Burn Baby, Burn- The Morean Heats Up at Street Party
Beth Reynolds (center), Director of Photography at the Morean Arts Center whirls a ball of fire (steel wool stuffed into a kitchen whisk and lit) in a Burn demonstration and awesome photo op.
A street party broke out in downtown St. Petersburg at 7th Street and Central, part of the Morean Arts Center Burn event. Tropical storm Nestor, threatening the area all day, couldn’t extinguish this fire party! The celebration was part of the week-long SHINE Mural Festival happening all over the city.
Tropical Storm Nestor threatened bad weather all day but did not extinguish the Burn Festival street party on 7th Street and Central Avenue in St. Petersburg
The celebration was broken into two parts. The VIP experience ($100) took place in the Chihuly collection across Central Avenue from the street party and included live music, artist demonstrations, and tours of the collection. The street party ($50) featured complementary food trucks, beverages, and fire related demonstrations (it is the Burn party).
Street performances included twirling fire, setting the place aglow
Participants watched exhibitions like the Morean Glass Studio’s Night Blow, where the glassblowing hotshop was veiled in darkness and lit by the glow of the oven and participants glow stick necklaces. Beth Reynolds, photographer extraordinaire and Director of Photography at the center, braved life and limb (okay not really-many safety precautions were taken) by igniting steel wool stuffed into a kitchen whisk and whirling it through the air to create sparks and a fantastic photo opportunity.
It's hot in the hot shop as partiers wearing glowstick necklaces observe glassblowing in the dark at the Morean Glass Studio’s Night Blow
Beth Reynolds, Director of Photography, shows the Burn by flinging sparks from ignited steel wool. Yep, that's her in the center
Participants were also able to take part in a silent auction, view all of the exhibits currently in the Morean including featured artists work by BASK and JUJMO, and be entertained with ceramics demonstrations, a wine ring toss, and rhythm by Bucket Radio.
Trevor Ware- AKA Bucket Radio- entertains in the gallery with rhythmic beats and vocals
Artist Kodi Thompson gives a live demonstration of his extrusion press, forming clay as part of his creative process
Don Williams demonstrates a potters wheel at the Burn Festival 2019 in the Morean Arts Center
Burn attendees get their art on with several canvases distributed throughout the street party welcoming self expression
Wine ring toss- For fifteen dollars folks try their hand at winning a bottle of vino (it was pretty easy). Everybody wins! The center make some money and participants get wine.
What a delightful night of entertainment, food, and the ability for the community to support such a great art center. No one got burned! Thanks Morean