History center builds to finale of ‘Figurehead’ exhibit
Orange County Regional History Center will drop the curtain soon on its exhibit called “Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground” but not before presenting putting out more music-oriented programming.
A session called “Bootleg TV: Documenting Live Music in Orlando” will feature Dave Segal, who created a local music and art TV series that aired from 1998 to 2006. The Jan. 16 event, running from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., will include clips from Will’s Pub, Sapphire Supper Club, Go Lounge, Skinny’s and other venues that played host to hometown bands and national acts.
The “Bootleg” session is free as part of the monthly Third Thursday event organized by the Downtown Arts District, but registration through the history center is requested.
“A Conversation With the Punk Rock Museum” will feature a talk by Vinnie Fiorello, a founder of Less Than Jake, a Florida-based ska punk band, on Jan. 17. Fiorello, a core member of Las Vegas’ Punk Rock Museum, will discuss his experiences and views about underground music’s relationship with museums.
The Fiorello session is set for 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $10, which includes day-long admission to the history center, located in downtown Orlando.
The museum’s “Figurehead” finale will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 2. A collection of “luminaries from the local music scene” will attend, according to the history center’s website.
History center: What to see, hear at new ‘Figurehead’ exhibit
The “Figurehead” exhibit presents the sound and vibe of the Orlando music scene of the late 1980s and 1990s. The displays include audio bits, interactive moments, throwback posters and physical props with references to personalities and acts such as Orlando’s Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), Seven Mary Three, Jonathan Richman, Sonic Youth, Black Flag, Soul Asylum, Guided by Voices, Sapphire co-owner Shayni Rae, photographer Jim Leatherman and Figurehead concert promoter Jim Faherty.
The exhibit, curated by Orange County Regional History Center, debuted at the museum in September 2022 with the intention of being open for a year. Its run has been extended a few times, and when it wraps up, it will have been in place for 28 months.
“There are obviously other styles of music and other things going on at the time,” curator Jeremy Hileman told the Sentinel in 2022. “There are certainly other people who promoted shows before and after, but we really wanted to highlight this story because we felt it was really compelling.”
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Its roots were in collections owned by Faherty.
“I was in the midst of trying to move all of my memorabilia because I was a hoarder and I just kept every poster, every ticket stub, everything,” Faherty said before the exhibit’s opening. “It was, like, perfect timing because he [Hileman] said, ‘Hey, you got, like, 10 posters you can donate?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and I donated, literally, a big truckload.”
Additional history center events in January include a Lunch & Learn session about the Community Paper, Florida’s flora and fauna, the Scottish Highland Games and Orange County Heritage Day. For more information go to thehistorycenter.org/events.