On Saturday, May 10, 2014 Ploppy Palace Productions and The Miccosukee Tribe will be hosting a concert to raise awareness and funds for Everglades protection and public education. As part of this three stage extravaganza, some of South Florida’s top bands, spoken word artists and community activists will join together to raise awareness for this vital natural resource.
There will be musical performances by Boxelder, Afrobeta, Sweetbone, Franklin’s Wheel, Aaron Lebos Reality, Nature’s Fury, Teri Catlin, Super Fuzz, Cog Noman, Nag Champayons present the Prolific Minimalists, Kuyayky, The Osceola Brothers Band, Mr. Grim Reapa, Orion, Val C. Wisecracker, Grant Livingston, Anthony Nelson, Silver Nightingale & more.
Spoken word by Alonso, Oscar Fuentes, Rebecca “Butterfly” Vaughns & more.
Live art by Eva Ruiz, Anibal Fernandez, Linx, Jake Cordero and more.
Face painting by Them There Eyes.
Community speakers include South Miami City Mayor Phil Stoddard, Houston Cypress from Love The Everglades Movement & other concerned citizens..
In addition there will be an Environmental Art Exhibition featuring a selection of distinctive artists including Mark Henson, Kiro Fox Ace, Eva Ruiz, Lloyd Goradesky, Brian F. Call, Lauranda Hook, Peter Barreda, Margrit-Rose People, Aeric Moskowitz, Alissa Christine, Flex Maslan, Brian Pruitt, Rei Ramirez, Abdiel Acosta, Jorge Muriel, Wesley Geometry, Jake Cordero, Luis Alejandro Diaz, Jean Sarmiento, Mike Jones, Anibal Fernandez, Chia Ortegon, Stephanie McMillian, Aiyesha Ghani, Claudia Costa and Anastasia Sultzer and more.
One of the reasons why this is an Environmental Art Exhibition, rather than an Everglades Art Exhibition is because we want to reach out to more people and see how they connect with the environment, ecology and nature in general. Many people do not get to experience the Everglades and their relationship to the region is limited, yet everyone should have some sort of environmental awareness and some understanding of what it means to have clean air, clean water and an area that is pollution free. We want to reach out to more people and share environmental consciousness – and that happens many ways.
The Environmental Art Exhibition will be featured in the Moksha Gallery from Friday, April 18 – Tuesday, May 13, 2014
MISSION STATEMENT
The Everglades Awareness Benefit Concert Series is a platform for individuals and organizations to engage the community about environmental issues and find solutions to help protect the Everglades ecosystem and our water supply. For this family friendly event, we are reaching out to other businesses, governmental agencies, various organizations and the community to become more aware and more active. This event features a diverse mix of entertainment, environmental artwork, community speakers, information booths and local vendors. We utilize art activism to highlight the environmental content within the various performances and presentations – this format opens the message and expands the chorus of voices working for positive changes.
OBJECTIVES
* Engage a wide variety of communities and interests through discussions that articulate what their particular concerns are as it relates to use of natural or human resources that impact the Everglades ecosystem
* Invite minority, or under-represented, communities and perspectives to the forum to share their experiences and concerns
* Engage the local community
* Establish common goals and offer positive solutions to address the problems
* Present a holistic, or comprehensive, perspective on the ways that society interacts with the Everglades ecosystem (industry, agriculture, commercial, cultural, spiritual, etc.)
* Present information on Everglades matters from the following perspectives: science & technology, policy and law, cultural use, history, art
* Discuss threats to environmental sustainability that are not addressed by current projects (L-28 Interceptor Canal & CEPP)
* Create connections between local and national organizations working on Everglades matters
* Generate media attention and public interest
* Raise funds for local organizations that support the Everglades
* Provide commercial opportunities for local vendors & artisans
Currently, the Everglades is one of the most threatened natural habitat in the western hemisphere. Residential development, water management and agricultural use have shifted natural water patterns and have altered the vitality of the ecosystem. With an alarming number of people moving into South Florida every year, we need to come together and help to protect the Everglades for our survival.
There will be information booths from Love The Everglades Movement, Tropical Audubon Society, Legalizepot.us (voter registration) & other organizations.
In addition there will be vendors and small businesses promoting & selling their merchandise, including The Wallflower Gallery, Moksha Boutique, Loutus in Hand.
The 7th Annual Everglades Awareness Benefit Concert at 7th Circuit Productions is sponsored by Ploppy Palace Productions and The Miccosukee Tribe.
