WRAPT ATTENTION

Studio 18 is dedicated to showcasing contemporary art and serving the community by bringing exhibitions, workshop and events to the studio in Pembroke Pines. Events (excluding workshops) are held on the first Friday of every month between 7:00 – 9:00pm. 

Studio 18

Wrapt Attention, an exhibition featuring seven artists who use everyday objects and discarded trash to explore “themes of opposition”.

Wrapt Attention Exhibit

Lucinda Linderman's sculptures focus on the irony of plastic products - jugs of laundry detergent with nature-inspired scents and artificial plants that masquerade as natural.

Patricia Shcnall Gutierrez employs steel wool, twines and hair to explore the stereotypical roles women take on as mothers, caretakers and professionals.

Carrie Sieh has transformed plastic bags, VHS tape and hand-knitted copper wire into works that "alleviate emotional discomfort."

The show opened with Upcycled Fashionista, a fashion show of designs made from repurposed and recycled materials.

Old Magazine Wear

Plumbing Wear

Advocate Wear

The judges included eco-fashion designer Kayce Armstrong and artist/designer Lucinda Linderman. Prizes were awarded and the top winner has the chance to shadow Armstrong in her design showroom in Hollywood. 

 

Cash Register Receipt Wear

Discard Wear

Whole Foods Wear

The studio salon was a chance to meet with the artists and hear them talk about their art and inspiration. Admission is free and Studio 18's regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

             

Studio 18 is at 1101 Poinciana Drive, Pembroke Pines.

For information call 954-961-6067.

Community Outreach: The Center for Hearing and Communication

The Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC) is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss. CHC meets hearing and communication needs through services that provide the highest level of clinical expertise and technical know-how available in the healthcare field.

The effects of hearing loss are complex. Hearing impairment causes a sense of isolation and is often associated with anxiety, financial, physical and emotional complications. A communicative challenge not only affects the person who is hard of hearing, but also all those with whom they interact. The Center is a source of help for parents, siblings, friends, teachers, employers and employees of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

All people face difficult life predicaments and relationship issues that harshly affect our lives and cause upset. CHC staff has experience with, and knowledge of, specific emotional issues that Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deaf blind people face. All of the therapists are sign language fluent and sensitive to all the communication needs of their clients.  Therapists meet with individuals, families, couples and groups who are having difficulty or concerns about depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and sexuality in addition to other topics.

The Youth Force provides year round programs to help develop a positive outlook, healthy family dynamics, pro-social relationships positive decision-making skills, strong community attachment, and academic and future career success. Goals are to reduce risk factors related to teen pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse, family dysfunction, mental and physical health problems, negative peer associations, and school failure.

The Learning Independence thru Focused Transition (L.I.F.T.) program is designed specifically to meet the needs of high school age adolescents with developmental, physical, vision, or hearing disabilities that require intensive social, vocational, employability skills, and communication supports.

People who are hard of hearing and deaf often face workplace misunderstanding and discrimination.  The discrimination faced by deaf employees is due in part to on-the-job communication difficulties and resentment over necessary accommodations. Respecting the dignity of each person and striving to support their independence, CHC helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing chart career paths and find employment.

CHC provides to the community:

• Hearing testing 
•  Hearing aid evaluation, dispensing, maintenance and repair
• Assistive devices counseling
•  Cochlear Implant Support Group
•  Free onsite hearing screenings
• Courses in American Sign Language (ASL)

 For more information contact:

The Center for Hearing and Communication

2900 West Cypress Creek Road, Suite 3

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309

Phone: 954-601-1930

http://www.chchearing.org

KIDS IN DISTRESS

I recently had the privilege to photograph a fundraiser benefit for KIDS IN DISTRESS at Abe & Louie’s in Boca.  Due to the success of the Foster Care/ Adoption Programs, KID has been invited to expand its work into Palm Beach County.

