SAT 6/5
Ah, the beach. The perfect place to take that special someone for a nice, romantic walk; a place to enjoy the calm, cool breeze, collect shells... and hurdle around washed-up men-of-war and used syringes. OK, so maybe our beaches aren't as ideal as in the days of yore, but that's what makes the exhibit "American Seascapes: Artists at the Shore" so enticing: It reminds us that our coastline once was a thing of true beauty. The exhibit features the paintings of John Marin, Jane Peterson, Selden Connor Gile, and Childe Hassam, all of which combine the loose, indistinct manner of impressionism (think Claude Monet) with the vivid colorations of fauvism (think Henri Matisse), and were created between 1912 and 1958. Marin's Cape Split, Maine employs such heavy, hazy brushstrokes that the distinction between man and nature is equally blurred. Much closer to home is Peterson's "Florida Landscape," which depicts a small pathway to the water, with our beloved palm tree standing front and center -- and decades removed from overdevelopment, pollution, and graffiti tags. Sigh... "American Seascapes" opens today and runs through August 1 at the Norton Museum of Art (1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach). General admission is $8 for adults, $3 for visitors ages 13 to 21, and free for children 13 and younger. Call 561-832-5196. --Jason Budjinski
Art Attack
Crash of the creative
SAT 6/5
What happened? The beautiful people now flock to Broward to walk around in preppy clothes and bounce from salon to bistro, while all the freaks have gone to Miami to make art! Until our wayward ones return, it's worth the trek south to see what they've been up to. Check out "Arroz Con Mango," part of the Surreal Saturdays series of artistic debauchery at PS 742 (1165 SW Sixth St., Little Havana). The spectacle features painters, poets, and performance artists. Local band Nag Champayons plays, and Axleigh Whereabouts offers a cooking demonstration and video installation that acknowledges "the living." General admission costs $7.42, and the sensory overload begins at 9 p.m. Call 305-324-0585, or visit www.ps742.org. --Deirdra Funcheon
