Brenda McMahon and Karen Gates

00:03 I am Brenda McMahon. I am 56 years old. It is January 29th 2020. I'm here in Gulfport Florida with my friend.

00:17 Karen Gates

00:19 And my name is Karen Gates. I am 61. It is January 29th 2020 here in beautiful, Gulfport, Florida.

00:29 I am here with Brenda McMahon and my dear friend.

00:35 So

00:37 Karen and I met in the front of the Gulfport Public Library this morning and

00:47 So Karen, I met you this morning in front of the Gulfport public library and they were proud of people standing there and force it was you and I with a few other folks and then all these strangers walked up and it dawned on me that you're writing group mates here. I think weekly at the library and I was standing there talking to your friends and I'm a ceramic artist and you're a writer and we entered the library and I thought we come to Gulfport with two as two creatives from different Vantage points of creativity, and I thought it'd be fun to talk about what Drew you to Gulfport.

01:30 Well, I came to Gulfport purely on a whim. I was at a friend's birthday party a realtor from Gulfport or not. Even a realtor of person from Gulfport said anybody's looking for a house Gulfport a great place to live and that was almost 23 years ago and we drove around in Gulfport and I

01:56 Found my house. It was the third house. I looked at bought it that day and have been happy here ever since what makes me stay here in Gulfport is the the the vibe of the community the artist's the writers the city council the the city itself keeps me here. It's unlike any other place I've ever been and you can't duplicate this anywhere else I think about moving and there's nowhere else I want to be. So when you first to ride was there some sort of vibe that you got like what gave you that Vibe? What was it that kind of rain Gearhart well early on

02:44 You know, I have a big property down there. So it was nice and peaceful and lots of Nature and there was an enclave of artists on Beach Boulevard and as I've lived here I've seen that develop and as you know coming into the art scene, it's it's growing and it's a Vibrant Community and people are involved people are diverse people are active in keeping everything going here. That's funny. Cuz when I came here I got lost. I thought it was on the north side of town. I think Pete and I was on the south side and I drove down the street which turned out to be 58th Street South and I hit the water and I can't go any further. So I made a left and then I saw this little block with stores on it. So I made another left and I parked my van. I had no idea where I was.

03:44 And I walked into a bookstore and I was like, oh my God, this town is so cool like it. I just got his energy and I walked up and down the street and I thought I'd been visiting Gulfport coming down. I'm in Florida working for many years doing art festivals. Never thought I'd live in Florida and I walked up and down Beach Boulevard and I thought I don't know where I am. But I love this place. It feels fabulous NFL open-minded. It felt open-hearted. It felt creative, but I didn't really even have words for it. It was just like places cool.

04:22 And I start looking for a house in a year I moved here. And so you've been here how long I've been here thirteen years. What was here. Do you remember were there any artists on Beach Boulevard when you got here really know they weren't artist Beach Boulevard two-mile awareness. There was there was music in the courtyard at night and there were there was the art walk but I don't recall if it was here. I don't remember it. So like Galleries and stuff. He's the wagons Gallery by

04:56 Neptune's now Neptune's wasn't here then then again, you know when you're new to town you notice different things. So I noticed the the shops in the restaurants and the feel of it and I would just walk around I was alone. So I was spending a lot of time here just kind of poking about but I don't recall seeing that interesting ly enough and the courtyard was the Industrial Arts Center here when you came the glass blowing it had started after I had settled here so she had opened up and so that was cool. And I was feeling the vibe of that damn that was an artist has like every time I talk to somebody as I go, I do this I'm a writer. I'm a painter, sculptor A glassblower hours ago is my town. You know, this is like cuz I'm a Potter. I've been a Potter for 25 years and that's what I that's how I make my money and what I do and who my people are is artist so I kind of felt like I found my tribe without even knowing I was looking for them and I found you

05:56 Because of art out here in the library. I had seen your work at our town and then I saw the art Jones Studio Tour did the art Jones Studio Tour came to your studio and

06:11 The rest is history. And so

06:16 The library, I mean you talked about everybody converging at the library today and it's it's been a hub for me. I mean, I've been in the writers group that meets every Wednesday.

06:30 And I can't remember how long maybe.

06:33 12 years old but so the people in the library group of become very near and dear to me my best friend who was 83 years old who just passed last year.

06:47 She was a very big part of my life and

06:53 The other people in the group, you know, they are going to come to your gallery now and how did you happen on the library?

