Elena | The Studios of Key West

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan Appointed Inaugural Chair of Artist Residency Alumni Network at The Studios of Key West


photo by Mark Hedden

Key West, FL – August 20, 2024 – The Studios of Key West is proud to announce the appointment of Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan as the inaugural Chair of the PEAR (Peyton Evans Artist Residency) Alumni Network. Tan, a celebrated novelist, journalist, and educator, brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to storytelling to this newly established leadership role.

Tan holds the prestigious position of George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Her distinguished career includes roles as a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal, senior fashion writer at In Style magazine, and senior arts and entertainment writer at the Baltimore Sun.

She is internationally renowned for her literary contributions, including her novel Sarong Party Girls and memoir A Tiger In The Kitchen, both of which became international bestsellers. In fact, she wrote a few chapters of Sarong Party Girls when she was an artist in residence at The Studios of Key West in 2013 and credits the residency with some key breakthroughs she made on the novel. She is also the co-creator and co-editor of Anonymous Sex, and the editor of the acclaimed anthology Singapore Noir. Her work has received significant recognition, including multiple grants from the National Arts Council of Singapore.

As an artist who has been in residence at The Studios of Key West, Yaddo, and Hawthornden Castle, among others, Tan is deeply connected to the artist residency community. Her appointment as Chair of the PEAR Alumni Network underscores The Studios of Key West’s commitment to fostering a dynamic and supportive environment for artistic expression.

“I am honored to take on this role with The Studios and excited to help build a vibrant community of alumni artists that will support and inspire one another as we continue to create and tell our stories,” said Tan.

The PEAR Alumni Network is designed to create a supportive network for artists and writers who have participated in The Studios of Key West’s residency program, providing a platform for continued creative collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth.

The Studios of Key West Executive Director, Jed Dodds, expressed enthusiasm about Tan’s appointment, stating, “Cheryl’s extraordinary career and her passion for storytelling make her the perfect choice to lead our PEAR Alumni Network. She also possesses a true gift for connecting with people. We are thrilled to have her guide this important initiative.”

Since 2008, nearly 400 artists, writers, filmmakers and musicians have come to Key West through the PEAR Program, many returning and several relocating to the island permanently. Each has benefited from the island’s unique character, and left something of themselves behind. The PEAR Program celebrates the spirit of exploration with which it was founded, the artists it was established to serve, and the vision, wisdom and generosity of the woman for whom it’s named.

Rodney Crowell

Old Town New Folk

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Bronson Arroyo and Elan Trotman

Key West Bicentennial Concert

$100 VIP / $35 General Admission / $20 Students

Limited capacity

Ticket proceeds support Old Island Restoration Foundation and The Studios of Key West.

Location: Oldest House Museum – Tom Majors Garden, 322 Duval Street

Key West Florida 200th anniversary sign in yellow and red with a conch shell and palm trees
Bronson Arroyo playing guitar looking sideways

REGISTRATION

VIP Seating Sold Out. 

If you’d like to attend, but just can’t afford it, we may be able to help. Learn more about The Studios’ Accessibility Fund here.

Key West Bicentennial Concert

Old Island Restoration Foundation and The Studios of Key West Present
Bronson Arroyo and Elan Trotman at The Oldest House Museum 

 

Born in Key West, Florida. Bronson played Major League Baseball from 2000-2014. His musical interest was nurtured by his grandmother Norma Dopp who taught music in Key West for 53 years. His debut album, Covering the Bases, includes covers from bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Foo Fighters.

Saxophonist Elan Trotman has quickly become one of jazz’s most thrilling and emotive performers.

Gallery and box office hours

Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm

Call us at 305-296-0458

Join our newsletter

Share this page

Unstuck as F*ck written by and starring Orlando Bishop

Directed by Anika Larsen

$70, $50 mbrs. (discounted price will display for members upon login)

Limited capacity

Helmerich Theater, 533 Eaton Street

PLEASE NOTE: you will be required to provide proof of a recent negative Covid test, or of full Covid vaccination, to attend this program, as it is indoors. Masks required. Click here for details on the Covid-19 precautions we’re taking.

Find out about our seating and weather policies.

REGISTRATION

If you’d like to attend, but just can’t afford it, we may be able to help. Learn more about The Studios Accessibility Fund here.

