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Arts & Culture continued

This exhibition at History Fort
Lauderdale begins with a series of Las Olas Capital Arts Features
images highlighting Miccosukee Suzanne Barton
Grandmother and Everglades
conservationist Betty Osceola, Panther Las Olas Capital Arts celebrates their
Clan, and her work promoting respect 14th featured artist, Suzanne Barton,
and awareness for our planet by an award-winning photographer who
organizing Indigenous prayer walks lives and works in Fort Lauderdale,
through the Everglades. It also Florida. Suzanne’s exhibition will be
highlights a collection of portraits of on display at Las Olas Capital Arts
women who work or live in Immokalee through May of 2021.
and whose strength and perseverance
are admirable and worthy. Suzanne calls herself an old school
photographer who embraces the
About the artist: digital era’s new tools to create
Lisette Morales is a Nicaraguan-born unique combinations of color, design,
photojournalist and interdisciplinary and imagination, surrounded by the
artist based in Florida. Her camera has grace, fluidity, majesty, and serenity
been her tool for activism since the of water, the essence of life itself. She
early ‘90s when she traveled through draws inspiration from being near water, the joy and passion felt when
war-torn areas of Central America, photographing, and the emotional response which is created through
documenting the disruption from military every movement that is captured “below the surface.”
conflicts. After surviving domestic
violence in her own life, Morales turned Ms. Barton's affinity for water and her childhood passion for photography
to painting and illustration as a mode of led to her creation of the Underwater Fine Art Series. Her well-
catharsis and self-expression. Her work orchestrated underwater sessions can last for hours and are followed by
echoes the feminist worldview that she more hours spent in careful editing. Only the perfect image will do. She
now embodies and has been featured lets her imagination follow the energy in the work and embellishes the
in numerous publications. In recent image with various artwork to create and enhance.
years, Morales has returned to She envisions her artwork as being an integral part used healing centers
photography as her media of choice. and for charitable causes. “It's not about the beauty, but the message
Morales was an official delegate to the behind the beauty. My art serves as a gentle reminder to all that we are
United Nations Women 2018 the caretakers of this precious life. I hope it brings joy to your senses and
Commission on the Status of Women. leaves you transformed as well!”
She is a member of the Artful Activist, Suzanne shares her time and talents with many not for profit
Zuma Press, The Authority Collective, organizations, such as Heart Gallery of Broward County, AJC Children's
ArtAid Naples and Colectivo Liminal.
Foundation, Glam-a-thon, Humane Society of Broward County, and
The exhibit will be on display through Flashes of Hope, an organization which is dedicated to creating powerful,
May 28th in the New River Inn (231 uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life-threatening
Southwest Second Avenue in Downtown illnesses. Giving back to the community are near and dear to her heart
Fort Lauderdale). For more information and fuels her passion to create.
about History Fort Lauderdale, please There will also be a few small group events in person throughout the
call (954) 463-4431 or visit online at exhibit run. For more information about the artist or exhibit, please
historyfortlauderdale.org and social contact Erika Rios at Erika.rios@lasolascap.com, or Jodi Jeffreys-Tanner,
media pages.
owner of Las Olas Capital Arts, at jodi.tanner@lasolascap.com, or visit
lasolascaparts.com.

34 LAS OLAS BOULEVARD & ISLES