October 20, 2012, The Skull Show: Ink and Pistons, West Palm Beach, FL
October 19, 2012 Breeze into Boynton Beach.... Exhibition of Works by Boynton Beach Artists! Civic Center, 128 East Ocean Avenue
August 11, 2012, Caturday,
GREEN ROOM, 109 SW 2nd Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
May 24, 2012
Selected works by, Rolando Chang Barrero
ActivistArtistA Gallery
422 West Industrial Ave
Boynton Beach, Florida 33426
Curatorial Experience:
2nd Annual KeroWACKED Multimedia Festival, February 17th, 2013 International Kinetic Art Exhibit and Symposium, February 09-10, 2013 Opus Majus: An Exhibition of Works by Kim Fay, February 6, 2013-March 1, 2013
Black and White Exhibition, December 28, 2012-January 24, 2013
ActivistArtistA, Art and Wine Promanade, West Palm Beach
Golden Celebration , Group Exhibition and Music Festival at ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach, (Oct. 7, 2012 to October 13, 2012)
The Sacredness and Profanity of it All, Pam Trent, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach, (Sept. 27, 2012) Paint UNITED Project at United Way PBC, 2600 Quantum Blvd.,Boynton Beach, (Sept. 15, 2012)
The Writing's on the Wall, Renda Writer, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (Aug, 23- Sept. 20, 2012)
Symbolism: Pushing Boundaries, Garcia, Gonzalez, Mostel, Saraiva,Walter, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (June 28, 2012 to August 9, 2012)
Rolando Barrero Recent Works, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach ( May 24, 2012 to June 21, 2012)
Packaging Nature, Bentivegna, Wendy Doscher-Smith, Kim Fay, Juan Gonzalez, Brian Lewis , Saramati Narasimhan, Elle Schorr, Vicki Siegel, Serafima Sokolov , Ryan Spinelli, Karla Walter, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (April 26, 2012 to May 17, 2012)
Journalist/Vouyeur, Michael Herb & Jonathan Dvoretz , ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (March 23, 2012 to April 20, 2012)
KeroWACKED, (Feb. 26 to March 15, 2012)
Stroke of Genius, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (Jan. 26, 2012 to Feb. 16, 2012
Kim Fay & Robert Catapano, ActivistArtistA Gallery, Boynton Beach (11-11-11 to 1-6-12)
Personal Prophecies, Nereyda Garcia-Ferraz, Sylvia Gruner, and Eugenia Vargas-Daniels,
Center Gallery, Miami (Sep 10 - Oct 10, 1991), 1988-1991
(includes a typescript about Gruner; 6 folders)
Abstractions, Juan Carlos Garcia-Lavin, Jose Iraola, and Luis Marin, Inter American Gallery, Miami (Sep 12 - Oct 17,
1991), 1991
Porkopolis, Sue Coe, Inter American Gallery, Miami (Oct 29 - Dec 10, 1991), 1990-1992
Art Against AIDS III , Central Gallery, Miami (Dec 7, 1991), 1991
Memorial/Remembrance, Nat Dean , Inter Amercan Gallery (Nov 7 - Dec 13, 1991), 1991
David Kruger Recent Works, Frances Wolfson Art Gallery, May 9-June 7, 1991.
Selected Press:
This Mic's For You
by John Thomason Broward Palm Beach NEW TIMES For a long time, Boynton Beach has seemed like Palm Beach County's local equivalent of flyover country -- a culturally bereft land of housing developments and Walmarts sandwiched between the hip enclaves of Delray Beach and Lake Worth. Not anymore, if Rolando Chang Barrero has anything to do about it. And he does, every day, through his gallery, ActivistArtistA, part of a flourishing arts district blossoming from the unlikely confines of an industrial-warehouse row. In addition to bringing alternative, Wynwood-style exhibitions to Boynton, ActivistArtistA hosted its first open-mic night two weeks ago, part of Barrero's vision to transform the area into a cultural marketplace. The free outdoor affair attracted renowned tattoo artist Lea Vendetta, along with rap, rock, and folk musicians from across the county. Look for more of the same at Thursday's open mic, from 7 to 10 p.m., as the reputation of this exciting space continues to grow. The gallery is located at 422 W. Industrial Ave. in Boynton Beach. Interested performers should RSVP by emailing activistartista@blogspot.com or calling 786-521-1199.
They stopped at the 'Arts District and at one of the best kept secrets in Boynton Beach '
Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Delray Beach and Boynton Beach take place on the third and fourth Saturdays of the month; and Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Lake Worthand Lantana are on the second Saturday of the month.
Tours are open to everyone and cost $35 per person, free for children younger than 18 (maximum five children free). Advance payment is required. To purchase tickets online visit TasteHistoryCulinaryTours.blogspot.com or call 561-243-2662.
Who she is: Since 1999, Lori J. Durante has been the executive director and chief curator of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History of Delray Beach. The non-profit organization offers retrospective exhibits showcasing history, culture, fashion, lifestyle, people, places and architecture.
