I met Alan Burgess at Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCa) in South Florida, when I went to visit my family last November. He was hosting the arts showcase and open mic Lyrics Lab 31; I was giving an impromptu singing performance, urged by my older brother, a regular drummer there. Besides being a damn good emcee, Alan is a very friendly person, and we kept in touch after I returned to Germany. Little did I know that Alan is also a gifted photographer, and arts educator to boot. I asked for some of his artistic work to feature on this blog, and was delighted to receive the photos now in this post, and a related blurb from him. So here goes!
The Children of Milagro, by Alan Burgess
“I have been blessed for most of the last decade with the privilege of working at an art/education center in South Florida called The Milagro Center. The mission of the center is to empower and enrich the lives of children through the arts. These children have been my greatest teachers. I’ve been an artist of one sort or another for much of my life. My work, whether it be visual or literary, has usually had some sort of agenda or thrust. I had little use for or experience with the idea of creating anything for the sheer joy of creating. It’s like life had beaten out of me any access to that place. These kids have helped me get back to that place. It’s not as if my inspiration has to be from one place or the other. What they have shown me how to is to be playful in matters that are serious and more serious about things that are playful. I will be forever indebted to these kids.”
All photos (c) A. Burgess (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
