HomesteadMediaJive

Homestead, an ol’ American town towards modernity

22 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment

by MediaJive Productions in Uncategorized

What will 2010 will bring to Homestead? In the past few years we have seen this ol’ sleepy town take a leap towards development. Proof of that was on the real estate market boom that left its footprint all over South Dade and Homestead became, once again, fertile ground for new seeds. Just East of the Turnpike housing developments went up as fast as children’s building blocks and thousands of families moved from all over the continent to inhabit the new developments between exits 6, 5 and 2. And why not? It only made perfect sense to look beyond the Miami city limits to get more square footage for your money, with all the ingredients that characterizes a typical American suburb.

Suddenly, we went from having less than a handful of supermarkets to six within a five mile radius. All of them are part of a convenient shopping centers, and all of them were built in less than two years. The good news, is that we no longer had to cross to the other side of town to do our grocery shopping, drop our dry cleaning or rent a movie. We saw a new fire station built on the new side of town with a spiffy rescue team and we are very lucky to be home to South Florida’s first green hospital, Homestead’s Baptist Hospital. A state-of-the-art facility that promises to shield off a category five hurricane. Even more, banks opened in almost every shopping center as a good sign of economical progress in a city forgotten in time. After all, Homestead endured almost two decades of deficit and depreciation, a remnant of Hurricane Andrew, a devastating catastrophe that took place in 1992.

In fact, new street signs popped up everywhere giving way to new neighborhoods dressed in pristine landscapes built over old potato, corn and sunflower fields of years past. The sounds of our new city resemble more those in any corner intersecting Kendall Drive in Miami. Sirens go off at any given hour, a chopper hovers over the new hospital, cars honk impatiently at a traffic light during Homestead’s new rush hour, while the old sleepy town’s police department revamps its ranks with new officers.

Homestead’s life under the shadow of its big glamourous sister, Miami, provided us with some setbacks and contentment to conform to small American town status. Naturally, life is not simply about conforming but about aspiring. Up until recently, most people thought of Homestead as being good for only a few things, Mexican food, car races and the last stop for gas before heading to the Florida Keys. Today, Homestead’s new face lift along with new services promises all the conveniences and entertainment a city can offer. Its new residents bring to Homestead a new cultural vibe and variety. Proof of this is that Homestead, today, thrives to offer not just a new look but a renewed cultural environment that we can all enjoy, like the new art galleries in downtown and wine tasting in the Redland.

Let’s hope that glitzy life does not compromise Homestead’s integrity and that we are able to cope and manage with environmental and human changes resulting from growth. That financial progress and the local government are able to facilitate new avenues for innovating local entrepreneurs that can establish newer and better businesses thus generating new jobs and that we can all work together in making Homestead a city worth living in and set an example of social integration and cultural advancement.

Tiny writer, extraordinary Rockwell: the artist, the chronicler

03 Feb 2010 2 Comments

by MediaJive Productions in Uncategorized

Some time ago, November to be precise, I was fortunate to attend the press conference at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale for American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. The conference included a tour of the exhibit. What a treat, right? Well, that morning, I was prepared for the delightful Norman Rockwell, most of which I had seen and enjoyed since childhood, as far as I knew. In fact, for the most part it was , however, I was not ready for the social commentary in paintings like the one above, The Problem We All Live In and  Murder in Mississippi. This last painting and the one above touched me so deeply that I found myself in a state of voyeurism, where I wanted to understand the sensibility of the artist and consequently comprehend that Norman Rockwell was greater than what I expected. This experience  had such impact on me, that I was not prepared to write about it on my blog. I felt unskilled and tiny next to Rockwell’s master pieces, depth and vision. I felt incapable of finding the right words. I felt like what I am, an amateur writer. Was the goal of his oeuvre to transmit such human emotions and to engage his audience at that level? All I know, is that I could not express the magnitude of Rockwell’s complexity and the world he lived in.

Two days ago, I sent a blast of my latest post (which had nothing to do with this subject). Shortly after, I received a response from the kind Roberto Santiago, Director of Communications and Strategic Marketing for the museum, and the person who facilitates my media passes. He wanted to know if I ever wrote anything about the Rockwell exhibit. So here I am, amateur writer on the spot. Shamefully, I must admit that mere fear has prevented me from posting this article before (saved in my drafts until today) and just three days away from closing the exhibition I launched this post and below is my original review:

“There must be tenths of adjectives to describe the art of the late Norman Rockwell. In fact, many people can claim having seen his illustrations on the cover of New York’s Saturday Evening Post. However, one thing is for sure, Rockwell’s illustrations will take you by surprise because beyond the expressions of American culture, his oeuvre is simply extraordinary, socially engaging and thoughtful.

Homestead MediaJive had the opportunity to attend the media conference and preliminary tour including The Saturday Evening Post collection, many known pieces and even the lesser advertised works are on display as well. Often, we perceive Norman Rockwell as an Americana illustrator, an entertaining artist for his naïve interpretation of  American life, yet his art was that and more. This exhibit demonstrates how he used his art to comment on America’s social problems and invites his audience to civic engagement. I cannot imagine what type of reaction his paintings could have caused in a racially tense society of an era of social turmoil and patriotic awareness, respectively. One impressive painting is Murder in Mississippi, a painting that will lure you to experience what life was like in the American South just a little over three decades ago. You will be amazed by its theme, you will be chilled by its darkness and feel fear for the main subject depicted. The story behind it will haunt you for days.

For this, Norman Rockwell’s ouvre, is not just entertaining but a frank and poignant American tale.

Rockwell, the multifaceted artist, promises a wonderful ride were you will smile, reminisce and stare in awe for every careful and thoughtful stroke on every single canvas.

Exhibit name: American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell
Runs until: this weekend, February 7, 2010
Where: Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 1 East Las Olas, Ft. Lauderdale

Don’t miss this American Treasure!”