Lots of Treats at October’s Old Town Untapped

Live Music from Funkin’ Grateful, a New Exhibition, and BaCA’s Artist of the Month

 By Key Renz

     Summer is over and the original Old Town Untapped is back and chock full of treats for art lovers! Pompano Beach Arts is proud to kick-off the season with the beloved first-Friday event, this month features jam band Funkin’ Grateful, rocking an original tribute to the Grateful Dead. Enjoy the opening of the new exhibit at BaCA, Roots of an Identity by the Latin American Arts Pavilion, and meet October’s Artist of the Month, Michele Del Campo.

As always, the event also features a DJ, craft beer, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, and gallery tours at BaCA. Old Town Untapped is free and open to the public.  October 6, 2023, from 6-10 pm. Learn more at www.pompanobeacharts.org

“We are always pumped to host the ever funky and fresh jam band Funkin’ Grateful, a perennial favorite of party lovers everywhere!” said Ty Tabing, Director, Cultural Affairs Department. “We are also proud to introduce the 2023-2024 roster of a dynamic and diverse group of artists who will be in residence at BaCA. We will present each as an Artist of the Month, starting with the internationally trained, phenomenally gifted Michele Del Campo.”

Funkin’ Grateful, based in South Florida, is made up of music veterans from throughout the jam band world.  This rockin’ band provides unique and improvisational interpretations of the music of the Grateful Dead, blended with other funky dance-oriented cover songs, bringing a high energy performance to every stage.  Members hail from The Heavy Pets, Unlimited Devotion, Fusik and The Ricca Project.

BaCA will be hosting the opening reception of Roots of an Identity by the Latin American Arts Pavilion, launching in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This moving exhibition celebrates the roots of Hispanic and Latin culture and explores the diversity, syncretism, identity, and culture of Latin America.  Featuring a variety of artistic styles and mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and video. The artworks explore a wide range of themes, including family, community, religion, history, and politics.

As the new Artists in Residence class makes their debut, Michele Del Campo will be October’s Artist of the Month. Del Campo began a global artistic journey, resulting in his work being exhibited in numerous international galleries. His familiarity with different cultures has fostered a visual repertoire that is a fusion or adaptation of different places, while his characters are more than portraits of individuals, and reflect a broader humanity. His figurative works include large-scale oil paintings and intimate charcoal drawings. Del Campo’s list of exhibitions includes solo shows in Galería Ansorena (Madrid), Galería Enlace (Lima), Ron Hall Gallery (Dallas), CK Gallery (San Francisco), Imago Art Gallery (Lugano) and Mark Jason Gallery (London). He won the BMW Painting Prize in 2006. Born in 1976 in San Nicandro Garganico, south Italy, he received a BA (Hons) Degree in Illustration from University of Dundee (UK, 2001), and a BFA and subsequently an MFA from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid (Spain, 2007).

About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department

     The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City’s premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City’s Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.