New gallery fosters connections, initiates cultural change and promotes innovation

The Frank, the new art gallery in the Charles F. Dodge City Center, has opened.

The Frank is a two-story art gallery named after Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank C. Ortis for his decades-long commitment to the cultural arts. The Frank showcases multi-disciplinary inclusive exhibitions to foster connections, initiate cultural change and promote innovation within three different exhibition spaces. There is also a retail space and outdoor interactive art activities.

The inaugural exhibit, which will be on display through April, is titled What’s Wonderful. Curated by Jill Slaughter, chief curator for the City of Pembroke Pines,What’s Wonderful looks at the broad interpretation of wonder, showcasing the work of 14 different artists, each with a singular vision of “what’s wonderful,” each delivering the unexpected, if not the inexplicable.

Throughout the three different exhibition spaces,paintings, sculptures, site-specific installations and pop art prompt visitors to determine if “what’s wonderful” is a question or a statement. Contemporary American painter Marcus Jansen has his urban landscapes featured in the Main Gallery. In the first Frank site-specific installation, “People of Pines,” painter Carrie Smith unveils 16 portraits of local Pembroke Pines residents, each unmasked by her decisive exploration of the subject’s identity and state of mind. In the 3rd space exhibition wall, located on the second floor, original work by Friends & Stars, Inc., an arts program expressly designed for an all-inclusive special needs population, is on display.

“We are very excited to welcome the community and introduce the gallery’s exhibition and learning space, which is dedicated to creating a cultural climate to foster connections and community engagement,” said Slaughter. “Artists, guest curators, performers and thought leaders will come together here to produce and share work that is essential to building an inclusive creative community.”

Retail Space

The Frank’s retail space offers original Frank merchandise including t-shirts, hats and specialty candles. The gallery teamed up with local candle maker KeryKay Raffington of KeryKey Candle Company to create a custom blended Frank + Sense candle that will introduce notes of frankincense. Miami artist Randy Burman created the candle label with The Frank logo on one side and on the other, each candle offers a “sense-ism” directly from members of the community who shared their “two ‘sense.’”

Art on the plaza

The Frank’s mission is to foster connections, initiate cultural change and promote innovation. Leah Brown and Peter Symons of Art + Light Space have created an interactive mural for the plaza. The mural consists of a grid-work of black and white plastic cylinders that can be spun to create ever-changing patterns. Visitors of all ages can manipulate each pixel to create their own design or image.

“As a curator, I always invite the community to participate in the shows whether they are an artist or non-artist. Art stimulates the brain in a way that makes people feel good and that is what The Frank is all about,” said Slaughter.

Also on the plaza, created by The Urban Conga, a Tampa-based design firm focused on creating community activity and social interaction through play, is a custom ping pong table that is available to the community during regular business hours.

Admission to The Frank is free. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Frank is located at 601 City Center Way in Pembroke Pines. For more information about The Frank, call 954.392.2129 or email thefrank@ppines.com. Follow The Frank on Facebook and Instagram at The Frank Pembroke Pines.

About The Frank

The Frank is a two-story art gallery named after Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank C. Ortis for his decades-long commitment to the cultural arts. The Frank art gallery, located in the Charles F. Dodge City Center, showcases multi-disciplinary inclusive exhibitions to foster connections, initiate cultural change and promote innovation. The gallery’s exhibition and learning space serves as a site of convergence for artists, performers, thought leaders and community members to create partnerships for social engagement, leveraging the power of the arts to create a sense of place. The Frank offers art as experience.

The Frank is located at 601 City Center Way Pembroke Pines, FL 33025. Stay connected and follow The Frank on Facebook and Instagram at The Frank Pembroke Pines. For more information, call 954.392.2129 or email: thefrank@ppines.com.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission charges are subject to change during special events. Times and dates for special events will be announced.

Funding for this organization is provided in part by Broward County Cultural Division, Culture Builds Florida, Hello Sunny-Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center and Visitors Bureau and National Endowment for the Arts.