Florida Aquarium Needs Your Help Naming New Sea Turtle

Florida Aquarium Needs Your Help Naming New Sea Turtle

by | Mar 20, 2019 | Features

The star of The Florida Aquarium’s newest exhibit, Heart of the Sea, is a juvenile male loggerhead sea turtle that was unable to return to the wild due to an injury. Since he was rescued from the frigid waters off the northeast coast the United States, he has been called Loggerhead Sea Turtle #263. Now that he is settled into his home at The Florida Aquarium, the Aquarium is teaming up with Florida Blue to ask Floridians to help select his name.

Beginning today, Floridians can visit THIS PAGE to view photos of the loggerhead sea turtle and vote for the name they think best fits him. All the names were contributed by Hillsborough County elementary school classes and then narrowed down by Aquarium staff. The class who suggested the winning name will win a field trip to The Florida Aquarium to meet the loggerhead sea turtle in person.

The names selected for the final public vote are:

  • Kekoa (which means ‘the warrior’ in Hawaiian)
  • Shelldon
  • Suds
  • Leonardo
  • Auggie
  • Lenny
  • Colson
  • Winston

 

Floridians may vote once per day. And, as an extra bonus, each day The Florida Aquarium will give away a family four pack of tickets to a random winner who voted that day. Voting will end on March 31, 2019, and the loggerhead sea turtle’s forever name will be announced the following week.

 

Photo courtesy of The Florida Aquarium

Indulge in the South Pacific at Selby Gardens

Indulge in the South Pacific at Selby Gardens

by | Mar 10, 2019 | Travel

Indulge in the South Pacific at Selby Gardens

By Kai Rambow

 

Your sensory adventure to the South Pacific starts the moment you arrive.  Tikis, tapa cloth and a bamboo ceiling greet visitors at the entrance.  The primitive symbols are an inviting introduction celebrating Selby Gardens’ interdisciplinary exhibit featuring Gauguin.  Lovely surprises await, including seldom seen prints by Gauguin.

Displays are deceivingly simple in appearance; masterfully complex in design.  In the conservatory, dug-out canoes are symbolic of the main transportation for islanders in Tahiti and the Marquesas.  These canoes hold beautiful, tropical flowers and plants – and are the conduit for a waterfall.  If you look at this from different vantage points and distances, you’ll experience the same waterfall a few different ways.

Farther along you’ll spot red plants in a circle.  Use your imagination a little and you’ll see it represents a fire pit.  A giant tiki towards the end gives a different impression depending on where you stand.  Have fun looking at everything in the conservatory from different vantage points.

 

The Gardens

A garden map with tiki symbols will help you locate all the Gauguin related displays.  Some are immediately obvious; others require a little more observation.  The koi pond, one of the most serene places at Selby, at first looks the same but has a sizable canoe with flowers.

The fishing village looks like you’re in the South Pacific.  This iconic display was completely transformed with coconut trees and sugar-white sand.  Take your picture here and tell all your friends you’ve travelled to Tahiti.

 

Gauguin’s Prints

Gauguin paintings are rarely seen in a collective exhibition.  Owners are very reluctant to loan their work(s).  Selby Gardens has managed to pull together a dozen prints by Gauguin.

Sometimes sketches or prints feel like a semi-finished work.  Not so with Gauguin’s prints; many are as evocative as his paintings.  Take some time to really look at each print; spend more time with those that resonate with you.  You’ll find these at the Payne Mansion.

Selby Gardens has once again created an exhibit that is both thoughtful and fun.  Remember good walking shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and your camera.  Gauguin runs until June 30.  Open 10 to 5 daily.  Plan on arriving early to get a parking spot and walk the grounds in good temperatures.

Michael’s on East has once again created a tasty menu inspired by Gauguin’s life and work.  The Café and a food truck have different selections, so you might want to check both menus before deciding where to refuel.

 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

900 South Palm Avenue

Sarasota, Florida

(941) 366-5731

www.selby.org

Magritte & Dali

Magritte & Dali

by | Mar 4, 2019 | Travel

Magritte & Dali

By Kai Rambow

 

Two of the best known surrealist painters, side by side. Magritte and Dali, knew each other, shared ideas with each other, and painted with similar themes.

This thought-provoking exhibit is worth seeing – and experiencing (more on this in a bit).  The key, as always, is to get an audio guide.  It’s included with your admission and enables you to know what you’re looking at, and what to examine more closely.  This is particularly important since Dali painted many double images.

Dali paintings, part of the collection but not regularly displayed, are part of this exhibit.  Most of the Magritte paintings are on loan from Belgium.  At the end are two interactive displays.

In the Cloud Room, you’ll be surrounded by moving clouds all around you. It is a semi-surreal experience. Right after is an interactive surrealist art experience. A camera captures your image and then projects you into paintings by both artists.

This is a little tricky to do. Tip: Carefully read the instructions posted on the wall.  Next, watch others try to capture their image. When you think you know what to do, try it. The most challenging part is moving your hand over the camera icon to “click” the camera.  Once the numbers start to count down, you’ll have about two seconds to pose.  It is probably easier to have someone else take your photo in the painting as the image only pops up for about three seconds.  Most important: enjoy the art and have fun.

 

Magritte & Dali

Until May 19, 2019

Dali Museum

1 Dali Blvd.

St. Petersburg, FL  33701

(727) 823-3767

www.thedali.org

 

 

Photo: You can be a part of this exhibit. After taking a picture, your image will be projected into surrealist art.