Scene & Heard

+ Launch party chalks the lines for street fest
The Sarasota Chalk Festival committee has some large-scale plans for how to use South Pineapple Avenue as its canvas Nov. 1 through Nov. 7, when it features more than 250 artists from around the world. The 2011 theme, “Pavement Art through the Ages,” was announced Thursday, June 2, at Northern Trust.

Renowned artist Leon Keer will recreate Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch.” This six-day performance will be completed in the original’s actual size — 11 feet, 10 inches by 14 feet, 4 inches. Keer also holds a Guinness World Record for the largest 3-D street painting in the world. The performance will be telecast live at the Rijksmuseum, where the original painting is housed.

The event will also honor the Grazie di Curtatone Madonnari Competition, held every year in Mantova, Italy, to preserve the cultural tradition of street painting. Last year, Sarasota welcomed five Italian artists to the festival — this year’s goal is 20.

As part of its fall production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” the Sarasota Opera will present excerpts on an outdoor stage with sets created in chalk by Baltimore designer and artist Michael Kirby. Kirby is known for his technique of using sharp angles and adjusting the image to the viewer’s point of view. The set will focus on the floor paintings with stadium-style seating.

+ Booker Middle principal wins state arts leadership award
The Florida Alliance for Arts Education recently recognized five outstanding Florida educators as winners of its 2011 Leadership Awards, to be presented at the Leadership Summit June 16 through June 18, in Orlando.

Booker Middle School Principal Joe Bazenas won FAAE’s 2011 School Administrator award for his ability to generate consistant and deep support through ongoing partnerships with Sarasota community organizations.

“Joe is completely engaged in bringing the most rigorous and authentic learning experiences to every student at Booker Middle,” said FAAE Executive Director Susan Burke. “He energizes everyone around him and makes sure that learning and teaching are fun and creative. He has truly made Booker Middle School the heart of the ‘Booker Nation’ with strong arts programs and strong academic achievement.”

This year’s speakers include author and educator Eric Booth and Frank Brogan, chancellor of the state university system of Florida. Attendees will participate in workshops on topics including technology, arts integration, advocacy, and building community-school partnerships.

+ Jazz juvies to liven up Glenridge
The sensational sextet, “Jazz Juvenocracy,” is back to rock the Glenridge Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. June 18, for a one-night-only show.

These local jazz teenage sensations are a well traveled bunch who have been invited to play at some of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world — including The Jazz a Vienne Festival, in France, The Umbria Jazz Festival, in Italy, and The Montreaux Jazz Festival, in Switzerland.

Special guests “Jazz Geriocracy,” an all-star combo of the juvies’ mentors, including Greg Nielsen, Jim Earp, Rick Peterson, Chuck Parr and Duke Ellington’s former bass player John Lamb, will impart their knowledge of the jazz idiom in a master-class format.

Tickets cost $20; proceeds aid in the group’s travel expenses. Visit www.gpactix.com or call 552-5325 for information.

HOT TICKETS
Movieville International Film Festival: If you’ve ever wanted to meet the people behind “Mad Men,” “CSI: Miami,” “Burn Notice,” “Las Vegas” and “The Glades,” don’t miss your chance this weekend at the Movieville International Film Festival, which runs June 17 through June 19, at the Sarasota Film Society’s Lakewood Ranch Theater.

Created to celebrate and showcase the works of new and emerging filmmakers, the first festival includes an exciting line-up of film screenings, workshops and events.

The festival will premiere two opening-night films — the winning 48 Hour Guerrilla Film Competition short, “Paradise Lost,” and “God’s Ears,” June 17, before they hit the big screen. A hopping after-party with the opportunity to mingle with industry professionals from all over the country will follow in the courtyard.

Spend June 18 and June 19 checking out full-length movies, short features, documentaries and animated films, plus an interactive SFX Make-Up Show with special guest J. LaRose of “Saw III.”

The weekend wraps up at 6 p.m. June 19, with the Hollywood Lounge Party at the Polo Grill.
Purchase tickets online at www.filmsociety.org, or visit the Lakewood Ranch Cinema’s box office.