- January 15, 2025
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Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague and board member Dr. Philip Shapiro hold a poster of "Starry Night over the Halifax" by Sherrill Schoening at the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Hotel Ormond cupola is the last rtemaining structure from the hotel that is available to tour at Fortunato Park. The full Hotel Ormond model is on display at the MacDonald House. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Cloud by Hans Van de Bovenkamp, a sculpture and water fountain in Fortunato Park, stands next to the Hotel Ormond cupola at Fortunato Park. A model of Hotel Ormond is on display at the MacDonald House, home of the Ormond Beach Historical Society. Photo by Michele Meyers
Paul Ricci plays the saxophone at The Casements during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
S'Mores and hot chocolate are offered at the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk at The Casements. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Carolyn A. Land's realistic paintings are displayed at The Casements during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
An art patron observes Carolyn A. Land's abstract pieces at The Casements during the Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Carolyn A. Land exhibits her abstract mixed media paintings at the 36th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
An art patron observes Carolyn A. Land's abstract pieces at The Casements during the Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
City of Ormond Beach Leisure Services employees (left to right) Carly Schierholtz, Kiersten Demers and Cultural Center Coordinator Siobhan Daly. Photo by Michele Meyers
Starry, Starry Night goers peruse the art of Carolyn A. Land at The Casements. Photo by Michele Meyers
Artist Carolyn A. Land displays the process behind her abstract work at The Cassements during the Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Art enthusiasts (left to right) Margaret Billups, Dee Dillman, Jaye Escudero and Joy Bowen check out the work of artist Carolyn A. Land at The Casements during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
New Smyrna Beach residents Dan and Dee Dillman check out artist Carolyn A. Land's realistic paintings at the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jackie Brown read about the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night event in the Observer and decided to check it out since she had never experienced it before. Photo by Michele Meyers
The MacDonald House is one of the stops on the Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach Historical Society board member Bill Hoover and president Mary Smith greet people during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night art walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
A model of the Hotel Ormond is on display at the Ormond Beach Historical Society museum located in the MacDonald House. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens is one of the stops on the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. The Charles Humes Jr. exhibition, music, "lite bites" and libations are highlights of the museums' offerings during the event. Photo by Michele Meyers
Harpist De Luna plays at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Art enthusiasts stop by the Charles Humes Jr. exhibition at the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
New Yorker Joseph Gyapong examines the piece by artist Charles Humes Jr. whose exhibition is being displayed at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum. Photo by Michele Meyers
Starry, Starry Night gallery walk participants stop by the Ormond Memorial Art Museum to view the work of artist Charles Humes Jr. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens board member Dr. Philip Shapiro (left) and Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague pose amid the work of artist Charles Humes Jr. at the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. Photo by Michele Meyers
Couple Joseph Gyapong (left) and Jordan Mock-Murphy (right) said they were suprised at the variety of techniques and mediums used by the artist Charles Humes Jr. whose exhibition is being displayed at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum. Photo by Michele Meyers
Art enthusiasts walked the grounds of The Casements, listened to a history lesson at the MacDonald House and grabbed a “lite bite” while listening to music at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens during the 35th annual Starry, Starry Night on Friday, Jan. 10.
OMAM hosted the free event that welcomed close to 250 entrants to experience a night of art and culture. Attendees listened to harpist De Luna perform as they perused the permanent art collection of Malcolm Fraser. The artist was instrumental in the creation of the museum after WWII when he offered his paintings to any town on the east coast of Florida interested in opening an art museum. The catch was, the museum would have to pay tribute to veterans. The city of Ormond Beach and its citizens got to work and with help from the returning soldiers, opened the museum in 1946.
Eventgoers also perused OMAM’s Hosseini Family Gallery, the Halifax Health Gallery, the Jill & Gary Yeoman Gallery and the Myrna Sobel Fux Gallery, where artist Charles Humes Jr.’s exhibition is on display. Humes tells visual stories of Black life through a variety of mediums—drawings, printmaking, mixed media collages, various textiles and paintings. The exhibition opened on Dec. 12, 2024, and will run through Feb. 9.
35 years of gallery strolls has been wonderful. It’s been fun to celebrate. The community loves it. - Stephanie Mason-Teague, OMAM Executive Director
OMAM Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague said Humes is a wonderful, generous artist who offers the viewer a first-person narrative of his life through his art.
“He explained to everyone here, in such a meaningful way, that what we were viewing on the walls was his life experience,” she said. “It was really moving and it brought you into each one of his pieces of work. It’s an amazing experience.You really feel like you can experience what the subjects are going through.”
OMAM has an exhibition committee consisting of artists, professionals and curators who research artists for future shows. Kristin Heron, senior curator of Exhibitions and Education, assembles a list of artists as they are submitted which must then go through a selection process. It is a two-year operation which means the galleries are currently booked through 2027.
People strolled from OMAM to The Casements, some posing with five of the pieces from the Seward Johnson Sculpture Tour located on the south side of Granada Blvd. There are 13 bronze sculptures total located throughout the city’s downtown area. “Calling Girl” is standing by the MacDonald House where the Ormond Beach Historical Society welcome center and museum are located.
Historical Society President Mary Smith welcomed people while dressed in an early settler’s cotton dress and bonnet. Board member Bill Hoover stood near the Hotel Ormond model and talked about his experiences growing up in Ormond Beach. He is a Seabreeze alumnus and moved back to the area two years ago.
“We have such a great history in this area,” Hoover said. “So many places have not preserved it but Volusia County is getting better at doing this. We want to build a sense of community and educate people about what we have here, what the history is and about the people that were here originally — from the Timucuan Indians to John D. Rockefeller.”
The next event for the Ormond Beach Historical Society is The American Revolution Experience, a traveling exhibit that will open on Feb. 22, at the Anderson-Price Memorial Building. An exhibition, a variety of reenactors and speakers from the University of Central Florida and Flagler College will be available to the public throughout the length of the event, which ends on Mar. 3.
This is the third time Ormond Beach resident Maryann Radler and Port Orange resident David Manning have gone to the Starry, Starry Night gallery walk. They stopped by The Casements to take a look at artist Carolyn A. Land’s paintings.
“We have made it an annual thing,” Manning said. “We really like doing it because it’s nice to see local artists. I’m amazed because I can’t draw anything or do anything like that. I love to see what creative people come up with.”
Radler is a docent at The Casements. She said she liked seeing the variety of art in Land’s exhibition — “A Retrospective of Works Inspired by Nature”. It consists of multiple realistic paintings of Florida landscapes and wildlife along with a variety of abstract mixed media paintings and collage in dramatic colors.
“I loved the colors and the textures,” she said. “I loved the paintings of the local areas too. It was nice to see something more abstract and something that was reality.”
Dee Dillman takes Land’s art classes at the The Hub on Canal art gallery in New Smyrna Beach. She is currently learning Land’s collage techniques.
“I went to the school of YouTube (for art) during COVID then heard about Carolyn,” Dillman said. “She is awesome. I wanted to pursue art because I had never done it before. I was a first grade teacher so I only had time for first grade art.”
Mason-Teague said it is a lot of responsibility being the museum director but she loves it. She said she hopes the OMAM board of directors keep her around for a while.
“Thirty-five years of gallery strolls has been wonderful,” Mason-Teague said. “It’s been fun to celebrate. The community loves it.”