Community volunteers and the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale founded KIDS IN DISTRESS as a shelter for victims of child abuse. The mission of KIDS IN DISTRESS is to prevent child abuse, preserve the family and treat children who have been abused and neglected.  KID serves more than 8,000 children and their families each year.

KIDS IN DISTRESS cares for and treats abused and neglected children through a full continuum of care that includes emergency shelters, therapeutic services, abuse prevention, foster care and adoption. The state-of-the-art pediatric dental clinic provides dental care to children who have no other access to these services.  The Eye Care Institute - offers low cost eye exams, glasses and other general eye care services to the public.

     

     

  KIDS IN DISTRESS depends on the community's continued support to provide children with much-needed care. Get involved and make a difference through activities such as Mark Vacker Photography’s Family Portrait Month. Not only do you win by getting to purchase a keepsake Family Portrait that will preserve the memory of your family and be passed on for generations, but also you win by knowing in your heart of the good that you have done for others.

Don’t Argue with the Teacher…. 

originally published by VSP workshops June 7, 2009

The 2009 McNally Lighting Workshop Kicks Off  - Venice, Italy

Day one on the lighting workshop usually starts off with a day in the palace, getting to grips with all the light-shaping tools that we’ll be using across the days. For the first day we don’t bring in the professional models yet- we let everybody iron out the creases, figure out their group dynamics….and use each other as models for today…..and what happens when somebody wants to be a model but teacher ain’t having it?? Face the wrath of Hamish McNally – the fiercest strobe warrior this side of the Grand Canal…

Who says Joe McNally knows more than I do?

Check out Mark Vacker Photography's new profile on Manta, an online community dedicated to helping small businesses profit, connect, and grow.

If you have had a wonderful experience with Mark Vacker Photography, don't hesitate to let the world know...everyone will appreciate your honesty and feedback!

Mark Vacker Photography

It’s A Wild Life in the Galapagos Islands

Originally Published December 26th, 2011 


Prehistoric looking iguanas, roaring sea lions, creeping lava lizards, and deadly scorpions 
own the chain of volcanic 
black rocks which make up 
The Galapagos Islands.  



From ship to shore, wet landings and dry landings, the adventure never ends, as our eyes and minds are exposed to sights, which we have never before seen and which we will never ever forget.  

How many people can claim that they have seen penguins on the equator, or blue-footed boobies sunning themselves in the warm sun?  Giant crabs and mammoth tortoises roam the landscape inducing sensory overload.     

Sea turtles and seals dive the ocean waters amongst spawning stingrays and mammoth whales.   



Marvels of isolated evolution abound; the islands seem to appear and disappear among the mist of rocks of volcanic origin.  





The experience is absolutely unforgettable I am glad to say that “the memory can last forever” as it has been captured with digital images.

Giving Back

With a heart full of love and a desire to give back, it comes as no surprise that Mark Vacker Photography has been making appearances throughout the community to volunteer time and photography skills to a variety of charitable organizations. From Kids in Distress to the Broward Children’s Center, many charities have plucked at Mark’s heart strings, enabling him to support these wonderful causes with his talent.

             

We recently worked with Studio 18 in Pembroke Pines as they served the special needs community through the medium of art. Jill Slaughter, Curator of Special Projects for the City of Pembroke Pines put together a gallery exhibit of work by local artists, and invited the special needs community to create interpretations of the artwork and to hang their work in the gallery. The Pembroke Pines community and Whole Foods demonstrated their support for the special needs artists and gathered in an effort to raise funds for art supplies for the group.

                                           




















More recently we have photographed a fundraising event for Kids in Distress as they raised money at Abe & Louie’s Steakhouse in Boca Raton to aid in the expansion of their presence into Palm Beach County. Kids in Distress aims at preventing child abuse and aiding children who fall victim to this devastating act.

                                                         

As we look at what we’ve done and where we are going, we are incredibly excited and looking forward to the many events to come. We cannot wait to work with MACtown which serves the special needs community  in Miami, the Center for the Hearing and Communication, the American Lung 
Association, Arts for Learning and more!