Safeguarding Fine Art and Luxury Assets During Hurricane Season with Fortress Storage, Museum Quality Storage & Services

 

Safeguarding Fine Art and Luxury Assets During Hurricane Season with Fortress Storage, Museum Quality Storage & Services

As Hurricane Season approaches, South Florida’s leading fine art storage provider, Fortress Storage, offers an unmatched level of protection and white-glove service to South Florida’s collectors, designers, galleries, museums, and private residential clientele with its specialized Hurricane Season Preparedness Program. With over 40 years of trusted experience, this family-owned firm is the gold standard in secure, climate-controlled fine art and luxury household storage. Fortress Miami services areas from the Florida Keys, north to Martin County and Naples—offering best-in-class expertise in packing, crating, moving, and specialty inventory services for everything from museum-quality works and antiques to entire estates.

Fortress’s renowned Hurricane Season Preparedness Program ensures a seamless, white-glove process: a complimentary site visit to assess your needs, professional archival packing, and climate-controlled transportation by museum-trained handlers into secure, private vault storage. At the close of hurricane season, your works are returned and reinstalled exactly where they were. Limited emergency evacuation services are also available, along with the option to personally deliver items to your unit. Advance planning is key—and clients are encouraged to schedule now to ensure availability. “Storage at Fortress is about providing peace of mind to collectors. What better way to do this than to protect someone’s most important objects during the season when the risk of damage is greatest.” – Tom Burns, COO of Fortress.

With a loyal clientele of private collectors, museum professionals, trust attorneys, interior designers, and high-net-worth homeowners, Fortress has built its reputation on meticulous care, discretion, and excellence in client service. Testimonials describe the Fortress experience as “impeccable,” “seamless,” and “the best team I’ve ever worked with.”

Fortress is currently celebrating 40 years of excellence in Miami. For information or to schedule a consultation for your Hurricane Season Preparedness needs or ongoing storage projects, please contact Kimberly Jones at (305) 374-6161 or visit www.thefortress.com Follow Fortress on Instagram @thefortressstorage

Meet Renowned Sculptor & Public Artist Charlotte Franchisey, Known For Her Monumental Works In Steel And Plexiglass

Le Verre d’Eau, ‘The Glass of Water’, Steel, 12ft

Charlotte Franchisey was born in Paris, France. She earned a masters degree in art at the renowned Fine Arts, Essag, Olivier de Serres. At the age of twelve, Charlotte embraced sculpture as her means of expression and has been creating art since her childhood in Nice, Côte d’Azur. She now spends most of her time between her studios in Miami and Paris creating work for private collections, corporate clients, cities and municipalities worldwide.

Artist Charlotte Franchisey

The artist has held numerous exhibitions at notable art galleries and prestigious art fairs such as the Grand Palais in Paris, Galerie Roy Sfeir, Kavachnina Contemporary, CityLoftArt in the Miami Design District, Sculptmiami during Art Basel Miami Beach and many more.

La Piscine, ‘The Swimming Pool’, Plexiglass and Steel, 7ft

Charlotte is known for her sculptures in steel and plexiglass. “The fusion between stainless steel and plexiglass, roughness vs. softness,” using a sub-tropic palette with European linear abstract designs.

La Vague, ‘The Wave’, Plexiglass and Steel, 7.55ft

Her work has been exhibited and commissioned into important collections around the world. Charlotte has won many awards and is featured in numerous international publications. The artist has collaborated in several theatres, ballets and performances linking her work with music and dance.

Les Vignes Pourpres, ‘Purple Vines’, Plexiglass and Stainless Steel, 24.60ft

We recently had the pleasure to chat with Charlotte to learn more about her art career, earlier works, as well as her past and present projects:

Q – How did you get started on this path?

A – I started as a child. Around 8 years old, I had fun copying the drawings of Dürer, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo by enlarging them. I tried to reproduce all the details. I was mainly interested in portraits, it was as if I was talking with them and Dürer’s rabbit. Later around the age of 12, I started created sculptures with clay of children’s heads. Then I slowly dried them in the electric oven of the kitchen. I also loved building models of boats. At 17, I went back to an art school in Paris. I did not enroll in sculpture or painting, as I did not want to be influenced by the teaching I would receive. I chose to study architecture and interior design, I received a degree in this discipline from the École Nationale Supérieure of Applied Arts and Trades of Art (School of Arts and Design), also known as Olivier de Serres and abbreviated to ENSAAMA, a post-baccalaureate teaching establishment for the decorative arts in Paris, France. My studies finished, and I began working in an architectural firm while developing my work on the opposition of bronze and paper materials, durable verses disposable. I created huge bronze books with specific themes such as Cosmos, Birth of Literature, Human Rights, etc.

