Blogs

By Zandra Wolfgram  Local music lovers are in for the royal treatment this week.  Duchess, the high-energy classic rock cover band hailing from Niceville, takes the stage on Thursday, April 29 for the second installment of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s Concerts in the Village series. Duchess is the only local band in the spring/summer […]

By Zandra Wolfgram  They say music makes the world go ‘round. If that is true, then Todd Wilkinson is surely the man giving the globe a big ol’ spin.  Wilkinson, a realtor and environmental consultant, is entering his third year as chairman of the eight-member concert committee for the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation. Long before […]

by Zandra Wolfgram Kevin Spencer believes the art of magic can change lives.  Simply, because it changed his.  “I’ve always loved magic. I remember when I was 5 years-old telling my mom I was going to be a magician,” he says. He pulled off that trick and much more. Today, he is an educator, teaching […]

The kind-hearted creative talent behind MKAF’s ArtsReach Program  By Zandra Wolfgram Artist, art historian, teacher, fundraiser, administrator, arts ambassador, public speaker, arts market researcher … in her role as the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation education director Melanie Moore wears a lot of hats.  But she tips her brim to everyone who shares in her passion […]

By Zandra Wolfgram  Looking for fun? You have arrived. As a member of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF), you are already aboard the “bus to fun town.”  Take it from the MKAF’s CEO of Fun, Demetrius Fuller.  “We really want to up our fun factor in all we do … including raising awareness and […]

By Zandra Wolfgram  It’s spring! The best time of year for a fresh new start. No one at Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) is more excited to kick off the 2021-2022 season than MKAF’s newly installed CEO, Demetrius Fuller.  The 26th season will be the first full season with Fuller at the helm, who stepped […]

By Tracy Louthain It’s arts month along Florida’s Emerald Coast. While 2020 has been a tough year and has been anything but normal, as the old adage goes—the show must go on! With that said, the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) will continue with its 25-year tradition and host the 25th Annual Festival of the […]

The man behind the sounds of the season By Zandra Wolfgram Wayne “Pez” Marrier called his wife, Brenda, to tell him about his first visit to the Emerald Coast, but before he could make a sound she had one question: ‘When do we move?’ It was music to his ears. The New England couple was […]

25 years feeding local souls the art, music and education they crave By Zandra Wolfgram They say you can measure the heart of a community by the health of its arts scene. If that’s the case, then the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) has breathed plenty of new life into Emerald Coast. Before this organization was […]