Live at the Gardens Summer Music Series

Beat the heat with cool music at the 7^th annual Live at the Gardens!—A Summer Music Series beginning May 31 at 7:30 p.m. With a new Bose tower sound system, new stage and theater lighting, seating will be cabaret-style in the Visitor Center. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day of the event, if available. Early reservations are encouraged. An optional prepaid dinner will be served at the Blue Palmetto Café at 5:45 p.m. Dinners are $17, members $15.50. The full-course dinners include tax and gratuity. Payment is required at the time of the reservation, and nonrefundable tickets will be mailed. For tickets, call 863-734-1221 or e-mail phrestina@boksanctury.org.

On May 31, Street Level Jazz performs jazz, blues, reggae and more. The optional dinner menu will be Spanish chicken stew with black beans, rice and plantains or eggplant parmesan, mixed vegetables and an Italian side salad.

On June 28, Southbound Band plays a mixture of Southern and classic rock as well as country music. The optional dinner menu features jambalaya with andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp or eggplant parmesan, mixed vegetables and an Italian side salad.

On July 26, Ramblin’ Rose features three generations of women from the same Polk County family who perform bluegrass and old time fiddle tunes along with Southern rock. The optional dinner menu includes parmesan chicken breast with peppers and onions with roasted rosemary potatoes or vegetable lasagna, mixed vegetables and an Italian side salad.

On Aug 23, the Repeatles bring back the nostalgic 50s and 60s music of Buddy Holly, Elvis, the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The optional dinner menu will be beef bourguignon and rice pilaf or vegetable lasagna, mixed vegetables and a tropical side salad.

On October 4, Broadway & JAZZ returns with an all new dynamic and highly entertaining program showcasing Broadway tunes and great American classics of jazz. The optional dinner menu features lemon butter baked salmon and garden rice or eggplant parmesan, mixed vegetables and a Greek side salad.

All meals are served with a roll and butter and iced tea, soda or coffee. Ice cream, sorbet and a churro will be served for dessert. Wine is available for purchase.

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Expressions Photography Exhibit: Beverly Gustafson, Winter Haven

Date: Through September 25
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Cost: Included with general admission
For more information: Call (863) 676-1408

Winter Haven artist Beverly Gustafson will display her “Expressions” photography exhibit at Bok Tower Gardens through September 25. Viewing the exhibit in the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is included with general admission or membership.

Gustafson is an award-winning digital photographer who likes to focus on the architecture of flowers, among other things. “I like to get in close and explore the areas you don’t see with the casual glance, producing real in-your-face macro, almost abstract images,” Gustafson explains. “I also enjoy interesting still life and landscape photography, striving for something other than the norm.”

Within the six short years since Gustafson “sort of backed into photography” she has immersed herself in the craft and developed a distinctive body of work that showcases a remarkable attention to detail and an instinctive elegance of composition. Arresting pieces range from vivid botanical still- life photos with more of a traditional resonance to computer generated montages that are otherworldly and often serene.

 An art major in college, Gustafson combines her artistic talent with her love of computer graphics to create digital photographs and custom works of art that are available as pigmented prints on archival paper. “I was always looking for a way to fulfill my need to be creative. Photography has filled that need beautifully allowing me to use my design skills and artistic talent to create images that fulfill my vision with a look that is uniquely mine.

Gustafson uses natural light to photograph her subjects since she feels that it gives the best representation of the actual color and texture and is closer to what one would see in nature. Interesting still life and landscape photography are other passions of the photographer.

All aspects of the work is done by Gustafson from developing in her digital darkroom, to printing, using the finest inks and archival papers. Editing is kept to a minimum, usually only exposure and slight color adjustments. “The few pieces that I have artistically altered are obvious, and only done to fulfill my vision for that particular piece while still maintaining a photographic feel.”