Reading at FAVO’s first WordGarden event on Friday, May 31, are four local novelists and poets, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Naomi Butterfield, Lorena Parker Matejowsky, and Stacy Barton.

Jenny Torres Sanchez lives with her husband and children in Orlando, where she currently writes full time.  Before the publication of her debut novel, The Downside of Being Charlie and her forthcoming second novel, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia, Jenny taught high school English for several years. She credits her students for inspiring her to write young adult novels.

Naomi Butterfield has been an avid journaler for most of her adult life and has been writing poetry for the last decade. By day, she is a software and web developer, writing code, then springing loose the evening muse into word play, self-expression, and creative birthing of characters, whether they be extrapolations of the imagined alternate personalities she carries or full-on fresh creations pulled from her observation of human behavior and desire. She brings snippets of completed pieces as well as works in progress to the open mic Soft Exposure, which she hosted solo for four years, then co-hosted with one of its founders, Frankie Messina, since her return from Africa in summer 2012. You can follow her blog at http://NaomiButterfield.net. 

Stacy Barton’s stories have appeared in a variety of literary journals including Gargoyle, Potomac Review, Southern Women’s Review, Relief, Ricochet (Australia) and Ruminate. Her story “That Exit” was chosen for Potomac Review’s 50th anniversary issue. Her collection of short stories, Surviving Nashville, was released by WordFarm in 2007 and the audio and Kindle version will be available soon. In addition to short fiction, Stacy is the author of a picture book, several one-act plays, a Ringling Bros. Circus and an animated short film. Her novella and short stories, Lily Harp and Other Stories, has just been picked up by WordFarm Press. Currently Stacy works as a freelance show writer for Disney. Visit her at http://www.facebook.com/l/ZAQG_T9zqAQHMneE5hM7VgbMIfTbfHO8kLPHbSQ42L9V82g/www.stacybarton.com or follow her on twitter @stacybarton.

Lorena Parker Matejowsky is a native of Galveston County, Texas. Her work has also appeared in Poydras Review and is forthcoming in Poetry Quarterly. She was a winner of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Artlines 2012 ekphrastic poetry contest. She lives with her husband and three children in Orlando.

FAVOmarket // FAVO Gallery // FIRST FRIDAY EVENT // June 7// 5-9 p.m.

Jordyn Kane, a 2012 American Idol contestant, will be performing live tonight at FAVO’s First Friday event. The FAVO gallery will also be open.  All of the art displayed is 100% donated by local artists and 100% of the proceeds benefit FAVO.

Click here to see what FAVO is all about (many thanks to Michael Weber and Brian Ruelke, who produced, shot, and edited this video).

Motel Studio Art Exhibits will showcase the works of 19 Central Florida artists, including the color-soaked canvases of Julio Sanchez (Julsan), the dream-like treescapes of Brandy Renee, and the sumptuous silk paintings of Crealde’s Henry Sinn. Other featured artists include Robin Pedrero and Berto Ortega, FAVO resident artists; Rob Reedy from UCF; Gail Peck, Todd K Fox, Aimee Wheaton, Renee Wilson, Folk Artist Linda Schapper, Bonnie Sprong, Maryse Jupillat, Robert Parman, Rodney Mcpherson, FAVO Director Will Benton and Fritz the Artist, Jeanie Albers, and Pedro Brull.

Guests are encouraged to check out the FAVO Gallery, a new addition to the property, displaying original art from local artists and friends of FAVO. All proceeds and donations to the FAVO Gallery on March 1 will go directly to the renovations of the FAVO property.

FAVO offers a unique destination for those who want to support Orlando’s growing arts community. “You’re not just coming to have dinner or go shopping,” Executive Director Will Benton says. “You are meeting artists and seeing the new pieces they’ve created. You have an opportunity to buy an original or a print, or a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. The motel setting lends itself to exactly what we want to do, which is to give back to the community.”

Click here to meet past featured artists.  Click here to read about FAVO in the Orlando Sentinel.

Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) is an outreach ministry of Park Lake Presbyterian Church that serves the faith community, art community, and the visiting public. We invite you to partner with us in this creative endeavor, to enhance our city, to create a village where artists and the community can gather, and to reach out to the under-served people around us in creative ways.

Upcoming Events

Mission

The mission of FAVO is to encourage art as an expression of faith.