Pat Greene is Bungalower Media’s first sponsored Resident Reporter. Greene has joined our team as our Arts and Culture Correspondent for the next quarter, supported by the efforts of Interstruct Design + Build, an award-winning Orlando-based design and build firm.
A big part of what I love about Orlando is the informal gatherings, which sometimes get bigger but often stay true to themselves.
Several of us meet at CityArts (Website) on the fourth Wednesday of each month for the Sort of Brutally Early Meetup. It’s at 7:30 a.m., and the next one you can make is on . September 26. If you’re not familiar with CityArts, just know that it was recently was voted the best Orlando Gallery in the Orlando Weekly’s reader’s poll. And I used to work there. It’s located at 39 S. Magnolia Avenue [GMap] in downtown Orlando.
Come by for free coffee and donuts. Let us know what creative things you are up to or what you hope to do. Check out the gallery. Find some collaborators or just hang out in the corner and enjoy the aforementioned free coffee.
The Nook (Instagram) is gathering people for something fun again this Friday. It is called Prop Swap at the Nook! From 6 to 9 p.m., you can bring plants to exchange with others. Bring more than one plant if you would like to. Bring a wagon-full. The Nook is at 2432 E. Robinson Street [GMap] in The Milk District.
Hai Van, also known as Boy Kong (Website), was recently one of the featured artists for the Orlando Museum of Art’s (Website) prestigious Florida Prize show.
I know I have mentioned the show a couple of times on Bungalower already. Every summer, the museum chooses ten of the most interesting and talented Florida contemporary artists. Van’s installation was the first work that visitors saw, a massive tiger skin, trapped beneath a honey-covered rock on its tail. It was also one of my favorite works, which usually reference aspects of his life and his ties to Vietnam. He was born in Florida, but his Vietnamese culture and family are very important to him.
Boy Kong has had plenty o success as an artist. The New York gallery Gitler & (Website) represents him, but he also has strong ties in Central Florida though divides his time between Orlando and New York.
He has done several murals in this area and weather permitting, Hai and his sister at Koko Kakigori (Website), co-host a drawing event called Fruit every Sunday. It is also an event to appreciate, paint, and eat fruit. It starts at noon and runs until it gets dark or rains.
The event is held in front of Kaya (Website) restaurant, a Filipino-owned Michelin-rated restaurant in the former Dandelion restaurant. Hai told me that in Asian culture, fruit is a dessert. Hai emphasized that this isn’t a high-brow drawing event. All are welcome.
Editor’s Note: We ran a photo tour of Kong’s home studio by local photographer Liv Jonse back in June 2016.
