Thursday, October 15
Acronyms, who doesn't love them? There's a new one to learn now that the Miami LGBT Film Festival has officially merged its name with the Fort Lauderdale edition to become MiFo — the Miami-Fort Lauderdale LGBT Film Festival. Formerly the Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, MiFo has grown from three days to two weekends — which is good for you if you're just learning about this now, because the second half continues this Thursday through Sunday. According to MiFo's mission statement, the goal of the festival is "to inspire, entertain, and educate the public, encourage a sense of community through international and culturally diverse film, video, and other media that offer historical and contemporary perspectives on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience." MiFo Fort Lauderdale will showcase more than 50 films highlighting and exploring the lives and experiences of the queer community. There will be special appearances by many of the films' directors and stars such as Patricia Velásquez (Liz in September), Vanessa Dunn (Portrait of a Serial Monogamist), Joey Kuhn (Those People), and Zack Ryan (Something Beautiful).
Screenings take place at various times at the Classic Gateway Theatre (1820 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale), Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale), and C&I Studios (541 NW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets to individual screenings cost $13, and special event prices vary; packages are available. The Miami edition of MiFo will happen April 22 through May 1, 2016. Visit mifofilm.com.
Putting parts of the old "it takes a village" proverb into practice, the Block Party for Higher Education returns to downtown Fort Lauderdale for its third year to showcase all the area has to offer in the way of community building and the promise of a solid college experience for the school-bound set of South Florida. "Our annual Block Party for Higher Education is a collaboration that Florida Atlantic University does with Broward College and Nova Southeastern University to recruit prospective students," says Roberto Santiago, communications officer for FAU. "But to encourage people to come, we do it as a block party — with live entertainment, music, food trucks, art, museum tours, prizes, and, of course, tables where FAU, BC, and NSU showcase their different departments and colleges." The event is by no means just for the 18-to-21-year-old crowd and is open to all ages.
Thursdays' free block party will include performances by Outre Theatre Company, Senior Moments, and the Broward Sheriff's Office DOD Band — a group of deputies and prison guards who play jazz. College tables will line Las Olas Boulevard between Andrews and SE Second avenues in Fort Lauderdale from 5 to 8 p.m. Call 954 236 1003 or visit
Friday, October 16
"Art With a Heart," the first exhibition of New River Gallery's 2015-16 season, will present no fewer than eight artists — from a Yugoslav painter to a Santa Fe sculptor. Though it's difficult to grasp a theme unifying all of the artists in the exhibit, almost all of them bring heady ideas to their works. The gripping, semiabstract paintings of Edward Lentsch, for instance, integrate earthen material to explore "the relationship between self, nature, and the universe," according to the gallery's president, Lisa Burgess. Peter Burega's paintings, which meld ethereal landscapes with geometric grids, are "about nature, but also about the energy that contrasts create," she says. And emerging artist Lucy Peveto uses the symbolism of the butterfly to suggest "self-discovery and uplifting moments of transformation." These artists clearly have existential motivations, but other pieces — such as Greg Constantine's vanity license places molded into collages that spell out idioms and movie quotes — are simply fun. Proceeds of art purchases will benefit HANDY, the Broward County charity supporting abused, neglected, and disadvantaged youth.
The show opens to the public this Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through November 8 at the gallery, located at 914 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free. Call 954-524-2100, or visit newriverfineart.com.
On Real Time this summer, Bill Maher enjoyed a rare bit of bipartisan harmony by attacking a well-deserved target: politically correct college students: "When Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Larry the Cable Guy say you have a stick up your ass, you don't have to wait for the x-rays to come back." You can kind of understand the faux-outrage over Rock and maybe Larry, but all of a sudden Jerry Seinfeld is a lightning rod for controversy? The guy who spends five minutes of stage time on the expiration dates of milk, whose most provocative material in his last South Florida appearance mocked the unhurried pace of postal trucks? When did America's benign, observational nebbish become Bill Hicks? But it's a good thing his current tour is stopping by the friendlier clime of the Kravis Center's Dreyfoos Hall and not, say, FAU. Off the stage, the title star of the greatest sitcom in modern TV history has continued to innovate; his web-based series about nothing, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, has enjoyed more than 100 million clicks and the participation of comedy icons from Mel Brooks to Stephen Colbert. Better yet, his copious free time has led to some of the sharpest, most existential standup material he's ever written.
See Seinfeld show it off Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Kravis, located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Call 561-832-7469, or visit kravis.org.
Saturday, October
The cost to join is $45 per person. Proceeds will help fund underinsured local women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment and therapy. Participants will each receive a signature Glam-A-Thon tote bag. The Glam Doll Strut begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Esplanade Park is located at 400 SW Second St. in Fort Lauderdale. Visit glam-a-thon.com to see how you can make a difference, whether it be through donation or participation.
Sometimes a building is more than four walls, a roof, and a postal code. Sometimes the lives lived inside can give it a kind of pulse; the minds of its inhabitants become a collective nerve center. In Jen Clay's three-piece video series UnderNeath, the Fort Lauderdale-based artist employs claymation and puppetry techniques to explore the idea of the life of the building, creating "a playful, imagined anatomy" of a handful of buildings used to house some of the area's most thought-provoking contemporary art. "This project was inspired from the movie Amityville Horror when the house as an entity bleeds," Clay says. "None of the buildings are made to bleed, but instead a fragility is shown through a growing tear of a wound on the façades, as if the building was alive. I am interested in how events, experiences, and memories affect our surroundings and bodies on the micro level." Clay is one of five artists participating in the site-specific outdoor video projection portion of this year's Art Fallout — a local celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month hosted by the Girls' Club Collection that aims to unite downtown Fort Lauderdale's art spaces with an evening of interactive exhibitions, public art projects, community involvement, and presentations. In addition to the video installations by Clay and artists Sri Prabha, Francesco Lo Castro, and Maria-Theresa Barbist, the night will feature free admission to all venues, free shuttle service, open studios, food trucks, and live music.