Fountain, Plexiglass and Stainless Steel, 13.78ft

Q – Where does your inspiration come from, what influences you?

A – Inspiration for my monumental sculptures comes from history, geology, the life and style of the places where my sculptures are located. My approach is not the same for a piece that will be in the mountains as for one that will be at the seaside. Depending on where the sculpture will be located or who it is for, I try to understand the people, place or location, so that I can capture its history within my work.

Fleur, ‘Flower’, Plexiglass, Stainless Steel Mirror, 1.64ft

Q – What is your creative process like?

A – When I have a quieter moment, I make smaller sculptures. I can develop more quickly my ideas that drive others, it’s like an endless spiral. I also have time to draw with China ink and mixed media. I worked a lot with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo on the French Riviera. I went to their studio to draw their performances, the speed of movement has always fascinated me. Perhaps to have a balance between the slowness of the realization of a monumental sculpture and the speed of drawing or painting.

L’Equilibriste, ‘Tightrope’, Plexiglass, 1.15ft

Q – How has your practice changed or evolved over time?

A – I originally started making sculptures that were cast in bronze, like the Great Themed Books I had mentioned. A little later I had the chance to go to Carrara in Italy to work with white marble, which is very beautiful, very pure. I wanted to compare two steps; one being that with bronze we start from the void to create the sculpture, and with marble, one will seek the sculpture which is hidden in the block. Then I started looking for other materials to work with, I wanted a 21st century material, contemporary with color. I found the plexiglass, and I was immediately comfortable because plexiglass is lighter than bronze and marble, also transparent. I can have a variety of colors, and I can incorporate metals such as stainless steel, bronze, etc.

Robot, Plexiglass and Stainless Steel, 9.18ft

Q – What are you working on at the moment, What’s next on the horizon for you?

A – At the moment I am finishing several commissioned sculptures and working on new projects. I am created some pieces that will be suspended indoors with high ceilings or outdoors in green spaces. And I am currently exhibiting small sculptures in a gallery in Saint Tropez / Port Cogolin, on the French Riviera.

Penny Hardy Creates Sculptures With A Visible Energy

Penny Hardy originally trained as a Scientific Illustrator enabling her to explore the intricacies and delicate detail of natural forms and structure and the fundamental discipline of observational draughtsmanship. These core skills provided a strong basis on which to explore the natural and human landscape in greater depth. Throughout her training and consequent working life alongside Architects and designers, she developed a deep interest in three dimensional forms and sculpture which has always been at the heart of all her work past and present.

'You Ble Me Away'

A self taught sculptor, learning new techniques and methods as each idea developed, she adapted to the demands of each new sculpture and has built a varied and dynamic portfolio.

'The Kiss'

The sense of movement and dynamics within sculpture provides it with its own life and vitality.  She tries to capture this in all her pieces, transforming inert materials into sculptures with a visible, tangible energy.

'Yin & Yang'

There is a richness in discarded man-made metal items, skillfully made and creating their own mechanical energy, she brings that depth to new forms, re-using that energy for a different purpose, transforming their function to create a new entity.

'Resilience'

The liquid, fluid and flowing forms of the cast pieces dramatically reflect the movement of light across the sculptures. The dance figures, inspired by the dynamic forms of contemporary dancers use flexible, sinuous materials to re-create a visual, retained memory of movement, stimulating imagination and translating early sketches to a tactile experience.

'Duality'

All her sculptures have a vitality and fundamental energy, with an intrinsic visual interest that she feels people can relate to and enjoy and share the emotion expressed.

'Erosion'

Penny has exhibited throughout the UK since her first public exhibition of  dance sculptures in 2006, including Doddington Hall, Hill House Dartington and Royal West of England Academy. She works on a private commission basis and in recent years has completed commissions for clients in Italy, France, Belgium and America.

Acclaimed public artist Lloyd Goradesky's work was selected for The 2019 International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium

Acclaimed public artist Lloyd Goradesky has been chosen along with 8 additional art professionals for The 2019 International Kinetic Art Exhibit and Symposium. This exciting public art group showcase was created by the Boynton Beach Arts Commission and produced by the City of Boynton Beach through its Art in Public Places program. The International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium was created by the Boynton Beach Arts Commission to celebrate art in motion.

