Flamingo Magazine Recognizes Carla Golembe As She Gathers A Group Of Artists On Social Media To Uplift Each Other
“Socially Distanced, Connected By Art”
When the galleries closed and the art shows were cancelled, Carla Golembe knew exactly what to do! She established her “Socially distanced, connected by art” Facebook page. Though she began in mid-March as a means to stay connected with the 20–30 adult art students she teaches in Delray Beach, it’s racked up more than 1,300 members from Florida to the Philippines. Carla tells The Rickie Report, ” I am using the page to break through the isolation I feel in quarantine and I created a vehicle to connect with others feeling just as alone through art.
3 Artworks by Linda Botwinick
And connect she did! Sign up and see artwork from all over the world! She states, “Be Kind and Courteous. We’re all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let’s treat everyone with respect”. The Rickie Report publisher, Rickie Leiter, is in a state ‘ever-being-awed’ as she peruses each day’s sightings of new artworks that touch the heart and soul.
“Sending Love” by Linda Winters
“It’s about creating an art family,” she said, “and I guess that’s what I was trying to do.” It is safe to say her art family has exploded! Artists of all mediums including painting, photography, digital art and sculpture have taken to the Facebook page to share their creations. Comments from “This is one of those works that sings to heart” to “Miss your face!! And all them boys too!!!” can be found on nearly every post. Golembe’s favorite part, besides the shock and joy of watching the page grow, is “the joyful variety and the way people are finding to use art to deal with this new world.”
Artworks by (Left) Beth Baker and (Right) Betty Areson
Carla’s second rule, “No Promotions or Spam. Give more than you take to this group. Self-promotion, sales, spam and irrelevant links aren’t allowed” is taken seriously. Honestly, just by looking at some of the posts, the viewer only needs to follow the link to the artist and be in touch to make a purchase. They are sharing their passion – which leads to sales on their own sites. As she reminds people, The intent of this page is to share our own original artwork and to feel part of a community while apart”. Since this is a public group, with no “hard sell” intention, no hashtags are allowed.