Participating spaces include Girls' Club, Glavovic Studio, NSU Art Museum, 1310 Gallery, FATVillage Arts District, Cadence Pop Up Gallery, MAC Fine Art, Made in Broward, MASS District, Mockingbird Trail, and Laser Wolf. The sixth-annual Art Fallout takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 117 NE Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-828-9151, or visit girlsclubcollection.org/art-fallout-2015.
The former capital of spring break, Fort Lauderdale is well known as a drinking town — hey, the city earned the right to the nickname Fort Liquordale. Of course, not everyone is an alcoholic. Many residents simply like a nice binge on a weekend evening. Fort Lauderdale Bar Crawl is here to make that easier. This Saturday night, it'll host another crawl to help participants with their consumption. Sponsored by Stephens Distributing, the event includes seven adult beverages at seven downtown bars. Choose from mixed drinks or beers at Tarpon Bend, Tilted Kilt, Crafti Bar, Bar Stache 1920's Drinking Den, Lucky's Tavern, America's Backyard, and CYN Nightclub. Follow the group itinerary or travel solo. The purchase of a bracelet entitles you to free admission to CYN all night, where the afterparty will go down. Postcrawl festivities will feature drink specials for crawl attendees all night, a 50-inch flat-screen TV giveaway, and other prizes.
Don't wear sweatpants and flip-flops — the dress code for CYN is strictly enforced. The cost is $20 in advance. The crawl takes place from 6:30 to 11 p.m., beginning at Tilted Kilt, located at 219 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Visit fortlauderdalebarcrawl.com.
Oktoberfest is the most renowned party on the globe. Every year, beer lovers from around the world converge on Munich to eat sausages (and pretzels), drink German brews, and be merry in lederhosen and dirndls. Americans love the idea too. Like most things, though, we've changed it around to suit ourselves. So what if the real Oktoberfest takes place in September? It sounds like it should be the following month. And though we're certainly not bashing Germany's impressive lagers and pilsners (those liquids are the gold standard of beer), we like to play with convention. In keeping with the twists on tradition, the Fort Lauderdale Firefighters Benevolent Association this Saturday will host its third-annual Oktoberfest-themed Homebrew Competition. The event is a chance to sample unlimited beers from local contestants while benefiting a good cause. All proceeds go toward the Sick and Injured Fund. Featured brewers include Mannikko Brewing Co., K Love Brewing, Maltese Cross Ale Works, Hopaholics Homebrew Club, 403 Brewing Co., Fahrenheit Brewing, HW Brewing, Dirty Garage Brewing, Brunner Brewing, and Bures-Brues-Brewing. Riverside Market and Craft Beer Cartel are sponsors, so expect to see craft beer legends Julian and Lisa Siegel.
Homebrew Competition takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Fort Lauderdale Firefighters Benevolent Hall, located at 309 SW 26th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Admission costs $20. Visit facebook.com/maltesecrossaleworks.
Sunday, October 18
Imagine the scent of smoked meats wafting through the air on a Sunday afternoon. Hungry? Riverwalk's third-annual Smoke on the Water BBQ Feast has what you're craving. With barbecue items starting at $5 a pop, you can dribble BBQ sauce down your chin all day. After the 'cue quiets the grumbling in your stomach, tune into the live jam of the hour while sipping some cold brew. This event is designed for the whole family, but adults ages 21 or older can have a little extra fun at the pop-up beer garden, courtesy of Stephens Distributing, after purchasing a $25 pass at the gate. Get a head start on planning your eating schedule by checking out the menus of confirmed vendors: Smokey C's Catering, Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream, Mr. Cobbs Barbecue, Sweet Dewey's BBQ, Smokin' Hot Ribs & Wings, Pirate Brothers BBQ, and Jerk Juice Bar & Grill.
The feast takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Esplanade Park, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free. Visit goriverwalk.com.
In recent years, FATVillage — with its wildly popular monthly art walk and rapidly growing catalog of galleries and studios — has become the New Fort Lauderdale. But for all its modern creativity and youthful inspiration, it certainly didn't invent the local art scene. Fort Lauderdale has a long history of working artists plying their craft, and the 28th-annual Las Olas Art Fair is a fine example of that tradition. The fair will feature more than 150 artists' works displayed along the street, where attendees can meet and interact with the artists. Pieces will include paintings, rare jewels, life-size sculptures, photos, and ceramics — all available for purchase.
This weekend's art fair, the second of the season for Las Olas, is in support of breast cancer awareness and the Shula Fund at the Moffitt Cancer Center. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along East Las Olas Boulevard. Admission is free. Visit artfestival.com.
For more events, visit our online calendar or pick up the print edition of the New Times Broward-Palm Beach every Thursday. To submit an event, use our online form.
You can contact Rebecca McBane, Arts & Culture Editor/Food Editor at [email protected]. Follow @cleanplatebpb on Twitter and like New Times
