MELBOURNE, FL – Holy smokes! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s superheroes at the Brevard Art Museum! Saturday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Release your alter ego, free admission for anyone in a superhero costume.
On display in the Museum are the exhibitions: Students of the Unusual: Brevard County Comic Books, Superheroes: Photographs by Dulce Pinzón, the Batpod motorcycle from Parker Brothers Choppers, the Dark Knight Batman Costume, vintage comics including Spiderman #1, original art by famous comic book artists Graham Nolan and Allen Bellman, artist for Golden Age “Captain America” comic books, and the Twenty-first Annual Brevard County Student Art Exhibition.
What do Superheroes and comics have to do with art? Comics emphasize an interdependence of image and text. Defined by some scholars as “sequential art” there is no dispute that images in comics are essential to narrating a story or dramatizing an idea. Graphic artists use the crafts of draftsmanship and scripting, to complete the whole picture; this is accomplished through pacing, drama, humor, suspense, composition, thematic development, and irony. Sequential art is an important tool for conveying the power of ideas and its ability to convey messages effectively is dependent on the skill of the artist.
The Students of the Unusual comic book project developed from a friendship of four like-minded individuals, Terry Cronin, Jeff Hall, Bob Lizek, and Pat Martin, who decided to make films. “The Students of the Unusual comic book project developed from our experiences in independent film and started as storyboards for some of our wilder ideals,” says Cronin, “but it has always been grounded in our love and respect of the comic art form.” Writers Cronin and Martin enlisted the aid of many talented graphic design artists including Jorge Calamato, Sergio Carriello, Luis Diaz, Dove McHargue, and others to craft visual stories, many of which are set in and around Melbourne.
A fascination with superheroes inspired local chopper artists the Parker Brothers to re-create Batman’s Batpod motorcycle. Fueled by a desire to showcase their artistic and engineering capabilities, the Parker Brothers reveled in the challenge of recreating the Batpod from “The Dark Knight” movie. Designed as a “full scale 1:1 working replica,” the steel and fiberglass machine is powered by nitrous-injected, 650cc engine and wears 508mm tires, grappling hooks, and all manner of faux weaponry including grenade launchers and .50 caliber machine guns. The Parker Brothers Batpod, a unity of inspiration and engineering, exemplifies the Museum’s ideology: “where art and science intersect, where culture and technology thrive.”
Superheroes of another kind are the muse of Mexican photographer and former New York resident Dulce Pinzón. She photographs documented Mexican migrant workers of New York City at their jobs while wearing superhero costumes. Each portrait’s caption includes the worker’s real life name, hometown in Mexico and the amount of money they send to Mexico each week. Her meditations on the concept of heroes led her to shine a spotlight on those who labor quietly but make daily sacrifices to help others.
Also on display will be original drawings by well-known comic book artist Graham Nolan. Nolan is co-creator of the villain Bane who will be featured in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises Batman movie.
Visual storytelling is a technique employed by many artists. The Museum is devoted, through its various exhibitions and programs, to making audiences aware of other forms of art in Brevard County.
Jumping Catfish Batman! Don’t forget the Eau Gallie Arts Districts Founders Day Fish Fry from 12 to 6 p.m.
About the Brevard Art Museum
The Brevard Art Museum is a non-profit organization supported in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Brevard County through the Brevard Cultural Alliance; the Brevard County Tourist Development Council; and by members of the Brevard Art Museum.
Visitor Information
Location: 1463 Highland Avenue in the Eau Gallie District of Melbourne.
(321) 242-0737
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m., and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m..
Admission: Adults $5; seniors $3; children and students with I.D. $2. Free for Museum members. Special rates and tours are available for groups of 8 or more, and can be scheduled by calling Tina at 242-0737 at least two weeks in advance.