Valarie Esguerra is an accomplished writer, educator, and creative consultant who is native to Jacksonville.  She grew up writing, directing, and producing plays for her church, having felt that the available productions were not entirely reflective of her community. Esguerra continued to cultivate her talent for getting to the heart of the matter through her involvement with the local community theatre circuit.  She participated in Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre's inaugural season 26 years ago and founder Carson Merry Baillie served as Esguerra's mentor. 

Esguerra is one of four Jacksonville artists to participate in the pilot year of Lift Every Student, a collaborative arts integration program between Any Given Child Jacksonville, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, and Duval County Public Schools.  Esguerra and musician Lucy Chen and visual artists Sarah Crooks Flaire and Erin Kendrick are working as teaching artists in residence in Duval County's newly appointed arts integration schools during the 2017-18 academic year.  The program was funded with the support of PNC through their Arts Alive grant program and private donor and sculptor David Engdahl.

A zine is most commonly a small-circulation, self-published work that is made using an analog process of cutting out original or appropriated texts and images and then arranging them on a page using tape and paste.  Issues are then typically produced using a photocopier, which often results in a grainy, raw publication.  Because zines traditionally have low production costs, writers and illustrators are free to take risks and create whatever it is they wish to see in the world.

Zines are the product of either a single person or a collective group. There are a number of zine makers in Jacksonville, including writer Hurley Winkler and visual artist Aysha Miskin who collaboratively create Nickname. Through the zine, Winkler's words are accompanied by Miskin's illustrations to create an independent publication that combats life's woes with humor.  Within its pages, readers will find poems, illustrations, letters, journal entries, and collages.

Every Single Artist Lounge (ESAL) is a monthly networking event for artists of all disciplines, arts professionals, art educators, and art appreciators.  The re-occurring meet-up is facilitated by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and artist co-hosts Mal Jones and Kandice Clark.  Each month, the group, which averages between 50 and 60 participants, is hosted by a venue within Jacksonville's arts and cultural sector. The objective of this series is to create a community that is creative, inclusive, and collaborative. A complete list of 2018 dates and hosting venues can be found on the ESAL webpage within the Cultural Council's website.  

It's with great excitement that we announce the first sponsor of Every Single Artist Lounge, Brunet-García Advertising.  Diane Brunet-García, Founder of the advertising agency, is no stranger to the arts and cultural sector.  She has served on the Board of Directors for several arts and culture non-profits, including the Cultural Council.  The agency has also worked directly with non-profits, such as Phase Eight Theater Company, to create distinct brand images and marketing materials. 

“With a mission to build brands that inspire meaningful change, Brunet-García has always invested in the community and its rich arts and culture network. We are particularly pleased to help sponsor Every Single Artist Lounge for its potential to reach individual working visual artists, theater professionals, writers, poets, dancers, and other artists to germinate meaningful collaborations among them,” said Diane Brunet-García.  

We'd like to directly thank Brunet-García for their sponsorship of ESAL and for their continued support of the arts and culture sector as a whole.  We also hope that you assist us in growing our network this year by attending ESAL and connecting with others within the sector who are using the arts as a means to enrich life in Northeast Florida. 

Visual artist Noli Novak has illustrated hedcuts since 1987 when she first began her career as a Staff Illustrator at the Wall Street Journal. The term hedcut comes from a newsroom abbreviation for "headline cut." They are hand-drawn, pen and ink illustrations. The technique resembles old style engravings and it gives the Journal its iconic look.  

Novak recently celebrated 30 years at the Journal.  Between her daily assignments and commissioned jobs, she has amassed a portfolio of work that includes tens-of-thousands of hedcuts that have been featured in international publications, corporate brochures, advertising, product and website illustration, and social media avatars. Her client roster includes Jim Beam, Nike, MTV Networks, and Infiniti, just to name a few.  

Originally from Croatia, Novak began her career as an artist in New York City.  There she met her now husband, Serigrapher George Cornwell, in 1986 and the two bonded over a shared passion for the visual arts and music. Soon after, they formed the band Gluegun, which featured Novak as vocalist, Cornwell on guitar, Jeff Sćios on bass, and Paddy Mike on drums. The group released their first album, Itch, in 1993 on Snob Hill Records. In 1996, they released the B-sides to Itch as a self-released 7" record. 

Elena Øhlander was born in Minnesota but was raised in Florida.  She is a Jacksonville based model and artist who explores several mediums, including photography, illustration, and painting.  Øhlander's work will be on exhibit in 1st Things 1st, which opens on Friday, January 12 at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Springfield.  This group show features artwork by 30 different First Coast artists and serves as a commentary on the freedoms outlined within the United States of America's First Amendment.  Øhlander will also be one of four artists included in the upcoming exhibition Sum + Substance, which opens at The Space Gallery on Friday, February 16.  Her work will be featured alongside artists Christie Chandler, Dustin Harewood, and Hiromi Moneyhun.

In connection with the Sum + Substance, Arts Evolution will host a ticketed event on Thursday, February 15 and invites individuals interested in starting or growing their personal and corporate art collections to meet with the artists during an intimately curated experience.  The evening will feature artist discussions and a presentation on contemporary art led by Curator and Art Advisor Aaron Levi Garvey. A selection of boutique wines and culinary delectables will be paired with the work of each artist to more fully engage the audience's senses. To maintain intimacy, capacity will be limited to 50 attendees.