The Week Ahead’s triumphant return celebrates spooky gatherings in Delray and West Palm Beach, a new-wave band’s first album in three decades, Mexican modernism at the Norton and more.
TUESDAY
What: “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection”
Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $22-$25
Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org
This blockbuster exhibition, which opened this past weekend, offers more works by foundational Mexican-American artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera than it has ever presented before. Drawn from the coveted collection of Jacques Gelman, a film producer who lived through the Mexican Revolution of 1920, and his wife Natasha, this comprehensive survey of the country’s post-revolutionary art features some 20 paintings from Kahlo, the godmother of magical realism, and another 13 from Rivera. It’s supplemented by works from 11 of their contemporaries, candid photographs of the artists, and examples of their period clothing. Seven Kahlo self-portraits are among the exhibition’s gems, including her ravishing 1943 painting “Diego On My Mind.” It runs through Feb. 6, 2022.
WEDNESDAY
What: The Psychedelic Furs
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Revolution Live, 100 S.W. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Cost: $33
Contact: 954/449-1025, jointherevolution.net
Since their reunion in the aughts, these bastions of British post-punk have made Florida a frequent spot on their typically annual sojourns across the U.S. as largely a legacy act, performing megahits like “Pretty in Pink,” “Love My Way” and other balmy staples of 1980s college radio. This year, though, for the first time in some three decades, the set lists will include new material. In 2020, the Furs released their comeback album Made of Rain, a tight, moody and soaring 12-song collection that conjures everybody from the Rolling Stones to the Cure, proving that despite such a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, the band hasn’t missed a (“Heartbreak”) beat.
FRIDAY
What: Opening day of “Gathering”
Where: Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach
When: Noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/471-2901, palmbeachculture.com
All group exhibitions inherently involve a “gathering” of sorts, as curators scavenge from different corners of the art world and use their expertise to combine them into a coherent, flowing experience. But “Gathering” has a special meaning this time; the exhibition, curated by the Cultural Council’s director of artist services, Jessica Ransom, will celebrate our ability to gather once again in a closed space together, something many of us have missed for more than a year and a half of social distancing. Themed around the “joy and solace of social activity in all forms,” “Gathering” features contributions from 17 Florida artists. It runs through Jan. 15.
SATURDAY
What: Witches of Delray ride
When: 7:30 a.m.
Where: Downtown Delray Beach
Cost: Free, but donations support the Achievement Centers for Children & Families
Contact: 561/266-0003, witchesofdelray.org
You know Delray is fully back to normal when hordes clad in fairy wings, wizard hats and alien antennae hit the pavement in a two-wheeled parade of whoops, hollers and cackles. The abnormal scene in Delray was the one last year, in which this campy/spooky fundraiser was postponed in favor of a smaller-scale scavenger hunts. This year, it’s fully on, so expect the action on All Hallow’s Eve Eve (yes, you read that correctly) to present quite a spectacle, as teams in themed costumes go all out in this most eccentric of charity rides. At the end of the course, which traverses both A1A and Atlantic Avenue, prizes are typically awarded for Best Decorated Bike, Best Witch Costume and Best Witch Cackle.
What: Peach-O-Ween
When: 5 to 11 p.m.
Where: The Peach, 3950 Georgia Ave., West Palm Beach
Cost: Free
Contact: 561/714-2383, thepeachwpb.com
A couple of weeks ago, while we were sleeping, The Peach, West Palm Beach’s newest art district opened for public events, including a monthly art walk weekend. The brainchild of renowned local artist and Fright Nights director Craig McInnis, the hip space features six artist studios as well as the third location—and the first in the WPB area—of Troy’s BBQ. This weekend marks the Peach’s first special event, catering to families and beyond, with costume contests for kids and adults, live music by RAGA and Dan Lee, a pumpkin design studio, art and vintage vendors, a bounce house and more. There will even be complimentary beer and wine, which is a fact that bears repeating—but which we’ll keep to ourselves, lest the supply run out.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
What: Boca Raton Pumpkin Patch Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
Cost: $25
Contact: 561/393-7890, mizneramp.com
Frankly, we’ve already eclipsed peak pumpkin beer for the season—but actual pumpkins? Yeah, we’re still cool with those. This weekend, the Mizner Amphitheater will transform into a sea of orange, as thousands of pumpkins, from baseball-sized minis to king-sized jack o’ lanterns, will be available for the picking (at an additional cost of $1-$15 per pumpkin, depending on size). This favorite autumn event also features a pumpkin-centric food court, a carnival with rides spanning from roller coasters to water slides, a cornstalk maze, pumpkin decorating kits, scenic photo backdrops and, yes, a pumpkin beer bar.
SUNDAY
What: Pet Sematary Halloween Party with the Marones
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Cost: $5
Contact: 561/832-9999, sub-culture.org
Are the Ramones an ideal artist to pay tribute to on Halloween night? I can imagine that in 1976, the Ramones would seem to the vast swathe of middle America like a pretty scary band—dressed in black leather and performing in seedy dives at breakneck speeds nobody had ever heard before, shouting lyrics about lobotomies and beating people up with baseball bats. Times have changed: These days, half the Ramones catalog isn’t far removed from the Beach Boys. But expect the Marones, a cover band dedicated to the Ramones’ pioneering catalog, to capture some of that protean punk adventurousness—if not the societal danger of it all—at this special Respectable Street gig. It’s being structured as a Ramones karaoke, so brave (and/or inebriated) fans are welcome to join them onstage. Trust me, it’s easy: “Blitzkrieg Bop” is one of my own go-to karaoke cuts! There will be special Halloween-y drinks served all night, and a costume contest with a $250 prize for the winner.