As the director of the MLFH, Durante has created the popular monthly Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach and, most recently,
the Taste of History Tours.
Favorite theater or venue?
I have many favorites but will mention the Lake Worth Playhouse in downtown Lake Worth and the Boynton Beach Neighborhood Arts District.
Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. Info: 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org
Boynton Beach Neighborhood Arts District, 422 West Industrial Avenue, Boynton Beach. Info: 786-521-1199, boyntonbeachartdistrict@gmail.com
Sun Sentinel: Arts District gives creative space to emerging artists
On a recent Sunday afternoon, the up-and-coming Arts District off Industrial Avenue in Boynton Beach had its second annual Outdoor Art Garage Sale and BBQ.
Spearheaded by Rolando Chang Barrero, the event featured live music, artists from the tri-county area and of course, barbecue.
"This is the first and only industrial arts district in Palm Beach County. It's edgy and offers a forum for emerging artists to meet and show their work," said Debby Coles-Dobay, the city's public art administrator. "We're dedicated to enriching and creating a more vibrant environment for artists to come in to Boynton Beach."
On display were vibrant acrylics of hibiscus flowers in orange, yellow and purple by massage therapist-turned-artist Grace Iurescia of West Palm Beach.
"I was inspired by my recent trip to Hawaii," said Iurescia, who claims she never painted before.
Iurescia, who is "100 percent Italian from Argentina," spent a month living on Maui and Kauai and said she came back and was moved to paint the flowers she remembers from her trip.
Prices vary depending upon whether the paintings are framed, but Iurescia said they start at $100 and go up to $400, depending on size.
Likewise Anthony Burks, a native Floridian, now of West Palm Beach, and graphic artist by profession, sat at his booth showing his pen and ink, pastels, watercolor and colored pencil drawings.
A graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Burks has a series of drawings he created on endangered species, including the alligator, black bear and Florida panther.
His colored pencil series, The Rooted Ground, expresses the human experience in a pictorial acronym. Created on watercolor paper, the series is accessible and priced to sell.
A green tree and branches represent the physical body and then Burks depicts the trees' deep roots in bright or pastel colors extending into the earth.
"The roots represent knowledge, morals and strength. The roots' greatest attributes are their ability to generate new growth when the tree is cut down," Burks said.
Corinne and Daniel Wach of Boynton Beach were strolling through the venue. Corinne had just purchased two hand-made ceramic mezuzahs as holiday gifts and was looking for more gifts.
"We think this is a great place," she said. "We try to encourage our friends to come out, but many people aren't familiar with this area. We'd like to see more support for the arts in the city and we're happy to come out and support them."
Although the crowd was small on this particular day, that didn't dampen the artists' enthusiasm for their crafts or sharing them with the passers-by.
Rebecca Loveless, owner of Tradition Tattoo of Boca Raton, was selling original tattoo art bookmarks, greeting cards and small vintage jars holding individual seashells.
Her arms and legs covered with tattoos, Loveless (her real name) said she gravitates toward original "sailor-style" tattoos for herself and does original artwork for her clients.
At another booth is Andrea Michelle Ible, originally from New York and now of Lake Worth, who is the founder of Virtue in a Pocket, and the Under 21 art program, which teach children virtues through art.
An advocate of the environmental and recycle/reuse movement, Ible said she hopes one day to start a green art school for children.
Using cardboard inserts from toilet paper rolls, Ible creates beautiful, hand-painted, original gift boxes that come with a heart necklace inside. Her recycled T-shirts are transformed into trendy, over-the-shoulder carryalls.
"We hope to provide children with an opportunity to use their voice through art while learning about virtues," said Ible, an advocate of closing the achievement gap in schools through the arts.
Ible met Barrero when he came to do a project with her children.
Barrero, a native of Miami and a graduate of the Chicago Art Institute, is one of the driving forces behind the Arts District.
In August 2011, he rented an old warehouse and decided it would make for a good art studio and gallery.
He plans much of the guerrilla marketing for the district, including planning monthly art walks, lectures and art garage sales.
He, along with Rick Beau Lieu, sculptor and painter, and a founder of the city's Art in Public Places Program, are two of the anchors of the space, along with Lea Vendetta, Chan Shepherd, Lauren Van Arman, DXTR, Denny Reed, The Neighborhood Art Gallery, Soul Focus House and Glen Nelson.
Barrero initiated the bay gates projects, an outdoor exhibition of murals and painting by local and national artists, decorating what had been an industrial series of automotive garages, with brightly colored graffiti-style artwork.
Now, when you drive down Industrial Avenue, the rusted tractors and cranes that formerly dominated the landscape have been put out to pasture and they just might have to change the name to Avenue of the Arts.
NEW TIMES by Tana Velen
South Florida is an ever-growing community filled with events for all ages, especially Generation X and Generation Y. No longer are West Palm or Fort Lauderdale the only places to find badass art events or delicious food trucks. If you're into exhibitions, concerts, live painting, and the aforementioned hunger-inducing food trucks, then perhaps a short trek toBoynton Beach is in your near future. There will be live performances by the band Mylo Ranger and environmental sound artist Texturehead. Art Walk is located at the Boynton Beach Art District (known as B-BAD) and is full of artistic flavor for any palette. Located at 422 W. Industrial Ave., Boynton Beach, the event takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. the fourth Thursday of every month and is free and open to the public. The times change every Thursday, so be sure to call 786-521-1199, or visit activistartista.com.
