November’s Old Town Untapped is an Artistic Feast

Party with Rockin’ Jake and Meet this Month’s Artist in Residence

Pompano Beach Arts is serving up some amazing experiences at November’s Old Town Untapped! This month’s edition of the popular street festival features one of South Florida’s most popular and exciting musical acts, Rockin’ Jake, who’s hailed as one of the premier harmonica players in the country. The event will also celebrate this month’s Artist in Residence, Venezuelan-born interdisciplinary visual artist Alejandra Abad at Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, which is also hosting the exhibition Roots of an Identity. Presented in partnership with the Latin American Art Pavilion, this exhibit represents the essence and depth of the Latin American heritage on canvas. Join us for live music, vendors, food trucks, art and more on Friday, November 3, 2023 from 6–10 pm. Free for all ages to attend, learn more at www.pompanobeacharts.org .

“It’s always a pleasure to welcome back crowd favorites like the nationally renowned Rockin’ Jake, while also introducing our patrons to new ideas and talent,” said Ty Tabing, Director, Cultural Affairs Department. “We are thrilled to feature the work Alejandra Abad, who has a unique viewpoint as she explores belonging and mutual compassion as key parts of collective wellness.”

Rockin’ Jake’s original sound is a hybrid of second line, swamp funk, blues and zydeco with influences from Paul Butterfield, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, The Meters, WAR, J. Geils Band, Clifton Chenier, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Widely known as a touring juggernaut among his peers, his schedule of over 200 performances per year include clubs, concert venues, and festivals. He and his musicians play an eclectic mix, all done in their very own signature “rockin” style. He is a five-time winner of Off Beat Magazine’s coveted Best of the Beat award for best harmonica player. He and his band pour out their souls in every performance with high energy and electricity which consistently brings the audience to their feet. He also takes time to give back to his New Orleans community with Project Prodigy Music Camp for children, as well as Blues in the Schools programs in New Orleans and other cities in the US.

Alejandra Abad creates new landscapes that relate to place, family, and community through layering, abstraction, and light. Her playful storytelling often features fragmentation, folklore, and mythology. Her installation work creates environments that include sculptural elements and video projection that relate the history of anticolonial movements, international surrealism and magical realism. Abad’s art features conceptual and collaborative pieces that work to break down the barriers between artist and audience. Her style is informed by architectural studies at Florida Atlantic University, Film/Video/New Media/Animation at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Interdisciplinary Media Art Practices at The University of Colorado. This has led to a series of works centered on environmental futures and the implications of the Anthropocene Epoch.

About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department

The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City’s premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City’s Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.