Sale of Nutcrackers goes to benefit the production of Nutcracker Key West 

In 2005 Montgomery Triz created a mold from a conch shell cut to fit the top of a standard Nutcracker with its hat removed. In it was cast the first Conch Nutcracker that was used in the first 3 years of performances It was made of a fiberglass composite and was thrown on the stage throughout the rehearsals and performances creating cracks and weaknesses so that it could not be used for future performances. In 2008 Marie Schnellenberger, from Washington DC, a mask maker of Rat heads for most US Ballet Companies, was approached to create a Nutcracker that would not break when thrown. Taking Triz's mold she found a new material, a type of hard rubber, and created the current Nutcracker that Clara and Fritz squabble over, that will not break! In fact it has been known to bounce a little!

Tom Jorris, a local artist, offered to take the mold and create 12 more models, using plaster and wood. These models were painted by local artists and offered as part of the sponsorship of each performance. 

Janis Jo Stevens was born in Buffalo, NY and later moved to Massachusetts where she went to college, raised two daughters and lived and worked a small 5-acre homestead with chickens, goats. On weekends and holidays she did portraits at Arts and Craft fairs and shows all over the New England area. Stevens demonstrated and sold paintings at as many as 36 shows a year. She has also painted many commissioned pieces and continue to do so. These commissions can be large murals and family portraits in oil to painted coconuts. In 1988 Stevens did the Old Island Craft Show in Key West and fell in love with the island. She secured a position as an art teacher in the Monroe County School system and moved permanently to Key West. In the summers she would still travel to art shows in the Northeast. Eventually, she found it more convenient to stay in Key West and became an active member in several art cooperatives. During that time she earned a Masters in Art Education from FIU Magnum Cum Laude. Stevens has had several one woman shows in Key West and South Florida. Presently, she is showing in a group show in The Studios of Key West and the South Florida Arts Council. She's an active member in each organization as well as MUD PI, the ceramics studio affiliated with Florida Keys College. Recently, she moved to Gulfport, FL and is planning on renting studio space at the Clay Center in St. Petersburg. In her home studio in Gulfport she is creating mixed media paintings incorporating cloth, paper, found objects and sometimes faces and figures are embedded into the work.

Adam Russell is a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Key West. You can follow along at his gallery, Key West Pottery, on Duval Street or @KeyWestPottery on the internet. 

Christie Fifer can be found daily in her studio at The Historic Armory. Here she creates her "Art Stories" that integrate renderings of first edition classic books, universal human themes, and detailed historical research to produce didactic engaging paintings. Her work seeks to stimulate thought and conversation about art, literature, and life - and in doing that she hopes to bring joyful new perspectives to the viewer. Her artwork has been displayed in prominent shows and events in Key West since 2010. She is happy to contribute this Nutcracker and it reflects back on a childhood of dance lessons and her love of the theatre. 

Lothar Speer & Rita Walter are professional artists and collaboratos who have chosen Key West as their inspiration. In their rendition of The Key West Nutcracker they tried to give voice to that charm, that ravenous beauty that permeates the free spirit of their chosen island. Lothar teaches at TSKW and KWAC while both artists exhibit in various galleries here and across the country. 

In 2012, mysterious colorful characters started popping up on the streets of Key West. "The Mystery Blob," as he is known to be called, attracts youths and adults alike, expanding the idea of public art and how it can survive in unconventional environments. The Mystery Blob hopes to empower young artists to make the world a more fun and interesting place to live. 

Fran Decker's colorful acrylic paintings capture the flavor of the Florida Keys. Please find her art at Frangipani Gallery and the Key West Art Center. Fran's nutcracker is doing a Duval Crawl of drinking and shopping in true Key West style, with clothes inspired by Key West Handprint Fabrics. 

Pam Hobbs is a working artist living in Key West since the late 70's. She loves to give her viewer a glimpse into how she thinks the world should look. "I loved the opportunity to paint a nutcracker and donate my time towards a remarkable production involving so many kids and locals!" Her work can be seen at Art on Duval, Guild Hall, and 7 Artists. 

​Carl Hower moved to Key West eleven years ago. A retired Art Educator from New Jersey where he was active in the Art Educators of NJ (AENJ), was President of the AENJ in ’94-’95. Designated the NJ Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Assn. in ’98 ,he received a Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts in ’98 and ’06. In retirement he opened the Apex Gallery in Asbury Park, NJ.
Carl sits on the Board of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, his small acrylic landscapes are shown at the Gallery on Greene.

​Renowned artist and Key west photographer Tony Gregory began expressing his talent through various mediums from his early childhood years growing up in Baltimore, MD to his higher education years where he graduated with an Art Degree from Fairmont State in West Virginia in 1973 – Always traveling, painting and doing photography while searching for his paradise. He found it on spring break from teaching art in Annapolis, MD and moved to Key West in 1976.
His first 15 years in Key West Tony made a living and established himself as a very sought after airbrush artist and photographer featured in dozens of publications, including National Geographic -- twice. He was always an active photographer and eventually his camera took over as his primary means of creative expression.