Florida Luxe Arts Festival (FLLUXE) Set for March 19

Bay Arts Alliance will hold its second annual Florida Luxe Arts Festival (FLLUXE) on March 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FLLUXE is an exciting, interactive arts festival that combines street chalk art installations with live music, art projects, and creative vendors in historic downtown Panama City.

“After a fantastic first year, we wanted to up our game with some additional elements,” said Jayson Kretzer, executive director of Bay Arts Alliance. “So in addition to adding more street painters, we’ll have family-friendly art projects, more musicians, art cars, and a temporary graffiti wall for folks to try their hand at spray painting.”

Four national chalk artists—Naomi Haverland, Anat Ronen, Jan Riggins, and Chris Carlson—are coming in to create 3D, interactive pieces for the public to enjoy. They will start a day or two earlier than the festival, so the pieces can be completed by the end of the festival.

Plus, several local artists and schools will be joining in the fun, creating chalk art pieces in the Destination Panama City parking lot.

“We love to have a balance of local and national talent at this event,” said Tori Haudenschild, Education and Events Manager for Bay Arts Alliance. “Our locals learn from the incoming artists and the out-of-town artists go back home and share how awesome Panama City is!”

During the week leading up to the FFLUXE festival, the Panama City Center for the Arts is also inviting the community to help fill up their parking lot with chalk art butterflies. All supplies will be on hand and it’s free to participate.

“Destination Panama City is thrilled to partner with Bay Arts Alliance in bringing back FLLUXE Arts Festival for the second year,” said Jennifer Vigil, president of Destination Panama City. “We are excited to see the creative genius of our locals and the traveling artists come alive in downtown!”

Visitors can watch the artists while they work, enjoy performances by local musicians, explore the Panama City Farmer’s Market, and go see the exhibitions in the Center for the Arts—a fun excursion for the entire family!

More information about the festival can be found on www.flluxeartsfestival.com.​ The FFLUXE website will be updated as more details are available.

More about Artist Anat Ronen

Houston-based, self-taught artist, Anat Ronen, became a professional artist in her late 30s following a decision she made with her family to emigrate from Israel to the USA. Now, 12 years after becoming a full-time artist as a way to stay in this country, she has created hundreds of pieces all over the US and beyond and most importantly, discovered her true calling.

In addition to her mural work, she participates in international street painting and street art festivals nationwide and around the world. She is a multi-disciplinary artist and loves to share her gift with the world.

More about Artist Jan Riggins

Largely a self-taught artist who started out as a musician, Jan Riggins lives and works in Fort Worth, TX. She grew up around artists as her mother painted every Christmas card by hand and her grandmother filled all of her family’s houses with her paintings. After college, Jan began working a full-time job and found that she missed creating. She realized she had a definite need to “create.”

Starting in March of 2020, Jan and her daughter began chalking on their driveway and sidewalk. This soon became a nightly activity and they enjoyed choosing different themes and subjects to explore. They mainly work at their house, but as they find time, they also chalk for neighbors and local businesses.

More about Artist Naomi Haverland

Naomi Haverland specializes in hyper-realistic portraits and whimsical candid expressions. Her primary focus is on candid and exaggerated human expression, often using children and senior citizens as her reference models. Through unexpected pop icons and props, she hopes to add humor and levity to her realistic style. She also relies heavily on eye contact between the art subject and viewer in order to engage her audience.

She has been painting murals with paint for 15 years and with chalk for 8 years. Haverland has won many recognitions and awards for her chalk art, including 7 awards at the Denver Chalk Art Festival.

More about Artist Chris Carlson

Chris has been studying anamorphic 3D perspective (the special perspective that allows a drawing to pop off the pavement) for over 10 years. He has traveled all over the country and the world studying with masters and creating artwork in front of thousands of people. In this time Chris has developed his own unique style.

He has created artwork for national advertising campaigns with Fortune 500 companies. He has also won multiple “Best 3-D” awards at sidewalk chalk art competitions around the country. Chris continues to push his limits and the art form to new levels.

Bay Arts Alliance

Since 1978, Bay Arts Alliance has served as the local arts agency for Bay County and provides opportunities for cultural enrichment through broad based educational experiences, music and arts programs, exhibitions, and events. Bay Arts Alliance has brought countless national touring performances to the area and provides many cultural opportunities for Bay County schools and non-profit organizations.

Panama City Center for the Arts

Panama City Center for the Arts in downtown Panama City is housed in the beautiful 1925 historic City Hall building. The Center for the Arts is managed by Bay Arts Alliance and provides visitors and the local community with creative enrichment through monthly art shows and exhibitions, films, concerts, educational art classes for all ages, and special focus classes for Bay County school trips. The facility and grounds are under the ownership of the City of Panama City.