07:03 What she is I've Loved Library since the beginning of my awareness. So I've always thought out libraries and towns I've lived in and I actually came to this Library cuz I was doing an art show, you know, 10 hours away and I was looking for a book on tape and I popped into the library and I took out a few books for my trip and I listen to them on the way there and then you know, that was my that was my introduction to Gulfport public library and I was like, this is a really sweet lover that it's not huge but it has a lot of great things in it and a lot of this great videos and great books and all of that so I didn't visit it often, but I always like to be connected to the library.

07:48 So art shows did you do an art show here in Gulfport?

07:53 I'm not initially but I did an art show here for the actually for the first time last year and actual Arts Festival sort of art show. I've done art shows at the little Art Center. Are there a few years back when I first came I may be 10 years ago a little exhibit at the Art Center between the dog parks. Oh, okay. I called now it's something else. I don't know what it's called mutation, but it's interesting that are connected us, you know that the library and you came to my studio which was my awareness of you because of the commission that you talk to me about which of course we we worked on together and brought this beautiful Crystal vases at a broken that you adored and we turned it into this art piece for your home. And so I get to have that experience and get to become friends with you and of course, we're both in town a lot. So

08:56 Oh my best friend Claire Claire Camp She

09:02 Had been she she was a very interesting woman. I met her in the library group and she was probably 75 when I met her and she was just the spectacular writer and we became friends. She live two blocks away from me and her daughter that lives here has Parkinson's disease so couldn't come over and visit with Claire a lot and she was alone a lot and after work when I was working. I would go visit Claire and just check on her and get her out take her to restaurants. She had a

09:43 She won an award in South Carolina and everybody said know your tooth don't go you can't go you're too old to go and I took her to Columbia South Carolina book award and her short story award in she had the best time and I think that was one of the highlights of her life was getting to go to South Carolina gets we also made a side trip to Andersonville prison.

10:11 She read the book and wanted to go so we did that but she's a fantastic writer and she had her own book of short stories and I keep trying to get her daughter now to publish a collection of short stories because she's really good. She had stuff published in the Chicago Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times. I can't remember but too short stories one of her short stories when it was in a writer's Anthology on how to write. So so as I'm having a really your best friend as a writer and you are a writer did you guys

10:55 Did you guys without a main part of your relationship like read each other's write and read your writings to one another and do crits or share. We will it evolve to we were in a writers group here at the library and then Claire decided that she wanted to have her own writers group at her house. So we had writers group at her house and we got involved with a man, Cuba who was a publisher and he published a collection of our short stories. Jigsaw and

11:32 What year was that? It was 2017. So the short story collections out there somewhere but the hits never gone anywhere but so through the library. I've met all these writers and we've published some things and the quality of people's writing in the group is getting a lot better A lot of people are getting you know book deals and getting their stuff published. So we've now moved into the

12:08 More business aspect of writing and the library is now doing this coming weekend read out loud is a gathering of lesbian authors or lesbian centered books the authors come we have a keynote speaker Sherry.

12:37 Is the keynote speaker? I forgot her last name?

12:46 Presentation on Saturday morning and then a workshop on Sunday morning for authors and we have

12:55 The author seller books in

12:58 The big meeting room over there and we'll have panels will have a the first panel is Friday night. It's an afternoon of romance and they will read excerpts from their writing and then there'll be a Q&A then a break then we have wine and cheese reception and meet the authors and then Saturday the Sharia Greer thing and then four other panel Saturday. We have two people Nia & Ness doing performance art at the Hickman on Saturday night. We're having dinner at the peninsula meet the authors on Saturday. And then Sunday is the workshop in a panel on cultural appropriation cultural appropriation, whether it's whether it's it's a big deal in writing whether it's okay as

13:49 A lesbian to write from a man's point of view or whether it's okay for a white male to write about an African-American character into it. Sounds like it's a really great for him for people who just a love writing and reading and like to meet people in pick their brains are here the thought process but also for writers to learn about technique but also maybe publishing and and the business end of it as well as is that is that it covers the whole range of things. I don't know that the panelists are going to talk about

14:28 The techniques in the business of publishing there will be four or five Distributors book distributors here. Come bolo books and Bella books have books from there.

14:48 Stable Riders the library is also one this big huge Grant from the Florida Humanities and we are able to have lunch here Saturday for free for the people. We have a fabulous lgbtq Resource Center here.

15:11 I just accepted a position on their board like it like I'm building in the Fine Art contemporary craft community at your building in the the writing community on boards and involved in organizing and pulling things together. So read out is similar to Art out and like I said, that's where I met you and now you're involved in the Arts Community here. What do you do in the art community here? So 8 1/2 to 9 months ago almost an actual birth. I opened my Gallery Brenda McMahon Gallery, which is a contemporary craft Fine Art Gallery, of course Denton downtown Gulfport and I did that in part because the previous year. I was invited to join the Gulfport merch and chamber because they were really wanting more of an artist representation on the board of directors because we're such an art town in.

