Klaus Nomi in "Art is a Drag"

The signature "Art is a Drag" exhibit by the artists of Gallery On First is a work in progress

Klaus Nomi, by Mark Seppala

Medium: Acrylic, Cel Vinyl, Ink and varnish

Size: On canvas, 30" X 30"

Mark Seppala is one of the resident artists of Gallery On First and has had a distinguished career in various art and design fields.

Mark honed his design skills working in numerous design studios and in house graphics departments landing the position of Merchandise Manager, Creative Merchandise for the merchandise division of Walt Disney® in Florida. While in that position Mark was responsible for drawing the Disney characters and designing merchandise for Walt Disney World Resort®, Disneyland Resort®, Disney Cruise Line® and all Walt Disney World® hotels.

Even though he has retired that hat, Mark still does work for Disney and he and his partner John Sullivan have recently established studios at the Gallery On First. He also works on model making, reproductions of vintage products and finally painting those landscapes of Iceland. Mark says that life is like a ruler, I’ve got about 2” left and want to do the things I’ve always wanted to do. Make every day count.

Mark chose to paint the amazing Klaus Nomi especially for the "Art is a Drag" exhibit.

Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.

Nomi was known for his bizarrely visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". He is remembered in the United States as one of David Bowie's backup singers for a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live. (Wikipedia)

See the original Mark Seppala painting of Klaus Nomi in the "Art is a Drag" exhibit on March 19, 6-9:00pm at the Gallery On First (211 East 1st Street)  in downtown Sanford, Florida.

Carol Lee at Neptune's Treasures

You can find Carol Lee most Tuesday nights at one of the longest running events and most popular in Orlando - Twisted Sister Bingo at Hamburger Mary with her gal-pal Miss Sammy.

But come Saturday, March 19, Carol Lee will be the hostess at Neptune's Treasure for the ground-breaking "Art is a Drag" in the historic arts district of Sanford, Florida.

That's right . . . an Art Walk with Drag Queens!

It's going to be a blast and Carol Lee is going to bring it home.

It was not easy finding biographical information on Carol Lee. Much of what we found is probably mostly 'tongue and cheek', but we'll share some of it here and you can ask her in person what is true and what is 'artistic license when you visit her at Neptune's Treasures.

When asked how a person would suddenly decide to become a drag queen. “I don’t think anyone like sets out to be a drag queen,” Carol Lee said “Like I didn’t set out to be a drag queen. I was a Broadway lover. And as I got older my voice changed, but one Broadway diva didn’t. Carol Channing.” As Carol Lee made a wild pose, an obvious imitation of her iconic idol, she began to tell me how she got into drag, this time with significantly more gusto than when she told me how long she had been in the business: I could sing along with her and I found out I could impersonate her and then when I moved down here I wrote a show called The Never-Before Told Life of Carol Channing that I produced and starred in and did it at the Fringe Festival and I did it around Florida. And that kind of got me into drag. Like, I consider myself not a drag queen; I’m a ‘drag-tor,’ like an actor who performs in drag. I know that sounds like [she made a frilly motion with her hands and spoke in a faux French accent] ‘fwa, fwa, fwa’ and everything but I don’t mean it like that ... (Tuesday Night Is HamBingo Night: a Glimpse of the Drag Queen Culture ALISSA WARREN Produced in Peter Ives’ Fall 2010)

No matter how Carol Lee came to be, we are thrilled to have her explore the art of it ALL as part of "Art is a Drag".

Get your head in gear - a search for Art & Drag in Sanford, Florida

Using selfie-photography to focus awareness on the arts in Sanford

The official #SanfordSelfie program is in the final stretch and the Gallery On First is bringing it home in style ! 

In the summer of 2014, the Downtown business Council of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce produced a one-month #SanfordSelfie event geared to engage the public with Sanford's historic downtown during the slowest month of the year. It was surprisingly successful and lots of fun for everyone.

A few months later, it became apparent that people were still posting their selfies with the  hashtag even though the competition was over. An idea was brewed to bring back the program, but now redesigned to be ongoing for one year.

 Sanford365 hosted and produced the year-long program under the direction of Claudia Mundlos and the administration of Sumalee Eaton.

The Sanford Selfie program is now in its last month and revving up to go out with a bang. 

The program's final sponsor, the Gallery On First (GoFi), is inspired and energized to make the most of this final hoorah. The GoFi artists not only want to inspire selfie photographers to be artistic with their photos, but motivate people to capture art in their selfies as well, including art as part of the subject matter in the composition of their selfie photograph.