Business Profile - ActivistArtistA Gallery
A flourishing neighborhood of artists is quietly located within the city of Boynton Beach.
Most residents are not privy to the existence of the Neighborhood Arts District and its newest member,
ActivistArtistA Gallery/Studio
422 W. Industrial Ave.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
Owner and artist Rolando Barrero is having fun with the opening date, launching his gallery at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 or 11-11-11.
The art of Kim Fay and Robert Catapano has been selected by Barrero to be shown for the grand opening.
“Kim has a particular vision,” he said. “She has traveled quite a bit and some pieces are more personal to her.”
Catapano does multimedia art but both use the abstract technique and vivid colors, Barrero said.
“Also, the departure from one artist to the other is so amazing; they are the same genre, but both very different,” he said.
The Arts District was established in 1986 by Richard Beau Lieu, who also has his gallery and studio located there.
Other artists have followed suit over the years.
But Barrero is no dilettante in the art field.
“I came from Chicago, where I went to School at the Art Institute of Chicago,” he said.
“Chicago has a lot of areas where little enclave of artists reside.”
New York and a gallery on Lincoln Road in Miami are other stops where “Roly,” as his friends call him, made his mark, including changing the usual way galleries have art openings by stripping them down to just the art and its fans.
“We take away the booze, take away the furniture and have a casual environment,” he said. “It is a family outing place where an intellectual can mingle with a beach bum.”
Barrero has been making art since he was 16, giving him three decades to hone his craft.
As for the name ActivistArtistA Gallery, he said it is just something he has been using since he was young.
“I was originally doing a lot of activist art for a number of different political groups during the AIDS crisis,” he said.
Debby Coles-Dobay, the city’s public art administrator, said
"The Arts District already has seven artists and more moving in.It was an industrial area before and wasn’t kept up real well with a lot of crime,”
she said. “Rick and others cleaned it up and put art on the street. Crime lowered because of this.”
She said
“Roly” brings a new energy to the area, having a following not just from Boynton Beach but also from all of South Florida.
“His art is more edgy,” Coles-Dobay said. “Now we are getting a great mix of different types of art in this district.”
For information about the ActivistArtistA Gallery, call 786-521-1199.
Art is popping up in surprising places, and an unlikely spot is in vacant storefronts in Quantum Town Center.
Half the 70,000-square foot center has been vacant since it was completed in 2008, so its developer has begun letting artists temporarily display their original works in empty storefronts, dubbed "Swing Spaces."
Exhibits change about every six months. On Monday, three artists installed new works at the shopping center on Gateway Boulevard, just west of Interstate 95, behind the Subway and Tasti D-Lite.
Boynton Beach artist Roly Chang Barrero called his whimsical, bird-themed pieces "approachable" and a reminder to enjoy life's journey without obsessing over the destination. Subbora Jackson, aDelray Beach artist, peppered three retail spaces with bright, abstract paintings of swirls and amoeba-like forms.
Denny Reed, another Boynton Beach painter, displayed her "Lost Tribe Series," portraits of women on spiritual quests.
The artwork is displayed in the storefront windows, and while the spaces aren't open to walk through, the artwork is illuminated at night. The project, along with the city's Neighborhood Arts District, is indicative of a growing, local arts scene, said Debby Coles-Dobay,Boynton Beach public-art administrator.
A monthly art walk may be launched by January, allowing the public to meet the artists. There's a built-in following right behind the plaza, with some 2,000 people in more than 600 apartments.
"You've got to get creative," said Coles-Dobay, who connected the artists with Olen Properties, the developer. She's encouraged other retail developments to form similar partnerships.
No others have developed so far, she said.
Organizers hope the artwork draws people who end up patronize existing businesses. That, in turn, can draw entrepreneurs to the vacant retail spaces, organizers say.
Although these art installations are temporary, artists would be given enough notice and allowed to move to another empty storefront if a business moves in, said Bobby Jones, Quantum marketing director.
"It's a win-win situation for everybody," he said, "It draws more people to the area; it gives [artists] exposure. It's been a nice addition here.
A cigar lounge and a community pharmacy will open soon and Quantum is negotiating with two restaurants to open there.
"The idea is to plant the seed in Quantum. The idea is to grow and expand to the whole city," said Sergio Cervantes, a Miami photographer displaying there.
Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO for Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes the arts, says the arts stimulate more than just the economy.
"Art in an unexpected place in a downturn economy gives hope. You have the opportunity to see something very positive, usually very animated and exciting," he said, "If you simply listen to the financial news, you could get pretty much a sense of hopelessness. I think, in a way, the art just being there, just that energy gives people a sense that we're moving forward. These bleak times won't be there always."
