Day Of The Dead Altar Honors Late Realize Bradenton Founder

BRADENTON, FL — Johnette Isham, founder of Realize Bradenton, will be honored in a series of events this week, according to a news release from the organization.

The arts lover and champion of downtown Bradenton’s revitalization died July 26, the Business Observer reported. She was 70, the Bradenton Herald said. No cause of death was offered by Realize Bradenton at the time of her death.

Isham founded the organization in 2009. During her time at the helm, Realize Bradenton implemented the Cultural Master Plan to revitalize downtown Bradenton, launched the Bradenton Blues Festival and organized the Bradenton Public Market, among other initiatives.

A celebration of Isham’s life will take place Thursday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Bradenton Riverwalk Amphitheater.

A Day of the Dead-style altar honoring her will be displayed during the event and guests are invited to leave an offering for her.

After the celebration of life, the altar will be moved to the Village of the Arts Friday through Sunday for the art district’s annual Festival of Skeletons, a Day of the Dead event.

“As a community, we will gather at Johnette's beloved Riverwalk, a park that she helped bring to life and where she hosted many events, to remember her countless big ideas, limitless enthusiasm, and the positive influence she had on Bradenton,” Realize Bradenton wrote in an email. “Dias de los Muertos or Day of the Dead was one of Johnette’s favorite celebrations and this year we will celebrate her. As is tradition for this holiday, we will create an ofrenda, or altar, in honor of Johnette and you as a guest are invited to leave an offering for her, something that reminds you of her. Maybe something she enjoyed such as music, art or Bradenton. Written messages or photographs are also lovely offerings.”

Isham is remembered by those who worked with and knew her as a vibrant individual who supported local entrepreneurs, artists, makers, and communities and neighborhoods, and energized downtown Bradenton.

“She was one of the greatest mentors of a lot of people’s lives,” Joanna Eailey, who worked with her at Realize Bradenton for nearly 10 years, told Patch. “She just had a way of leading people to greatness.”

Laura Alcover, owner of Alcover Massage in the Village of the Arts, told Patch that Isham’s mentorship and support helped her grow her business when she was new to Bradenton about a decade ago.

She offered free massages to the staff of Realize Bradenton as a way to spread the word about her business. Isham called her to say she couldn’t accept the gift certificates, but “she was very happy to see that I was taking active steps to market myself as a business in the Village of the Arts and also trying to bring people over to the Village of the Arts,” Alcover said.

Isham began offering her opportunities to participate in Realize Bradenton events with her business, whether it was setting up as a vendor or offering free massages in the VIP section of the Bradenton Blues Festival.

“That was big for me,” Alcover said. “And I wasn’t the only person she did this for. As I developed myself and my business, I’ve gotten to see how Johnette and Realize Bradenton have helped transform the city, to bring more people here, even to make this an international scene here.”

She added, “To this day, that organization is a very powerful force of good and connection for this city. I did work really hard over a decade to go to as many of their events as possible, to show up regardless of how tired I was, to put my best face forward and market like crazy. But at the end of the day, I could not have gone to these events and built my business if not for Johnette and Realize Bradenton reaching out and inviting me, allowing me to get my foot in the door. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Bradenton, particularly the downtown area, was one of Isham’s greatest loves, according to Eailey, who last served as Realize Bradenton’s event coordinator.

“I was just amazed at how much energy and time she put into her work,” she said. “We used to always say that she worked 24/7 because she would come into a team meeting and say, ‘I had a dream last night,’ and it was always about Realize Bradenton, or, ‘I had a thought in the shower this morning, blah blah blah.’ She was always about Realize Bradenton, even when she was sleeping.”

Even when she wasn’t working or organizing events, Isham spent her time supporting the city in various ways.

“She was just so alive and she was always downtown doing something,” Eailey said. “If she wasn’t at work she was in the Village (of the Arts) shopping or at a restaurant eating or at Unique Boutique supporting the Women’s Resource Center.”

As a former director for the Ringling School of the Arts, Isham was a lover of the arts, as well, she added. “So naturally, right here in Bradenton she built a beautiful house full of all her art from the Village of the Arts and elsewhere.”

This struck a chord personally for Eailey.

“The thing that I’m taking with me after leaving Realize Bradenton is how important art is to sustain community and to help it thrive,” she said.

This, naturally, translated into supporting the Village of the Arts whenever she could, Alcover said. “She really cared about the Village. She really did everything she could to invite the Village of the Arts and include the Village of the Arts in (Realize Bradenton) events and always tried to promote the Village of the Arts because it was a big part of the city. We have a little hidden environment here, so we need the exposure, and she gave villagers opportunity.”

Isham tried to connect downtown Bradenton and the Village through painted walkways and public murals, among other initiatives.

“Little touches like that along the corridor that made it more friendly and made tourists more comfortable walking around,” Alcover said. “She really thought about how to help the average person be able to walk easily from downtown to the Village in only a mere few blocks.”

As a supporter of the arts, Isham bought artwork from many of the Village’s gallery owners, she added. “Her house is full of art. She has a beautifully decorated home that’s bright and comfortable and features artists from this area. She definitely walked her talk.”

Have a memory you’d like to share about Johnette Isham? Email Tiffany.Razzano@Patch.com.