City of Fernandina Beach begins licensing street artists and street performers

Submitted by

Susan Hardee Steger

Lee Shank, Fernandina’s First Licensed Street Artist
Photo courtesy of John C. ‘Charlie” Hutchins www.jchutchins.com

For 55 years, Lee Shank has worked to perfect his artistic skills.  He is an expert in his field, has a national following, and now Shank is the first licensed street artist in Fernandina Beach.

Lee’s  current artistic focus is  porcelain beads.  By spinning and glazing, a dull piece of gray clay is transformed and turned  into colorful pieces of jewelry. His website, www.leeshankbeads.com, not only displays his porcelain beads, but the machines he has engineered to produce them.  On a busy tourist day you can often find Lee at the downtown pocket park between North  2nd and 3rd Streets.

Photo courtesy of John C. “Charlie” Hutchins
www.jchutchins.com

On June 5, 2012, the city commission adopted an ordinance allowing licensed street artist and street performers in Fernandina Beach.  In the past, such activity was not allowed.  Artists and performers are permitted  to set up in city parks, excluding the lighthouse, and Bosque Bello.  City streets and sidewalks are off limits.  Also off limits are street performers or artist  performing body piercing or tattooing.

According to the ordinance, a street artist is one who engages in “the creation, display and/or sale of art that is created on public property only by the permit holder.” A street performer is one who engages in “acting, singing, playing a musical instrument with or without amplification, pantomime, juggling, magic, dancing, comedy, acrobatics, puppetry, and other similar types of public performance.”

Applications are received in October of each year and there is a $300 application fee.  Individuals interested in applying for a vendor’s license at other times can appeal to the city manager for an exception but only if  the applicant had a prior approved license, or if the applicant can prove a  “demonstrable hardship directly related to the miss application deadline.”  At this time, Shank is one of two artists/musicians  licensed.  The other is a guitarist.

November 27, 2012 6:59 a.m.