Friday, November 5 | 6 – 9pm; Parade begins 7pm | Munn Park, Lakeland

On Friday, November 5, Platform Art is partnering with the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority to present First Friday: Buffalo Soldiers of Florida. Join us at Munn Park in Lakeland for a parade featuring the 9th & 10th Buffalo Soldier Calvaries and the Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Clubs of Tampa and Orlando and see BSMC motorcycles and horses, and visit the BSMC tent to take your photo with the horses. The parade will begin at 7pm.

9th & 10th Buffalo Soldier Calvaries, Richard Wilder; and Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Clubs: Charles “Magic Man” Johnson; Tampa; Manny “DJ” McDuffie, Orlando; Harold “ChiTown” Moore, chaplain; and Nathan Westoff, Sons of AmVets Post 32, Lakeland.  

November 6 | 1-2:30 PM | Lakeland Loft Cigar Lounge and Jazz Bar

On Saturday, November 6, join Platform Art for a reception and program on the Buffalo Soldiers & Friends of Freedom public art sculpture, a Florida Humanities* supported program. Subject experts share the history of the Spanish-American War and the Buffalo Soldiers who were stationed in Lakeland during 1898 for the military campaign to gain Cuba’s independence from Spain. 

BUFFALO SOLDIERS

Visual Narratives of History and Heritage:

A Speaker Series on Florida and the Spanish-American War

Featuring

Frank Bell, 2nd Vice President & Historian, 9th & 10th Horse Cavalry  and Cale Carter, II, Historian Black & Military History

African American Military History aka Buffalo Soldier Museum

Special guests

Lt. Col., Terry Coney, USAF (Ret), NAACP

Richard Wilder USA (Ret), Buffalo Soldiers Florida, Inc. & Living History Association

Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle Clubs, Tampa & Orlando Chapters

Special Thanks to
American Legion, Post 4

*Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this speaker series do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Saturday, November 6:

Friends of Freedom Public Announcement | 10am – 12pm | Veterans Memorial Park, Lakeland

Veteran’s Parade | 11:30am – 12:30pm | Veterans Memorial Park, Lakeland to Munn Park, Lakeland

ArtCrawl Festival| 9am – 4pm | Munn Park, Lakeland (contact: Ellen Chastain)

Featuring

Colonel, Gary Clark, USAF (Ret), Polk County Veterans’ Council

Richard Wilder USA (Ret), Buffalo Soldiers Florida, Inc. & Living History Association

Buffalo Soldiers of Florida Motorcycle Clubs, Tampa/Orlando

Becky Ault, Art Research Enterprises, Inc.

ArtCrawl, Inc.

Saturday, October 23 | 1:30 – 3pm | Magnolia Building, Lake Mirror, Lakeland

On Saturday, October 23, join Platform Art for Cuba: Spanish-American War to Present, part of a speaker series on Florida and the Spanish-American War. This event is hosted in conjunction with the Hispanic Festival at the Magnolia Building on Lake Mirror, Lakeland. Preview Those Men That Came Before; experience history through presentations on Cuban history from the Spanish-American War to present.

CUBA: Spanish-American war to present

Visual Narratives of History and Heritage:

A Speaker Series on Florida and the Spanish-American War

Featuring

Those Men That Came Before

Kevin O’Brien Films, produced by Platform Art, Inc.

Mariel Boat Lift

Jose Garcia, Ph.D., Spanish and Latin American Studies at FSC 

Success in Exile

Teresa Martinez, Viva Polk

Contemporary Hispanic Artists

Fernando Hernandez & Evelyn Pena, YborArtFactory

Sponsored in part by

Florida Humanities and Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation

Wednesday, July 28 | 5 – 6:30pm | Core Wealth Advisors, Inc., 124 S. Florida Ave, Ste 400

On Wednesday, July 28, CORE Wealth Advisors will host a reception for patrons and members of Platform Art. This is an informal social hour, including a screening of the short-film, Those Men That Came Before, and a public art highlight. 

CORE Wealth Advisors, Inc.

Presents

Platform Art Patrons & Members Appreciation Reception

Those Men That Came Before, Kevin O’Brien Films

Platform Art Public Art Highlight

Reception, Libations, Hors d’oeuvres and Conversation

Saturday, June 26 | 7 – 10pm | Mirrorton Community, 600 E. Bay St., Lakeland

On Saturday, June 26, Platform Art is hosting Artful Bowl at the Mirrorton Community in downtown Lakeland. Artful Bowl is an annual art party and fundraiser to support the creation of public art. This non-traditional casual-gala event includes unexpected non-stop entertainment, great fun, food and libations. Experience spectacular entertainment across genres, from visual art and film, to fashion and live performances. Each year, all attendees take home a hand-made original ceramic bowl made by regional artist and entrepreneur, Randy Glotfelty, JenKen Kilns.

Hosted in the remarkable new Mirrorton, a Frameworks Group development in downtown Lakeland, Artful Bowl will be the first public event held in the beautifully designed, spacious community building. It is a model development with extraordinary amenities, fine art installations, resort style pool, and manicured grounds. Enjoy the opportunity to experience the space and take-in the original art installations, some of which were commissioned in partnership with Platform Art.  

Artful Bowl 2021 supports Friends of Freedom, a bronze sculpture commemorating the Spanish-American War, designed and fabricated by Becky Ault, Art Research Enterprises, Inc. The public art monument incorporates high relief visual narratives of the Cuban War for Independence; commemorating the Infantries and Calvarys involved in the military campaign; and recognizing the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Lakeland. Friends of Freedom is commissioned by the Veterans Council of Florida and will be installed in Veterans Memorial Park, 2022.

Sunday, May 16 | 3:30 – 5pm | Red Door Lakeland, 733 E. Palmetto St., Lakeland

On Sunday, May 16, join Platform Art at Red Door Lakeland for A Splendid Little War, a program supported in part by the Florida Humanities. Meet Teddy Roosevelt, listen to historical presentations by subject experts, and see the Platform Art documentary film premier: Those Men That Came Before. 

Speakers:

SFC W. Lloyd Harris USA (Ret), Polk County Historical Commission

LuAnn Mims, Lakeland Public Library

Alexander Rich, Ph.D., Polk Museum of Art

Teddy Roosevelt, Rough Riders

Those Men That Came Before Film Premiere, Kevin O’Brien Films

Sunday, February 28 | 5 – 6:30pm

Annual student showcase of visual and performance arts
United Women’s Club of Lakeland, 1515 Williamsburg Square

Sunday, January 31 | 3:30- 5pm | Nineteen61, Lakeland

Dr. James Michael Denham, Director of the L. M. Chiles Center for Florida History at FSC

Dr. Jose Garcia, Professor of Hispanic Literature and Latin American Studies at FSC

Marcos Fernandez, Chef at Nineteen61, demonstrating Cuba’s culinary influences of Spain and Africa, with “Tastes of 1898”

Limited in-person attendance, but you can also join the event online.

A special thank you to our 2020 members. Our work would not be possible without your generous support.