“Signs,” a Collaborative Between John Dufresne and Artist Tom Virgin Launches in Little Haiti

INT.  Wynwood Studio — Day

Two local twenty-something artists are at a table, talking.

We gotta peep the signs, man.

What signs?

The signs. They’re everywhere, man.

Like the M. Night Shyamalan movie?

Nah, the signs. In Little Haiti.

CUT TO:

INT.  Little Haiti Cultural Complex — Day

Local novelist John Dufresne is collaborating with local print maker Tom Virgin on a limited edition of bound books titled “Signs.” The project features Mr. Dufresne’s flash fiction and Mr. Virgin’s illustrations.  They are preparing to celebrate and launch this Saturday at photographer Carl Juste’s Iris Photo Collective Art Space in Little Haiti.

Off-screen: Adult speaks, sounds like Miles Davis.

Man, this might be the coolest thing since central air-conditioning.

Enter Carl Juste

Thank you for letting us use your studio.

Good signs, Tom. All-good signs.

Yeah, wicked pahlah, Carl.

CUT TO:

A busy blogger interviews John Dufresne about the project.

He scribbles notes and scours an old press release.

Mr. Dufresne and Mr. Virgin are old collaborators, partners in calligraphy crime. “Tom, who initiated the project, is always a gift. His passion for the written word and his abundant talent as a visual artist and as a printer, binder, and designer of books make each project a delight,” explains Mr. Dufresne.

Mr. Dufresne compares the collaborative project to theater. “As I think of it, the writer/artist partnership is not unlike theater, another collaborative art form. There, I try to engage the imagination of the actors and directors and let them bring the script and the characters to life. Here, with “Signs,” my job was to engage Tom’s lush imagination, and he did the rest.”

FADE OUT —

it’s just a blog post.

The reception for “Signs” will take place at 6:30 pm, Saturday October 12, 2019, at Iris Photo Collective Art Space, 225 NE 59th Street, Miami FL 33137. (Located on the 59th Street side of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex).

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J.J. Colagrande

Has written about Miami culture for almost twenty years, first with The Miami Herald, then Miami New Times and Huffington Post. He's the publisher of The Jitney and a full-time professor.