CLICK THE DOTS FOR MORE INFO

Unstuck as F*ck
written by and starring Orlando Bishop
directed by Anika Larsen

Unstuck as F*ck, making its world premiere in Key West, is a truly unique event. Part TED talk, part stand-up routine, part heartbreaking drama. Over the course of 70 minutes, TV writer and actor Orlando tells the fascinating story of his life—from growing up in the concrete jungle of Flatbush, Brooklyn to his years in the ivory tower of Yale—to all the ups and downs that came after.

Irreverent, insightful, and inspirational.

Orlando’s story is enlightening, healing, and particularly timely in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the “We See You, White American Theater” initiative.

Orlando Bishop has called Los Angeles home since 1997 when he first crossed the country in a “three-wheeled car” to earn his MFA in Motion Picture Producing from USC Film School’s Peter Stark Producing Program. He’s served as a staff writer on 7th Heaven and The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and developed projects for companies ranging from Nickelodeon to Fox Searchlight. Throughout his time doing stand-up, performing storytelling, and developing his solo show, “ORLANDO BISHOP: Unstuck As F*ck,” a “good story, well told” has consistently been his aim. Even the strategy development system he highlights in his solo show is based on helping people to articulate their success story and then coaching them through the process of bringing it to life. In 2018, Orlando directed Dinner For Two for TV One, a script he’d written, interestingly, about a man who needs desperately to get “unstuck.” These days, whether he’s developing for stage or screen, whether writing comedy or drama, Orlando continues to draw on his youth in Flatbush, Brooklyn, his journey to and through “Hollywood,” and life with his wife of 23 years and their 16-year-old twins to tell stories that get audiences unstuck, giving them something to think about or just a much-needed laugh.

Anika Larsen has performed on Broadway in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Avenue Q, Xanadu, All Shook Up and Rent. Off-Broadway, she was in Zanna, Dont!, Myths and Hymns, Closer Than Ever, Miracle Brothers, How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes, Disaster! and Unbroken Circle.  Anika wrote and performed in a musical called Shafrika, The White Girl about her childhood growing up in Cambridge, MA with nine brothers and sisters from different races and countries. She directed weekly live-streamed plays for teens throughout the spring of 2020 as part of the “Stars in the House” franchise.  Anika majored in theater at Yale University and she looks forward to returning to Broadway in 2021 in Almost Famous the Musical.

Gallery and box office hours

Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm

Call us at 305-296-0458

Join our newsletter

Share this page

Feature and short documentaries by Brad Abrahams, PEAR

$20, $15 mbrs. (discounted price will display for members upon login)

Limited capacity

Helmerich Theater, 533 Eaton Street

PLEASE NOTE: you will be required to provide proof of a recent negative Covid test, or of full Covid vaccination, to attend this program, as it is indoors. Masks required. Click here for details on the Covid-19 precautions we’re taking.

sponsored by La Rubia Key West 

color outdoor portrait of The Studios of Key West Artist in Residence filmmaker Brad Abrahams

REGISTRATION

If you’d like to attend, but just can’t afford it, we may be able to help. Learn more about our Scholarship Program here.

CLICK THE DOTS FOR MORE INFO

About the Screening

Peyton Evans Artist in Residence (PEAR) Abrahams shares a selected body of film work starting with a 67-minute feature and three short films, followed by a talk and discussion. An award-winning documentary filmmaker, commercial director, and lapsed South Floridian, Abrahams is no stranger to off-kilter characters, bizarre history or mysterious places—all of which make appearances in his films.

The main theme, explored in the shorts collection, is the ethics of profiling people and subcultures that are fringe and controversial. Abrahams posits that societal outsiders and extreme experiencers, regardless of the veracity of their claims, can be a window into the workings of consciousness, and a bridge to heal ideological divides.

About the Filmmaker

Brad Abrahams is a documentary filmmaker and commercial director from Toronto, Canada, now in Austin, TX. His all-consuming interests in radical science, cryptozoology, and general esoterica inspire his stories. Brad’s first feature, “Love and Saucers” won a special jury mention at Fantastic Fest ‘17, and landed a Hulu exclusive shortly after.  Though he has not yet had a supernatural experience, he is ready and willing.

Gallery and box office hours

Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm

Call us at 305-296-0458

Join our newsletter

Share this page

HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD

conceptualized & curated by
RITA B TROXEL

Sanger Gallery

sponsored by The Gardens Hotel and Friends of Groovy Gray and Phil Clark

happy people on beach

VIEW THE EXHIBITION:

 

 • VISIT IN PERSON →
Our galleries are open Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm, and are free of charge.

 • JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP →
Access more info and images by joining the Home at the End of the World Facebook Group

 • PURCHASE THE BOOK →
You can purchase at Books & Books online or by visiting us. Open every day, 10am-6pm.

Key West in the 1960s to the 1980s was a special time, even by Key West standards. Rita Troxel captures the era’s freewheeling glow in a curated selection of stories and photographs from her book Home at the End of the World, told in the voices of the people who lived it.

special thanks to Lynne Bentley-Kemp

POSTCARDS FROM SHANGRI-LA

MAGGIE RULEY

Zabar Lobby Gallery

sponsored by Key West Local Luxe

Maggy Ruley art 2 women and leopard brightly colored portrait

VIEW THE EXHIBITION:

 

 • VISIT IN PERSON →
Our galleries are open Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm, and are free of charge.

• VIEW ONLINE

One of our favorite painters takes us on a journey to an imaginary paradise on earth where exotic people and colorful creatures live side by side in sublime harmony.

The Mon Valley Medium by Alec Silberblatt, PEAR

$30, $20 mbrs. (discounted price will display for members upon login)

Capacity: 30

Held in the Courtyard at 529 Eaton St.

Find out about our seating policy, weather policy and the Covid-19 precautions we’re taking.

sponsored by OurKeyWest

REGISTRATION

If you’d like to attend, but just can’t afford it, we may be able to help. Learn more about our Scholarship Program here.

CLICK THE DOTS FOR MORE INFO

About the Show

Alec Silberblatt’s one-person play tells the story of Mack, a yinzer (meaning he grew up and lives in the Mon Valley of Western PA) who always believed in ghosts. But after the local medium proves himself to be a fraud, Mack is left questioning what is true and what is perception. In his darkly comic tale, Silberblatt takes the audience through one man’s involvement in a vigilante killing, and into an investigation of why we believe what we believe.

Alec Silberblatt is playwright and actor originally from Pittsburgh, PA.  His plays include: A Tell-Tale Heart (Commissioned for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Classics N’at Season), The Mon Valley Medium (Pittsburgh Public Theater’s PlayTime Series, Emerging Artists Theater, Carnegie Stage), The Angel of Allegheny County (New Wave Theater Collective), and others.  His work has been produced/developed by: The Pittsburgh Public Theater, Playhouse on Park, New Wave Theater Collective, Middle Voice Theater Company, The Barrington Collective, Greenhouse Ensemble, Harridan Productions, and the NYU Steinhardt School.  His short films and screenplays have been programmed as part of The Chain Film Festival NYC, Independent Film Festival Boston, Pittsburgh Shorts Festival, Cindependent Film Festival, and The Peace on Earth Film Festival.  As an actor, he’s worked with George Street Playhouse, Ivoryton Playhouse, Off the Wall Theater, Hatch Arts Collective, Quantum Theater, PICT Classic Theater, Lake Dillon Theater Company, City Theatre Company, Strange Sun Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Hartford TheaterWorks.  TV/Film: American Rust (Showtime).  Member: Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Writers Workshop. Training: BFA, Acting CCM.

Gallery and box office hours

Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm

Call us at 305-296-0458

Join our newsletter

Share this page

The Goombay Quilt with William Rhodes

Location: Nelson English Park Picnic Area
300 Catherine St, Key West, FL 33040

Free and open to the public!

Contact:

Kawana Staffney (kawana@bvmpkw.org), John Wilson Smith (jwskeys@gmail.com), Or The Studios (info@tskw.org / 305-296-0458)

fabric quilt three painted portraits elderly black folk promo William Rhodes Goombay Quilt workshop

NO FESTIVAL? NO PROBLEM!
YOU CAN STILL ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE GOOMBAY QUILT!

Free and open to the public! All Ages • Music • Food • Fun

 

Anyone with memories of – or dreams for – Bahama Village are invited to join San Francisco artist William Rhodes in making a colorful, collaborative quilt that captures the neighborhood’s spirit and history. Write down a recollection, draw a picture, or put anything you think of on a square of fabric. The squares are then knotted into a loose felt quilt that captures the spirit of the community today and can grow forever as part of Goombay.

 

In partnership with Bahama Village Music Program and Black Educators Memorial Project

Supported by Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, Tom Majors Fund for Wood Artists and Florida Keys Council of the Arts

Gallery and box office hours

Tue-Sat, 12-4pm

Call us at 305-296-0458

Join our newsletter

Share this page