16:11 These decisions were being made about festivals and stuff. But there was no artist voice in a decision-making capacity. Tom pitzen sculptor had been the first artist on the board. He had to leave the board early so they asked me to join them. And so that's that happen and I didn't really intend it instead of going from from current back. But I open the gallery less than a year ago. I joined the board a year-and-a-half ago and two years before that. I started the art Jones Open studio tour and I always consider myself an artist and an art activist because for the last 25 years as a full-time artist. I have always organized artist in the community in which I live and so I've this was the third Open studio tour that I started in the concept is so if you're jonesing for are at come to Art Tunes Studio Tour and it's an a basically get to see artists.

17:11 In their locations where they work in their native environment, you get to see the tools of the trade and it's for the Professional Arts committee people who have been doing it for a long time whether they do it as a full-time professional, you know, they have a bit of skill. I saw that that was lacking. So I started that that led me to meet the board of directors. They gave us some money than they invited me to become a member of the board of directors and then I open the gallery like a year-and-a-half later. And actually I open the gallery in part. I was looking for a paradigm shift. I was doing art shows across the country and I was getting tired of all that traveling and Hauling my Ceramics here and there and I go all the way out to Wyoming and Texas and all over Kingdom Come and I did all these great shows for all those years. I don't feel a little tired and I thought about maybe a gallery setting and then there was a magazine that came out about Pinellas County and in the magazine was big once a year was in

18:11 New York Times with a million people and it would highlight Dunedin and Clearwater in the things that were going on in the towns and we were at a board of directors meeting and they open the magazine to Gulfport. And I said look at all these things I said about Gulfport the art walk in this and that and there was this little paragraph that said while you're in Gulfport, you can go to Brenda McMahon Ceramics gallery on Beach Boulevard and they looked at me and they said you don't have a gallery and I said, I know I think I'm supposed to have a gallery here and literally three weeks later. I was walking by the big blue building and I saw the for rent sign and I looked at the sign and I looked at my friend Kathy. We are at the market today and I said, I think that's my gallery. I think I'm supposed to open a gallery here. So I didn't really intend to open the gallery. I feel like the forces of the universe downloaded into open the gallery of its time.

19:11 Say hello, Brenda, you need to open a gallery and then the for rent sign was there and it was the perfect spot for me. That's why did I sign the lease on February 14th Valentine's Day?

19:23 Stop that's so that's kind of my involvement in the Arts Community Center didn't intend to do anything. I just pretend to be a leader. So I took leadership with the artist's and then I get noticed and then I open the gallery and now I'm working to make the Gulfport Fine Arts Festival which happens next weekend. It's our 5th annual juried Fine Arts Festival just a molded in and for Mayodan and give it some definition and and build it to be a beautiful Boutique show. So so then thinking about that to build it to be Boutique show. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

20:04 Oh, wow, boy in 10 years if I had my dream, I would still have the gallery. I really love because I represent 13 other artists. I really love the community of artists not just me and I think we all make each other look better. So I'd love that. The gallery is successful and I'm here and I've met all these artists and I provide a beautiful venue and I would love to do public art as a creative. I would love to do ceramic wall murals in public installations in some of these amazing buildings going up all over the Tampa Bay Region. So in 10 years, I have a few public art

20:47 Commissions under my belt and I got the Gaillard running and I do nothing. I don't believe in retirement actually because that's a concept I don't subscribe to where do you see yourself in 10 years. That's a good cuz I've always been active in the Gulfport Community, but you know, I have this drone business.

21:19 I would like to be successful. However, it's moving into more cinematography and film making kind of things the commercials that I've shot for people in Ohio and people down here and Gulfport are it's becoming more writing oriented script writing and a perfect. And yeah, so I hope to have a successful drone business where I hire people to go and do the Chutes and I just working at it take write the scripts and write the script.

21:56 I'll still be active in the library with whatever Incarnation this lgbtq thing takes.

22:06 And I worked on the readout committee this year to bring read out to Gulfport and the woman that does it now Allison Solomon is she's done it for three years, and she said she's not going to do it anymore. And she says Karen were grooming you to do it, but I don't know that I want to

22:28 Be responsible for the whole readout thing and I want to publish so writing and Publishing and moving forward with that. Don't you have a book here close to being know I have a book that's written but not edited. Okay and 1/2 way there. I am recording. I've got the writing done. So and now I have to edit.