All About the Art
The resident artists of Gallery On First are leaders in the Sanford Arts community, spearheading the initiatives for the revamped Sanford Art Walk and in full-production mode for the ground-breaking "Art is a Drag" March 19th Art Walk event. As sponsors of the last #SanfordSelfie juried competition, they want to motivate people to look for art in Sanford.

How exactly does this apply to a selfie competition, you ask?  As always, any selfie taken in Sanford and posted with the hashtag #SanfordSelfie will automatically be entered (if your privacy settings permit) into the juried competition ending with a $100 Best Picture Award. The Gallery On First is adding to your chances to win prizes with extra prizes for theme-related selfies that include visual art, and the includes the art of drag.

 As the Sanford Selfie program comes to the end, we reflect on the year-long effort to tell an authentic story of Sanford through the eyes of the people experiencing it firsthand through their selfie photography. The selfies that have been submitted through this past year shined a spotlight on all of Sanford's wonderfully heritage-rich and quirky locales, as well as the unique personalities that "Live, Work and Play" here.

It is the perfect culmination ~

What started as an inquiry of selfie photography as a kind of folk art will now be used to shine it’s light back on the arts and the artists in Sanford, Florida!

So, get out there and Selfie your Art and your Drag!
 ~ Contest ends March 31, 2016 ~ 

Miss Sammy in "Art is a Drag"

The Sanford arts community welcomes Miss Sammy

No one will ever mistake Miss Sammy for a wallflower.

Ever since her debut at Club Firestone's "Drag Races," Miss Sammy has been entertaining crowds with a blend of joie de vive and cheeky good humor. "You know, it's surprising what some people will do when you put them in a bad wig and a bridesmaid's dress," Miss Sammy says. (30 Seconds With Miss Sammy, March 25, 2005|By Rebecca Swain Vadnie, Sentinel Staff Writer)

 The Gallery On First has the good fortune of having Miss Sammy as our head hostess-with-the-mostess for the March 19th "Art is a Drag" evening. She will be schticking all over the gallery as well as taking her turn as a model for artists to sketch. She is also part of the celebrity-panel of jurors that will be judging the signature "Art is a Drag" art exhibit.

Many of you already know Miss Sammy as a  member of the featured ensemble at Orlando's Hamburger Mary. We are all a fan of her Tuesday night Twisted Sister Bingo along with Miss Sammy's gal-pal Carol Lee. 

For more background on Miss Sammy, here are some excerpts from various sources:

Miss Sammy appeared on Broadway in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and as a Cagelle in the original Broadway production of La Cage Au Folles. Miss Sammy is one of Orlando's most recognizable and sought after entertainment entities, appearing as a 1950's / 1960's socialite at everything from night club ribbon cutting ceremonies to Opera Guild fundraisers. She was named “Entertainer of the Year” by The Orlando Weekly and has been similarly recognized for her tireless fundraising efforts - especially for AIDS support organizations. Sammy played an active role in establishing Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.

(Meet the men behind the Ladies of Eola Heights, Wanzie.com)

Who are some of your biggest influences?
Johnnie Walker, Joan Crawford, Doris Day, Cyd Charisse, Buffy (Jody's sister, not the Vampire Slayer), Carol Burnett, Madeline Kahn, Bea Arthur (she actually sings lower than I do), Mary Tyler Moore, Ann Miller, Lypsinka and, of course, I love Lucy and couldn't live without Barbra Streisand! (30 Seconds With Miss Sammy, March 25, 2005|By Rebecca Swain Vadnie, Sentinel Staff Writer)

Thank you Miss Sammy for supporting the arts 

and supporting the arts community in Sanford! 

Sanford loves you! 

Calling All Queens ~ Sanford's 'Art Walk & Drag' Wants YOU!

18 Featured Drag Queens

The first 8 Queens to have contracts by February 1st get performance time and headliner-billing at Neptune's Drag Extravaganza After-Party

Everyone is invited to drag

The Sanford Art Walk gets a shot of glamboyance in March with an infusion of Drag Queens and drag related exhibits and performances. Drag Queens of all varieties (girls and boys, pros, wannabes, just-for-the-night and first-timers, as well as Fauxs and Kings) are invited to parade the Art Walk route, play "Art & Drag" games and attend a fabulous after-party & show hosted by Neptune's Treasure and produced by Satine Productions.

Join the festivities and get your DRAG ON!

We will make it worth your while 

Not your ordinary Art Walk! Grant proposal for Awesome Foundation

The Sanford Art Walk explores the intersection of visual and the art of Drag!

What is it?

Here is the event-blueprint directly from the Awesome Foundation grant application  ~ Submitted January 11, 2016

TELL US ABOUT YOUR AWESOME PROJECT:

A little posse of artists in Sanford, Florida were discussing the similarities and differences in the creative process of visual artists as compared to the art of drag (as in Drag Queens). 

