Apalachicola River Article


	River exhibit flows into Marianna BY KATE McCARDELL / Jackson County Floridan August 20, 2006 Between two banks flows a southern river that has been a source of inspiration for centuries. Its biodiversity creates an opus that has fed the minds, hearts and bellies of those who seek its shore. In the land of the South, the Apalachicola River is born; the product of a union between the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. Its 170-mile stretch begins at the base of Lake Seminole, flows down through the Florida Panhandle and eventually streams into the Apalachicola Bay and Gulf of Mexico. The Chipola River merges with it south of Wewahitchka. While the Apalachicola itself doesn't reach Marianna, its legacy will be routed there by means of a traveling museum exhibit managed by the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in Tallahassee. The show, "Apalachicola River: An American Treasure" will make its first stop in its tri-state tour at the Chipola College Arts Center from Sept. 14. at 6 p.m. through Oct. 12. "It's the most important art exhibit that has ever come to Jackson County," said Bryan Craven of Chipola College. The exhibit is a documentary project spearheaded by Elam Stoltzfus. A resident of Blountstown and an award-winning film maker, Stoltzfus decided to record the story of the Apalachicola through a compilation of music, film, politics, nature, science and history. Photographers Richard Bickel of Apalachicola and Clyde Butcher of Ochopee contributed the exhibit's 70 to 100 photo images of the river. Bickel has done substantial photographic work featuring the locals that live and work in the Apalachicola River and Bay. "If you like to eat shrimp or Apalachicola oysters, the Apalachicola Bay produces 90 percent of oysters in Florida and 12 to 15 percent of oysters in whole U.S. Those oyster people, shrimpers and crabbers are very much dependent on this resource for their livelihood," explained Chad Taylor, upper river steward and president of the board or directors for the Apalachicola Riverkeeper. Bringing a landscape angle to the exhibit, Butcher has been named the "Ansel Adams of Florida" for his black and white images of the everglades and southern Florida. According to The Nature Conservancy, the Apalachicola's shore is home to two of the world's rarest evergreens, Florida torreya and Florida yew. In addition, 1,300 species of plants, a "unique" geography in and around the river provide a home to many "rare, endemic and imperiled species." The two photographers' images will also be used for a two-volume coffee table book. The capstone of the exhibit will be Stotzfus' PBS film, which recently won an award form the Houston International Film Festival - 2006 for Ecology/Environment/Conservation presentation. "It was created to document the history and culture of the river, as well as, inform people on the basin and the Chattahoochee and Flint River issues," said Taylor. "It's to help people up north of us understand that there are people in communities down here, and fabulous wildlife, that depend on the river for their livelihood. It's about resources, it's about animals and plants, but it's also about the people." Sammy Tedder of Sopchoppy created a haunting score to accompany the documentary. He uses resources from the river itself for instruments, such as cypress logs for percussion and hand-crafted river reed flutes. The exhibit will feature panels of Tedder's design of the river cane flutes. The Jackson County Tourist Development Council approved a grant to help promote the exhibit. Other local organizations are sponsoring the event, as well, including the Marianna Automobile Dealers Association, the Chipola Area Board of Realtors. The Chipola Regional Arts Association is making arrangements for the exhibit with help from the Artist Guild of Northwest Florida. Apalachicola River exhibit opens By Kate McCardell / Floridan Staff Writer September 13, 2006 Apalachicola River: An American Treasure is set to open at Chipola College this Thursday, and more than 300 people are expected to flow in for the premier. The exhibit is comprised of music, photography and a documentary that display life, past to present, along the Apalachicola River. Artists featured in the exhibit will be on hand Thursday evening for presentations and autographs. The documentary was produced by Elam Stoltzfus, a Blountstown native. His decision to create the exhibit came after filming for a different documentary, when he realized there was an "untold story in his own back yard." "You have your people that you meet in other places, and as I traveled around and people were like, 'This is the best place,' I'd always think 'I know where there's one even better," said Stoltzfus. "I always knew the Apalachicola was a special place and a place a lot of people outside of here don't know a lot about." Stoltzfus wanted to showcase film, art, science, politics and nature; and include stories of life, love and loss throughout history into the present time. "I heard that it's really something to see. It's about an hour long and it has dramatizations of early life on the river," said Bryan Craven, a representative of Chipola College. Other artists expected to attend are Clyde Butcher and Sammy Tedder. Butcher provided the landscape photography for the exhibit and has often been referred to as the "Ansel Adams" of South Florida for his dramatic black and white photographs. Tedder scored the music for the film, using things in nature such as reeds and Cypress logs to create musical instruments. Some of his river reed instruments will be on display. "The purpose of this art is to try to reach people through their different senses, whether it's audible or verbal or eyesight, we're trying to get people's attention on the river," explained Stoltzfus. "Each method is a different interpretation for different people. It's a four-point assault of the media so you can reach people at different levels and at different places." A Native American chief featured in the film is Dr. Andrew Ramsey of Blountstown, who will be attending the premier in full regalia. Everyone else may dress casually, according to Craven. Light refreshments will be served. Artists will each speak for about 15 minutes, followed by the display of the documentary, which is about an hour long. Afterward, the artists will be available for autographs. Coffee table books of the featured photography will be on sale, as well as the film documentary. The event is set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and admission is free.