Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 11-24-17

Features
Artist Cam Parker’s Local Mural Of Superstar Lady Gaga
‘Made Her Cry’
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
So what do you do when you’re an artist and a huge Lady Gaga fan and you find out your fa- vorite singer – Lady Gaga – is coming to your town next month?
If you’re Cam Parker, you paint a be- hemoth likeness of the pop icon on the wall of the
building housing one of Cam Parker seated in front of his the trendiest eateries as mural.
an homage.
Parker, of Tampa,
said his vibrant mural of the tiny songstress with the big voice also known as Stephanie Germanotta will be finished when she strolls into town Dec. 1 for a sold-out show.
But folks – and Lady Gaga herself – already are, well, gaga over Parker’s public art which recently created quite a buzz online and prompted the singer to salute Parker on Twitter.
“You certainly did make me cry,” she tweeted.
“That was pretty life-changing,” Parker said.
It’s a dream come true for Parker, a full-time artist who
has works dotted all over town including a mural at Florida and Hillsborough Avenues.
Lady Gaga isn’t Parker’s first depiction of a superstar. When diva Patti LaBelle came to perform in Tampa last year, he met and gave her a portrait.
When it came time to select a subject for the mural, Parker said he was pulled to create something that celebrated Lady Gaga’s iconic status in the entertainment industry and the in- fluence she’s had on his own career.
“She’s top of the pops because she can sing, dance, act, and plays the piano and she’s got this fashion aesthetic,” he said.
A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Parker credits his upbringing in a family that held a strong appreciation of music as the anchor of his art career.
“My parents and grandparents have always given us a strong sense of what good music is and what it’s been to our history,” he said. “We got a strong sense of being eclectic at an early age.”
Parker said his latest work showcases that deep-rooted love for music and his natural affinity for painting with bright colors like fuchsia and yellow.
“I just have a really specific sense that color need to be translated through me,” he said. “If it’s not deep enough or heavy enough, I say “no, it’s not right.’”
While all artwork is subject to both praise and criticism, public art especially is given to intense scrutiny.
Parker said he takes both the accolades and the snipes in stride.
“I try to be thoughtful about how I respond to things,” he said. “It just comes with the territory.”
Parker said the reaction from the people who live in the community have made it worth the 118 hours he’s poured into the mural.
Police officers, firefighters, and mothers and their children are among the people who have stopped to chat with Parker while he paints or when he takes a break. Some have assisted him when he needed it.
Parker said it’s that interaction with the community that ignites his passion for public art.
“That’s the high for me,” he said. “I’m not doing it so I can be on the news. My goal is to beautify the neighborhood.”
Attorney To Serve On Crisis Center Board Of Directors
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Attorney Karen Sky- ers has been chosen to serve on the Board of Directors of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. The organization offers crisis and trauma services as well as a range of evidence- based programs designed to meet the needs of the com- munity.
Attorney Skyers is a noted lobbyist in Tampa Bay as well as in Tallahassee, and an influential commu- nity leader. She is employed with Becker & Poliakoff’ Government Law & Lobby- ing team.
As a member of the Board of Directors, Attor- ney Skyers will concen- trate on expanding the organization’s existing pro- grams, which include sui-
ATTORNEY KAREN SKYERS
cide prevention and crisis counseling, trauma counsel- ing, and sexual assault sur- vivor services. It also offers emergency and mental health ambulance services.
Ms. Clara Reynolds,
President and CEO of the
Crisis Center said, “We are extremely fortunate to have Attorney Skyers join the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay’s Board of Directors.
“The board plays a cru- cial role in the implementa- tion of the Crisis Center’s five-year strategic plan. At- torney Skyers’ legal, social service, and government re- lations expertise will help the organization ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone.”
Attorney Skyers has worked as a child protective investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families, where she investi- gated alleged abuse, neglect, and abandonment of chil- dren. She successfully en- abled the adoption of 26 children out to the foster care system and into perma- nent homes.
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