By Louise Irvine

We celebrated Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras at WMODA last weekend and had double the fun despite our COVID cautious measures and social distancing. Lloyd Goradesky invited everyone to “Let LOVE Guide Your Way” in his inspirational talk about the Art of Kindness. He presented his latest monumental weathervane installation at Boynton Beach, which will be a feature of the city’s Kinetic Art Expo in March, and he exhibited many smaller examples of his art projects symbolizing love and kindness. His Let LOVE Guide Your Way buttons and mugs filled with Valentine candy were popular souvenirs of the day.

Guests got into the mood for Valentine’s Day at the Art of the Heart exhibition curated by Louise Irvine and they played on the interactive gaming station programmed with hearts by Greg Lawson of Intermix. Dave Rosenthal documented highlights of the event on video and posted on Facebook Live during the event. Later, he had fun playing on the museum’s two pianos and helping us with the conservation process.

Business was brisk with romantic gifts in the WMODA shop, including blown-glass hearts by Josh Fradis, love spell candles by Candle Nerds, and face masks by Tatiana Cochagne. Joyce Davis, a Dania Beach city commissioner, modeled one of Tatiana’s special pearl-studded masks especially for the occasion and talked about her sterling work with the Pearl Girlz empowerment organization, which celebrates the unique pearl in every girl.

The Mardi Gras festivities began at noon with Chelsea Rousso presenting her wearable glass masks and talking visitors through the process of making them. We can’t wait until we can hold another of Chelsea’s fused glass workshops at WMODA when students can make their own works of art again. See what fun the WMODA team had trying on Chelsea’s masks in the video below. This year we get to wear two masks not just one for Mardi Gras!