The city of Jacksonville is as rich in its history as it is in its uniqueness. Jacksonville is the largest city in the country in terms of size, and one of America’s fastest growing as well. So it goes without saying that there are a lot of different people wandering around here in north Florida and oftentimes, with a lot of people, comes a lot of talent- granted, not always; but sometimes we get lucky.
Somewhere off the beaten path in downtown Jacksonville, rests the humble yet eclectic Rain Dogs bar. Amid a slew of antique shops, small deli’s, bars, and restaurants lies a haven for artists and those with dreams of making a difference in their community and the world. Rain Dogs, a café, art gallery, and concert venue, fills this gaping void in the Jacksonville community. Though relatively new to the area, Rain Dogs is already making a splash in the art community with the help of co-owner Christina Wagner.
So when a group young group of filmmakers under the direction of visionary Jacksonvillian Keagan Anfuso came to Wagner with the idea of hosting a film screening event, Wagner handed over the keys to her Rain Dog’s castle for the sake of art and the rest was local history.
Anfuso’s team is known as CrushedBlack and is made up of a small yet skillful production team determined to breathe life in the film scene here in Jacksonville. Not only do they wish to showcase their own work, but also the works of others like them who are just itching for an audience. The event hosted by the supportive owners of Rain Dog’s attempted to do just that and proved a valiant success.
Naturally we at Holmes Stamp and Sign wanted to help out. We are huge supporters of not just the arts but in originality, and fostering the idea of community in our city. When Anfuso’s ambitious project reached our ears, we knew we had to get involved and help make it the best it could be. By using the Crushed Black Logo we created stickers, and stamps galore as well as a custom banner (see featured image for link) that hung high and proud on the wall where all the guests could see it.
So often anymore, the ingenuity of stamps gets overlooked for flashier methods to spread a message. However Anfuso and her team decided to use our logo stamps and some good old ingenuity at the event to decorate napkins and stamp guests hands upon entering the bar. It is this renewed sense of creativity that small businesses thrive off of- ours included. And like CrushedBlack we are determined to help small businesses and projects with big ideas behind them to the very best of our abilities.
In the case of CrushedBlack, their efforts combined with those of the individuals supporting them proved a brilliant success. With screenings of mini documentaries, a music video, some short horror films, and the musical styles of various local groups. Hopefully the success of this first event will be the first of many events that Jacksonville local’s CrushedBlack put together for the area and for fellow creative souls in need of a breath of fresh talent.
Note: All photo’s of the event were taken by local Jacksonville photographer Zane Hall. Find him on Facebook.
