator, legal assistant, grocer, oil field hand, and writer.
Caro Dranow
Painter, Illustrator, Writer
Danbury, CT
Caro Dranow (b. 1998) is an emerging painter based in New England. A recent graduate of Bowdoin College, her work explores emotional impressions of Maine’s wilderness and coast. By abstractly painting Maine with color and line, she attempts to capture the larger whimsy and awe of the land. By challenging traditional conventions of landscape painting, Caro views her work as innovative and intimate interpretations of the space that inspires her. She loves to paint because of the spiritual and cathartic experience and enjoys connecting with other artists. Caro has shown at the Greenpoint Gallery in New York City and has upcoming shows this Spring in and around New England. In addition to her gallery representation, she has been an honored recipient of the Robert and Blythe Grant for the Arts in Maine as well as the Ginestrelle Art Residency in Assisi, Italy. In addition to her emerging professional practice as an artist, Caro is an ardent teacher who runs community workshops for children and adults in Brunswick, Maine. Caro aspires to attend grad school and obtain her MFA at Yale University in order to spread her passion for art and teaching.
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Writer (Fiction, Nonfiction, Drama)
Chicago, IL
Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of novels, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny (and the Women Whom Loved Him). She coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry and dramatic works are widely published and produced, appearing in such outlets as Both Sides: Stories from the Border, the Anthology of Appalachian Heritage, storySouth, Another Chicago Magazine, New Daughters of Africa, Ms. Magazine, the Literary Traveler and others.
Her awards and honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines Fiction Award for Younger Writers, an American Library Association Black Caucus Award for Fiction, Ragdale Foundation US/Africa Fellowship, a William Randolph Hearst Research Visiting Fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society, a Roots Fellowship at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, Newcity Lit50: Who Really Books in Chicaggo, and an Esteemed Literary Artist Award from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Aube Rey Lescure
Writer
Boston, MA
Aube Rey Lescure is a French-Chinese-American writer who currently works as the Deputy Editor for Off Assignment. Aube grew up between Provence, northern China, and Shanghai before graduating from Yale University in 2015. She is the co-author of Creating a Stable Asia (Carnegie Press 2016) and the translator of the essay anthology Le Système Économique Chinois Face à ses Défis (éditions Nuvis 2017). She has received support as the 2019-2020 Ivan Gold Fellow at the Writers’ Room of Boston, a Pauline Scheer Fellow at GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator Program, and a recipient of the Salty Quill Writers’ Retreat scholarship. Aube’s fiction and creative nonfiction has appeared in the Jellyfish Review, Entropy Magazine, Medium, World Nomads, the Yale Daily News Magazine, the Yale Herald, and the Yale Globalist. She is currently working on her first novel.
Read “Sicily in Three Acts” by clicking the image above.
SPECIALTY HARDWOODS FOR SALE
A limited selection of short length (4′ or less) specialty hardwoods (mostly Cuban Mahogany) can be purchased from the Woodshop. Email woodshop@tskw.org for inquiries.
For a wider variety in wood types and length, we recommend our friend on Big Coppitt, Mike. He has a great selection and is nearby. His phone number is (305) 797-5747.
WOODSHOP RULES
No jerks allowed. The Woodshop is a shared space. Be mindful, respectful and patient with the people around you. Keep your space tidy and leave time to clean up before you’re done. The Woodshop Monitor is in charge, but is a human being too, so be nice.
No drinking or drugs. Consumption of alcohol or any substances which may impair judgment or coordination, including medications, are strictly forbidden while any tools are in use, including by others. Similarly, no one under the influence of substances consumed elsewhere is allowed in the Woodshop while tools are in use, including by others.
Keep food outside. You can eat at the tables outside, but keep food and drink (except water) outside of the Woodshop.
Supervision Required. The Woodshop may only be used in the presence of a Monitor who has been designated by The Studios.
Authorization Required. You may only use equipment and tools for which you’ve been authorized by a Woodshop Monitor.
Dress appropriately. Shoes with closed toes required while using tools. No dangling jewelry or clothing, and long hair should be pulled back. Eye covering is required while using power tools.
Know your materials. Know whether any materials you use are toxic, corrosive or flammable. No pressure treated wood. Store and dispose of them properly. Not sure? Read the label or ask the Monitor.
Know where the First Aid Kid is. And report any injuries to the Monitor.
WOODSHOP TOOLS
What We Have…
36” Band saw (Northfield)
Drill press (Delta)
8” Joiner (Powermatic)
Planer (Newman)
Radial arm saw (Dewalt)
Shaper-large (Powermatic)
Shaper-smaller (Grizzly)
10” Table Saw (Powermatic)
Lathe
Tabletop sander
Portable chop saw
Blades – various kinds
Clamps – various kinds
Fasteners – various kinds
Handheld drills
Handheld jigsaws
Work tables
… And What You’ll Need
Sandpaper (can be purchased at the Woodshop)
Blades and bits beyond ordinary use
Fasteners (eg. nails and screws) beyond ordinary use
HOW TO GET HERE
Address: 6810 Front Street, Key West, FL 33040
We’re located in Safe Harbor Marina on Stock Island, just down the docks from Hogfish Bar & Grill.
Shop Time Rates
$30/half day (up to 4 hours)
$50/full day (up to 8 hours)
$180/week (up to 5 days)
$550/month
Payments
Pay for your Shop Time online using the link you receive, or by phone at 305-296-0458 during The Studios regular Box Office Hours (Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm). Bookings must be confirmed by payment at least 24 hours in advance.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel or change your time, email woodshop@tskw.org right away.
Bookings may be cancelled and refunded up to 7 days prior to the booking.
Bookings may be changed to a later date at no additional cost, if notification is received at least 24 hours prior to the original booking.
No refunds will be issued if cancellation is not received at least 24 hours in advance.
Hugh's View Rooftop
With one of the tallest buildings – and most spectacular views – in town, the Hugh’s View rooftop terrace serves as The Studios’ creative space in the sky. The terrace sits four stories above street level and offers panoramic views of the island. The Kitwald Stage glows in the golden twilight of our sunset performances.
Hugh’s View offers:
—Smaller audience sizes
—Outdoor environment
—Intimate experiences
—A rooftop bar that opens one hour prior to show time
Helmerich Theater
With original seating from its days as a Masonic temple, the Helmerich Theater has been updated to also include floor seating. As a black box theater, the set up is intimate but professional, and sets the stage for concerts and performances that leave guests feeling like they really got to know the performer.
Helmerich Theater offers:
—More space and comfortable chairs
—Indoor comforts
—Intimate experiences
—A walk-up counter bar that opens one hour prior to show time
Residency Interest
The period for applying to 2021/22 residencies is now closed. We will begin accepting residencies for the 2022/23 season, which runs from September 2022-August 2023, in January 2022. If you would like to be notified by email when the application period opens again, please fill out this form.
With one of the tallest buildings – and most spectacular views – in town, the Hugh’s View rooftop terrace serves as The Studios’ creative space in the sky. The terrace sits four stories above street level and offers panoramic views of the island. The Kitwald Stage glows in the golden twilight of our sunset performances.
With original seating from its days as a Masonic temple, the Helmerich Theater has been updated to also include floor seating. As a black box theater, the set up is intimate but professional, and sets the stage for concerts and performances that leave guests feeling like they really got to know the performer.