Public Artist Lloyd Goradesky

The outdoor exhibit brings meaningful and playful public art by prominent South Florida artist Lloyd Goradesky, connecting the public to one-of-a-kind visual experiences. Goradesky’s projects use the power of art to create social interaction and dialogue using innovative technology combined with his unique use of materials, as well as incorporating natural elements within the environment such as sunlight, wind, rain, etc., to amplify the design or effect of a public art piece.

Goradesky’s Gator in the Bay 2014 in front of the PAMM when the Perez Art Museum Miami celebrated its Grand Opening during Art Basel Miami Beach

The selected kinetic artworks will be on exhibit along S. Seacrest Boulevard and E. Ocean Avenue in Boynton Beach, Florida for one year. Many of the artworks will be powered by wind, with one powered by solar and another by human interaction. The kinetic art committee deliberated on numerous submissions and made their final selection of only eight artists; the arts commission approved the committee’s recommendations and the chosen public artworks will be installed during the first two weeks of October 2018.

Lloyd Goradesky was born and raised in South Florida with a unique background in art, business and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida in Gainesville, and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. He resides in Hollywood, Florida where he lives and works. He is widely recognized for his iconic public art projects that allow the community to experience art in their daily life, thereby creating a greater sense of place and identity.

Gator in the Bay at night, Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island

“Goradesky’s work is compared to Christo & Jean-Claude. Using the Power of Art to bring awareness to our natural surroundings, Goradesky’s art extends from multi-media design to complex material creations.” said Discovery Channel of Lloyd Goradesky’s work.

Lloyd Goradesky is a perfect example of an artist who creates work directly from his inner emotions and instincts, conveying a powerful and positive message for viewers drawing his inspiration from nature and the environment. “The purpose of this project is to celebrate public art in motion, Lloyd’s piece ‘Love Will Guide Your Way’ truly exemplified this with his free-standing 6′ 6″ tall stanchion supporting a 6-foot-long kinetic wind vane. The piece is created with recycled structural steel; with one end of the wind vane displaying a cut-out heart shape, and the other side of the wind vane is a circle with smaller heart cut-outs designed to capture wind to create movement as well as shadows of the hearts within the immediate visual space,” explained Debby Coles-Dobay, Public Arts Manager of the City Manager’s Office, Art in Public Places – City of Boynton Beach.

Goradesky’s epic public art installation, Gator in the Bay, created to raise awareness for the Everglades

The International Kinetic Art Exhibit and Symposium is supported by Equity One, Inc., Kinetic Art Organization (KAO), International Sculpture Center, Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, Buffalo Wild Wings, Boca Bearings, Hacklab, Solartree Project, Coastal Star, Neighborhood Gallery, Schoolhouse Children’s Museum and Learning Center, The Secret Garden Cafe and the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. The FREE biennial event is created to connect the public to one-of-a-kind visual experiences.

Goradesky has completed many award-winning projects, featured in numerous national and international publications, television, radio, cable and internet programs such as Discovery Channel and PBS. He has garnered multiple awards within the art and design industries, and he continues to create unique commissions for high profile residential and commercial projects.

Fine metal artist Dustin Miller of Abstract Metal Design creates exquisite Residential, Public & Corporate Sculptures from concept to reality.

Renowned contemporary sculptor Dustin Miller of Abstract Metal Design creates elegant sculptures from concept to reality.   “Every sculpture starts as an original design concept. The main goal is not just to make an awesome piece of art, but to create a landmark for my clients. From shape, color and material, the metal sculpture will be just right for the space,” explained the artist, whose work resides in public and private collections around the world.   The 'Orb' sculpture was recently part of an HGTV Outdoor Award Winning Design for “Water, Water Everywhere Category” of the 2016 HGTV Ultimate Outdoor Awards. In June of 2015, Ryan Hughes Design Build commissioned the artist and contemporary metal sculptor to create a contemporary stainless steel sculpture that would be part of a fire feature. The sculpture was created from 100% stainless steel, each piece had to be cut into a unique shape and rolled to a circular motion to be welded at the seems.   'Element' a recently installed sculpture in Virginia Beach, VA that represents and matches the contemporary brand of "Element at Stonebridge" modern apartment complex. From the colors to the design, it is now a landmark feature of the property. For more information about this artist, or to inquire about commissioning a piece email dmiller@abstractmetaldesign.com Learn more at www.abstractmetaldesign.com