This discussion led us down a 'rabbit hole' of wondering, analytical dissection and eventually inspiration. We started imagining situations where art, artists, galleries, exhibits, drag artists, performance venues and the general art-&-culture-loving public would ALL be engaged in this exploration. 

What would the bi-product be of a strategically-designed mixing and blending of these ingredients? What would the experience be for the patrons and for the artists? Months after-the-fact what did we think would be the most profound outcome, the most significant achievement and lessons learned?

A blueprint for an "art happening' was born, a production team put into place and timeline of tasks laid out, a website created and fundraising commenced.

There are many moving parts to this event. The website lays it out best, but here are the main features ~

1) A collaboration of key members of Sanford's arts community produce an event based on the theme "Art is a Drag"

• Downtown Sanford arts community creates ways of exploring the intersection of visual art & the art of drag. 
• The 7 official art walk venues will feature an artist and/or art exhibit related to the theme and will have at least 2 Drag Queens hosting their business for the evening.

2) Get Your Drag On! Everyone is invited to Drag with opportunities throughout the evening to win awards and prizes for your level of drag.

3) A souvenir passport & autograph book of the feature queens allows the public to collect autographs and stamp their booklet as they visit each art walk venue (completed booklets = more chances to win prizes)

4) A signature "Art is a Drag" exhibit will be double-juried for a "People's Choice" award and a "Best of Show" selection from an expert panel.

5) Integrate the month-long #SanfordSelfie Juried Competition ~ March 1 - March 31

Building awareness leading up to the event, opportunities during and remembrances following

$100 Best picture award

• Weekly Best Picture prizes for contextual selfies ~ Selfies with art or anything drag related
• Art Selfie Stations related to Drag Queens on display for patrons to photograph

6) Drag Transformations
Make-up artists will station the barber-chairs of a local salon for "Drag Transformations" by appointment and walk-ins

7) Neptune's Drag Extravaganza & After-Party

Stage, lights, music, dancing, cocktails, and of course a drag show. Following the art walk the headlining Drag Queens perform

HOW WILL YOU USE THE MONEY?

Most of this event is being produced with volunteer labor and donated services, but there are still costs that can not be bartered. We have been busy writing grants and seeking individual donors to cover as much overhead as possible.

We are seeking an amount that will ensure the bottom-line needs of the event are met. Logistical basics such as ~
Police security along the Art Walk route
Insurance
Collateral: printing for event posters, cards and programs
Renting the Princess Theatre for the Drag Extravaganza & After-Party
Lighting & Sound system
Table and chair rentals

However, it is also very important to us that the artists and performers who agree to participate in our event get paid too.

As artists ourselves, we are too well aware of the expectation that we will "donate" our art. We are asked all the time. We don't want to perpetuate this trend. It is part of our mission to secure funding so that ALL artists and performers can be fairly paid for this event.

It is a strenuous gig we have laid-out for our Drag Queen performers.
It will be a 7-hour night (5:00-midnight). 3-1/2 hour shift working an Art Walk gallery as a hostess and the other 3-1/2 hours working a party and performing.
We are planning for 2 'drag' hostesses per venue.
It is too much to ask 1 person to be "ON" performing their drag, mingling, engaging with the public, handling hecklers or overbearing fans. Two or more drag artists together is safer and it creates a more ideal environment for their art to be expressed.

It is our hope that this campaign will EXCEED it's goal and help fund future Art Walk events.

We know that when "Art is a Drag" is all said and done, people will be eager to see what other innovative ideas the new Art Walk committee will bring to Sanford's Art Walk. The success of this event will also show favorably in future grants and other fundraising initiatives.

Maybe there is one single donor that can put us all out of our misery and get us back to focusing exclusively on putting together a groundbreaking event with record-breaking attendance.

Until then, we gratefully accept any and all denominations from our friends and family, from other artists that recognize a worthwhile cause, from our neighbors and supporters of Sanford and from the die-hard advocates, like ourselves, of arts and culture anywhere and everywhere.

HOW WILL THIS PROJECT MAKE ORLANDO MORE AWESOME:

Sanford is Orlando's little sister. We have no resources here for getting this kind of money without prohibitive bureaucratic 'hoop-jumping' and long lead-times. Please help. It's going to be a really incredible moment and Your Awesomeness will be recognized as being integral in us being able to pull it off. I'm sure there is a ton of Orlando central projects and requests. But you won't regret giving us your support and you'll be proud you helped this project have its time. It will help more than just Orlando by elevating the notion of drag as an art form, by emphasizing the relationship between visual art and the art of drag as kin in the creative process. It will be AWESOME!