23:08 Reading a work there.

23:15 I am I have been writing ever since I could put pen to paper and I was always a very quiet contemplatively kid. I did not use a lot of work and I grew up in a bit of a conflicted family. And so the way I processed what was going on was I have been journaling for the longest of time and I don't know that there was a moment because I always wrote but I when I was I think 19 or 20 years old, I read this book that just blew my mind by Natalie Goldberg called writing down the bones and I just was passionate about writing. It's essentially as a belt like if you rent if you can if you're going to prepare for a marathon you run everyday to prepare for the event of the marathon Writing Down. The Bones is very much like you write every day to get the stuff out of the way so you can tap into the deep.

24:15 Soros and that person removed me from a creative writing point of view and I wrote you know, short stories and stuff like that and then as I got a little older I became a journalist and I worked in broadcasting for 10 years. So I was a News writer. So it's interesting that mind really started from the heart.

24:35 And and to understand the environment I was in and took process and it became this just and I love to read this deep-rooted. I love words. So that's like

24:49 And my journey is very similar as a kid. I grew up in farm country in Northeast, Ohio isolated except for family. My grandparents lived half mile down the road. I had five brothers and sisters and my first experience in a library was at the Kinsman Carnegie Library and it was a beautiful building built in the 1910s 1920s and I would go to Storytime there and sit on the floor with all the other little kids and listen to them read and I went to

25:27 Pre-kindergarten there and had my little rug that you took your little nap on and from there. My check books out. My grandmother would take me and we check books out and from their bookmobile came to the

25:45 School and I would get my little six books in my little brown bag and I always get biographies and I have looked for them. But they were little little read biographies Julia Ward Howe when Abraham Lincoln and all those people and develop the love for biography and autobiography then but I started my mom and dad got divorced moved the move to the city and

26:17 Around that time. I started writing poetry and journaling and I've done that ever since my it wasn't Natalie Goldberg that inspire me, but it was the artist's way. So I read the artist's way and write your three pages a day to get all the junk out and then from there.

26:40 That's where the novel came from when it was my three pages a day. And that's why it's unedited because it was just a kind of a stream-of-consciousness thing with wasn't really plotted up now. It's becoming more technical blotted out and do this have to happen here in high point slope points.

27:01 And then when I came to Gulfport I had been away from riding for a little while and

27:12 Always had in the back of my mind Leslie Williams and I she was a poet and she's a great poet and I loved her writing and we live together and

27:24 Didn't and then down here. We started a writers group with just a couple of us her and me and some other and I was writing and she said well, I never realized you could write and and then I just went from there and join the writers group here and have been going ever since and it's a bold step to go from being up a writer in your own private space to sharing and reading and joining a group like that and revealing that you know intimacy and vulnerability really but you know that it's a it's a character that you're writing about. It's a character that you develop in so the character has flaws and they have

28:11 Not power points, but their strong points and you develop the character and hopefully it's not you know, what the imitation of you when you're right. It's an intimate experience for all these people who we all come from that same heart to then share and it has to be so, you know, there has to be some sort of secret boundaries about respect and listening and constructive credit just cuz it's from that vulnerable place. That's more what I was thinking about it cuz we do it in such quiet solitude.

28:45 And this group this writers group that meets here. They're very good. There are some groups that are very critical and they will take everything you say and know you shouldn't said that they're you should use this word. Not this word to use that word too many times. This groups very constructive.

29:05 They say Aunt you change the point of view and I think it would be better. If you did this rather than say, why was in radio and TV broadcast for a few years in college. I never pursued that but that was fun.

29:30 What else do you volunteer?

29:34 Oh God, I think I volunteer more than I get paid for everything. I mentioned that I do is volunteer volunteer. I think I I always consider myself and my family was a bridge-builder, you know connecting people that would not get along or just serve the salt. Let's all talk about this sort of thing. And I think I like to build bridges in communities by being the person that says let's all work together. What about this? And and so I am in a quarian perhaps it's hardwired in my heart to be a volunteer. I don't know so I know you volunteer with the Gulfport merchants and there are some changes coming to the art walks and what's happening with that will work in our 27th year of art walks or one of the first ones to have art walks in Pinellas County and it's gone through a few permutations and we're going through

30:34 The new one where were wanting to take out a little diluted on the art part and so we're trying to bring more art into the art walks on First Friday and also it when it from from Gallery is too tense on the streets and I will bring it back to the gallery or the indoor setting in part because a lot of people who want to show their art don't necessarily want to invest in a tent in the infrastructure of that. And so we're trying to in some ways democratize the art experience so that the makers that creators who don't like that Paradigm of merchandising and 10th on the street can show their art have an opening get exposure feel like what it feels like to be an artist than it allows it for also professionals who want to show but one A different Paradigm to do that. So we're kind of upping the the art dialogue and we reveal the new artwork in June of 2024.

