Scenic & Theming Arts

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

I worked for a local scenic fabrication company back in the day and learned a great deal about the world of theme park fabrication and theming.  Central Florida is overflowing with amusement parks, theme parks, themed restaurants and hundreds of other tourist destinations and each one needs to stand out from the rest.  This is where theming becomes extremely important.

Artists and fabricators must work alongside marketing and promotional groups to make sure the park/restaurant they represent becomes THE destination of millions of visitors vacationing in the Greater Orlando area.  Those visitors are also encouraged to spend as much money as possible and that happens when the visitor spends a lot of time on premises.  A good way to keep a visitor in a location longer is to give them something really cool to look at!

With that said, Voodoo Doughnuts at Universal Resort Orlando is one of the best themed restaurants I’ve ever seen.  It is a quick service walk-up with a grab-and-go format that entices the guests to linger as they admire the skeletons, coffins, murals and stained glass windows themed into their decor.  The wild combination of bright pink paint and macabre props makes this doughnut shop really stand out from the rest.

For more information on Voodoo Doughnuts, please visit…

https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.