Key West Art & Historical Society’s Second Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade rolled through downtown Key West on Saturday, featuring some two dozen Kinetic Sculpture Floats and Art Bike entries crafted by people of all ages. Co-produced by Wonderdog Studios, the annual rolling cavalcade is held in honor of the late Key Largo folk artist Stanley Papio, a rebellious welder-turned-artist who explored recycled materials long before it was hip to be rusty. An exhibit of more than 100 of Papio’s sculptural objects and three-dimensional constructions are now housed in a permanent KWAHS exhibit at Fort East Martello Museum in Key West.
Papio celebration events began on Friday evening with a porch party at the Custom House Museum and continued into Sunday with Kinetic Kids Day at Fort East Martello Museum. Presented by Key West Art & Historical Society and May Sands Montessori, the afternoon of activities included games, slingshot rockets, hula hoops, crafts, face painting, a waterslide, bake sale, hotdog and lemonade stands and live music. Photos by Carol Tedesco.
Steve King of Key West, shown here in the Parade staging area on Saturday morning, took the coveted Golden Papio Award for best overall Kinetic Sculpture Float with his entry ‘The Tempest’ claiming a trophy and $1000 cash prize for ‘best overall sculpture float that puts kinetic motion, design, creativity, recycling, costumes, theatrical appeal and crowd appeal into play.’
Accompanied by Joy Nulisch (peddling) and Morgan Fraga (on foot) a Glynn Archer Tiger look-alike kinetic sculpture float led Saturday’s Second Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade through the streets of Key West. The kinetic cat, which Nulisch built along with a couple of friends, is a tribute to her “Pops,” the renowned late artist and sculptor George Carey, who with his Key West High School welding class, built the original Panthera tigris that stands guard today in front of Key West City Hall at the corner of White and United Streets.
Clockwise from left: Ryan Saca, Cody White and Alex Holst peddle their ‘Audio Mobile’ down Duval Street on Saturday during the Second Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade. The team won the ‘Pedal Pusher Award’ for ‘best overall art bike that displays creativity, design, recycling and crowd appeal.’ The title came with a trophy and $100 cash prize.
Melissa Jean McDaniel peddles an aquatic wonderland kinetic sculpture art float called ‘Wandras Carousel’ past the Custom House Museum on Saturday during the Second Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade. Created by ‘team Wandras’ in honor of the late Bob Wandras, the colorful creation won the ‘Kinetic Pit Award – Best Crew.’
Jeremy Hackworth won the ‘Chariot of Fire Award’ for ‘smokin’ hot blazing speedy or sleek art bike’ with his Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade entry, ‘Sailing to the Land of the Wild Things.’
May Sands Montessori School Principal Lynn Barras, Ed.M., pilots ‘Helpful Octopus’ down Duval Street during the Second Annual Papio Kinetic Sculpture & Art Bike Parade on Saturday. Crafted of all recycled materials – old wicker chairs as the base, plastic grocery bags, dried coconuts for the eyes, and an old a/c cover for the back – the student-made kinetic creature won the ‘Barefoot Stanley Kids Award’ for the school with the kinetic sculpture float that WOWS the crowd and uses principals of ‘STEAM’, creativity and recycling. The title came with a trophy and $500 cash prize.
