Painter persisted amid the pandemic — and she hopes other artists do the same
The pandemic has been especially difficult for so many artists.
For Palmetto Bay painter Marcelle Zanetti, it meant seeing her one-woman show canceled at the last minute in March 2020.
Her advice now for other artists?
“You have to hustle,” Zanetti said.
“Two days before the opening reception of my show, “Fragments in Time,” sponsored by The Village of Palmetto Bay and Art South at Historic Perrine Community House, a decision was made to cancel the exhibition,” she said.
“Six months of preparation, picking up and exchanging paintings from galleries, ordering postcards, labeling and mailing them, completing paperwork, hiring help, renting a van, posting on social media, the list goes on and on.
“The timing wasn’t good, but I was in total agreement with the decision.”
Soon after, when Miami-Dade County went into lockdown, all galleries closed, and owners had to discover different sales methods. So did artists.
“I immersed myself in painting, weekly posting on social media and started a new series ‘Summer Abstracts on Paper’. When this was complete, I was commissioned to do a very large painting of a silver Bismarck palm. It took three months of painting, five to six days a week, to complete,” Zanetti said.
In 2020, she was also included in “Art Herstory” at Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus celebrating Women’s History month.
“All the work was hung. The opening reception was canceled. The university was soon put on lockdown. Paintings were hanging in empty venues.
“So, what do you do? Hope your longevity as an established artist carries you through? Keep painting and thinking of ways to get your work out there?”
Zanetti persevered.
And she hopes to inspire other artists to do the same.
“Be sure you are self-motivated before starting your own business,” she said. “You won’t make it if you aren’t. There are many artists out there whose pieces are inferior but they market their work in a clever way to make it irresistible.
“Now, not only are you an artist trying to create a cohesive body of work, but you also have to pick up the slack from closed art galleries while concurrently playing the role of guru for your social media platform. And don’t forget a sales marketing plan,” she said.
“You are in charge of your career,” Zanetti said. “You, ultimately, are the person who will decide the path of your success.”
Her bright, big paintings can be seen at FIU Biscayne Bay Campus in the Glenn Hubert Library; Government Center, Village of Palmetto Bay; Embraer Executive Jets in Melbourne; Changing Landscapes, Art Serve, Fort Lauderdale; Chandler Gallery in Jupiter, and Michael Murphy Gallery in Tampa. Visit www.marcellezanetti.com
New book includes Florida history
Writer Arthur Bivins is a fifth-generation Floridian and third-generation native of Miami-Dade County. He is also an avid student of Florida history and has published a book on Amazon called “The Thief Taker’s Choice, A Novel of the Second Seminole War in Florida.”
“As a child, when I complained to my parents that Florida didn’t have a very exciting history, they informed me that I was terribly mistaken.
“They set me on a course of study that led me to learn about the founding of our county and the events that shaped the early history of our state. My wife and I still live in Kendale Lakes,” Bivins said.
Set around 1840, the novel tells the story of bounty hunter Michael Delaney who is living in poverty in New York City. The book’s adventure begins when Delaney is offered a substantial reward to find a wealthy man’s daughter who has run away to the Florida Territory.
Free mental health awareness virtual expo
Albizu University Miami will offer complimentary continuing education sessions for psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers 5-8:30 p.m., May 12.
The event joins over 1,000 communities nationwide in celebrating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Mental Health Awareness Day, which focuses on the importance of emotional and psychological well-being.
Titled “COVID: Identifying Community Needs and Response Styles Associated with Mental Health, Vaccinations and Suicide Prevention,” this year’s Albizu event will include three sessions of one hour each focused on identifying community needs and response styles, with an emphasis on teen suicide.
To reserve a spot, register at tinyurl.com/mentalhealthawareness2021
Walk to raise awareness and funds
In honor of Mental Health Awareness month in May, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Miami will host Miami-Dade County’s first “NAMIWalks Your Way,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 22.
The hybrid outdoor and virtual event is set to raise awareness and funding for free support groups, peer mentoring programs, outreach and educational classes,
“Psychological distress in 2021 amid the pandemic caused a marked increase in the demand for mental health services in our community,” said Susan Racher, NAMI Miami Board President.
Register or learn more about creating a team at NAMIWalks.org/Miami or email Kris Eschman at Kris@NAMIMiami.org or call 305-665-2540.
Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 12:00 AM.