“Melodic Metamorphosis” opens May 2
The immersive art exhibit will include live performances, with proceeds benefitting two local nonprofit organizations.
Artist David Kellner at work for the “Melodic Metamorphosis” exhibit. [Photo courtesy of the artist]
Sometimes, from sorrow comes inspiration. Such was the case after Joan Wilson Zink passed away on Nov. 22, 2023, in DeLand. A few months later, the award-winning author, playwright, composer and poet’s daughter, Laurie Zink, of Ocala, began to think about what to do with her mother’s beloved 1915 Hamilton-Baldwin baby grand piano.
“It was her passion. She composed several musicals on the piano, among other things. When she passed, I didn’t really know what to do with it,” Zink noted.
With the Japanese philosophy and art of kintsugi—repairing broken items with gold to honor their history—in mind, Zink said the idea of transforming the piano into a piece of art was born.
Joan Wilson Zink is shown with the keyboard from her beloved baby grand piano. [Illustration by Tito Comas]
“So, I called David Kellner and I said, ‘Is this a project that you might appreciate?’ And he said it was something he had wanted to do his whole artistic life of fabrication. Well, it’s really hard to find someone who will let you break a grand piano up into pieces, so we began to brainstorm. And then we brought in Jessica Carter because my mother also was a published poet and she could do something with the actual music and poetry,” Zink explained.
The Philanthro-Creatives, from left, Jessica Carter, David Kellner and Laurie Zink. [Photo courtesy of David Kellner]
Viola!
The “Melodic Metamorphosis” month-long immersive art exhibit was born.
Jessica Carter works on the top of the baby grand piano. [Photo courtesy of David Kellner]
In addition to featuring artworks by Kellner and Carter, the exhibit will include more than 25 additional pieces by other artists.
Zink, Kellner and Carter, who dubbed themselves the Philanthro-Creatives, will donate proceeds from the exhibit, art sales and other activities to the nonprofit Arts In Health Ocala Metro and the Marion County Literacy Council.
“What has transpired since we began working on this is that we have this big opening party on May 2 and the exhibit will be beautiful and we will have an event a week for the entire run, a whole month of activities that focus on art, spoken word, music and medicine,” Zink said.
For the exhibit, Kellner and Carter created distinctive works using the piano. According to Kellner, he began crafting his artistic narrative in 2012. While a management executive by day, he fuels his passion for art every chance he gets. He is a self-taught artist and uses his “creative instincts to meld elements together to depict unique imagery. His passion for storytelling shines through an assortment of hand-picked repurposed objects, which he fuses together into mixed media sculptures. Each piece has its own vision and journey, allowing the viewer to interpret their own narrative.”
Carter is a mixed-media collage artist specializing in hand-painted, found papers. Each piece is hand-torn and meshed together to create a story within a painting, begging to be looked at closely to find hidden treasures.
“Hailing from a long line of artisans, Jessica is a self-taught artist. As a Golden Apple Teacher, she has transitioned from teaching elementary math and science to the head of drawing and painting at West Port High School’s Marion County Center of the Arts program. If it were not for teaching, Jessica would never have met the mother/artist Elizabeth St. Hilaire, who inspired her to learn collage art 16 years ago,” her biography states.
Musical notes created by artist David Kellner. [Photo courtesy of the artist]
“We have Jennifer Coolidge, executive director of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna, coming over to be the judge for the cash awards,” Zink shared.
In addition, visitors to The Brick can purchase a fan favorite ribbon for $20 each or four for $60, then use the ribbon to vote for the artwork that moves them. The artist with the most ribbons will be crowned the “Fan Fav” during MCA’s Fam Jam celebration on May 20.
“And all of that ribbon money will go to the charities, along with lots of art being sold,” Zink said. “We’re really excited. We think it’s going to be a great benefit and also give a lot of education about both organizations.”
An opening Fav Fav VIP reception will begin at 3 p.m. on May 2 at the Brick City Center for the Arts at 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. An opening reception will begin at 5 p.m., with Natasha Jean-Pierre, spoken word poet and healing arts facilitator with Arts in Health Ocala Metro, students from the Marion County Literacy Council sharing inspirational works and piano music by local musicians. The events are free and open to the public.
On May 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gallery Day will include meet and greet opportunities with artists. On May 8, AIHOM will present “Patterns of Transformation” at 5:30 p.m. On May 13, the literacy council will present “An Evening Celebrating the Beauty, Simplicity and Power of Being Read To,” also at 5:30 p.m. And then, on May 20, Couch Sessions Fam Jam at The Brick will begin at 6 p.m. Admission is free to all events, with a suggested donation of $20 and a request for RSVP responses in advance.
In addition, R.J. Jenkins, who is affiliated with the Marion County Literacy Council, will present a series of talks based on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” with lectures at 11 a.m. on May 18, and at 5:30 p.m. on 19, 22 and 23.
To learn more, go to mcaocala.org, email [email protected] or call (352) 369-1500.
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