31:34 Friday

31:36 And is it so the artist that are coming in are they only Gulfport artists or you reaching out to people all over the country or well and you know, certainly reason why I'm in an art walk 10 to be Regional but not just go for him. There's a ton of artists and go for it and we welcome Gulfport artists first and foremost for sure, but you got 12 art walks a year and every year you're going to and then you've got 12 to 20 venues. We're going to have a lot of opportunities for artists. So yeah, we're looking to do a call for entry for artists, you know far and wide as far and wide as they want to come from but certainly will restarting with her with our local peeps who who want to join us. So everyone really and we hope to do somatic shows, you know, maybe tattoo artist art that talks about the environment or you know, just kind of coming up with creative themed ideas so that one month all the artists

32:36 Dialogue on you know global warming are you know, the environment or bodyguard or spoken word or something like that? Like we were really when I give it more Dimension and develop it as we go along so I'm pretty excited about heard that part of it before.

33:01 And your first impressions of each other?

33:05 I first met Brenda. I first met you at your studio. I walked into your studio on the art Jones tour and you were talking to Bernadette and her partner about your process.

33:20 And I had

33:24 Percolating in my mind for 20 years this vase that I had broken that my grandparents had given to me and I knew that I wanted to do something artistic with the pieces that I had kept so carefully for 27 years and when I saw your work with the ceramic tiles in the glass in

33:48 The idea started the form that yes.

33:52 It would be beautiful in your ceramic tiles. And then we worked on the commission and that's my first impression of you was a very talented artist and a good speaker. Cuz when you were talking to Bernadette and her friend, it was very concise and and poetic having your art and your process was inspiring to I remember that day a little differently cuz I had the studio tour and of course we get hundreds of people through there. So I talk to people all day long and all these people. I don't know and I talked about my process and I kind of remember you coming in and asking me if I do custom where can I said I do and you said I have an idea and so it was probably the end of the weekend and I recall we set an appointment is older to come back and you were going to bring this party of this days.

34:52 And he watching my studio and I'm in a weekly to space on the table. And you opened up this Satchel that I were calling these shards of Crystal pour it out and it was just like juuls coming out of this and I felt like your heart and you were you started describing the story and I was like Wow and it was so long ago that the Visa broken and you'd had this idea and you held on to this and I I just have this sense of it was so sacred to you and it was such a you were you were ready for transformation and you were ready to take this painful experience of you breaking something that you was beloved into this new Evolution and I felt really responsible and honored responsible in a good leader pressure because I had waited for just the right.

35:46 Yam incarnation of what to do with this glass and the cool thing is I didn't feel pressure. I love working with people on Commissions in part because I get an intimate experience and I can make my work and do it but I didn't feel that pressure. I just felt like wow you really you selected made that amazingly talked about this and so it was it was inspiring because it was also I've never done a commission like that the before I had never done and I haven't done it since so it's been a really special and it was a special bond so that that you and I linked in my mind and not only did you take the vase and put it in a beautiful display. You told the story of my childhood growing up on the farm. And that was I look at the hay bales that you drew into the tiles and the maple tree that I told you about and the tiger lillies.

36:46 The dragonfly and the country road it's all there and it it tells the it's a perfect story growing up. Thank you for that and we have this great friendship.

37:04 Send

37:09 4 minutes if it's

37:11 To share with each other. Thank you. Appreciate shahnaz reflections.

37:16 Well, I want to say thank you for all you do in the Arts Community. We know that you know Gulfport is at on the cusp of becoming I think of a vital city in the country for for arts and your instrumental in that and thank you for that. Cuz we've always known that Gulfport Arts exist, but you're bringing it to the Forefront and making people think about art and what they want to do with it and how we want our city to be. So thank you. I don't know really acknowledge. I made so many people and I have so many interactions and sometimes I can be really busy and I may like people but I wouldn't necessarily follow up and I feel like you've been a really nice friend in that you stayed present and not personalized if I'm a little busy and I don't respond right away and

38:17 It's allowed me to feel like I can be myself with you and we can develop this friendship without pressure. And and for me, I love friendships and I love how they unfold and I feel like I was over. I don't know how many years it's been two years for years has really unfolded nicely. And I thank you for for being there and being so incredibly supportive of me and my Endeavors in my art and you've been a really big support So namaste.