FOOD, FASHION, ART & MUSIC

FOOD, FASHION, ART & MUSIC

By Niarus-Walker
April 27, 2018

FFAM! Food, Fashion, Art and Music. If you missed it, you missed it! FFAM is the brainchild of Patrick Kralik, of Balter, St. Croix, who, in collaboration with Michelle Marquis, Anthony Weekes, Lornette Rogers of Envii and Ralph Motta of Motta Cuisine, put together a phenomenal post IRMARIA revitalization event, that, according to several attendees was a well-organized and wonderful event, despite it being spur of the moment, giving the organizers a little over a month to get it all done. The event featured approximately 20 vendors from Christiansted and Frederiksted, who presented an enormous amount of Tapas for attendees, with DJs and live music by Aretha Edmunds. 

While exclusive to those who paid, FFAM has the potential “to be the jewel that shines through as being a very inclusive opportunity that can define our small community,” said one patron who feels that many events here cater to one group or another and does not offer the diversity that she felt happened at FFAM Festival. Michelle Moore and Missy O’Neill rated the event as “fabulous”, featuring “excellent food and the gorgeous models” of JG Modeling agency.  The models performed as live statues at the Peach Can Gallery and also at the later VIP event, which featured clothing from Envii, an upscale boutique of enviable fashions, owned by Lornette Rogers. 

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What was really important, according to some, was the opportunity to sample from the different restaurants. This great idea introduced previously unknown vendors to possible customers. Another guest likened the experience to a “scavenger hunt”.  [The format] “encouraged one to find these different places in town;” places that you may not have heard of prior.  Others liked the idea of levels, which included a VIP pass and made the event less frenetic than your typical Jump Up event. 

Not without its challenges, there is much to work out for a more outstanding experience in subsequent FFAM collaborations. Some guests wished for hand sanitizers at food stations, written description of the food, possibly tall tables on which to rest your dish and more available garbage cans. Another guest reported the lack of information to several of the Christiansted business owners, who were not made aware of the festival. In response to that, Lornette Rogers says that this was such a last minute event and they are remiss in that some vendors were not informed. However, in the future, they hope to include the other business owners and also create a fashion show that features local designers for an even more inclusive communal event.

Two local art movers in the community, Lucien Downes of New Blood notoriety and Monica Marin who curated Invisible Heritage were tasked with organizing the visual arts aspect of this event.  Lucien amassed a wonderful group of artists at Baked Café for the evening’s event; giving the opportunity for emerging as well as seasoned professionals to show their work together in the same venue. 

Rebirth of the Spirit, an expertly curated exhibition, by Monica Marin, is on display at the Peach Can on Strand Street in Christiansted.  In the press release she wrote, [It]is a group exhibition created in response to the 2017 hurricane season and its aftermath as we work towards rebuilding a stronger, more healthy and sustainable Virgin Islands. The show is inspired by Robert Farris Thompson’s Flash of the Spirit, a seminal work that examines the roots of African traditions in the New World and the spiritual and social function of art.

The exhibition showcases how various art forms can bring people together around important issues as well as the healing and transformative power of art…it features artists from and/or living in the Virgin Islands whose work embodies the characteristics of  risk-taking and improvisation. Bold and brave in their practice, and often inventive in their use of found materials, the work embodies and evokes a spiritual essence in its dreamlike quality, symbolism, and abstracted nature.

As part of this exhibition, we engage audiences through a multimedia presentation that activates the streets of Christiansted with public art, featuring visual art, sculpture, music, dance and film. The exhibition includes work by Jon Euwema, Christina Gasperi,  Luca Gasperi, Gerville Larsen, Eric Paxton, Gabriel A. Stephen, Niarus Walker, and Mike Walsh.