Now on exhibit-

Women Painting Florida: Images of the State, 1880 -1960
From the collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown
Exhibition Dates: September 4, 2010 – November 14, 2010

Membership Preview Reception: Friday, September 3, 2010, 5-7pm

50 major works with Florida as subject form a fascinating overview of the art produced by female artists over an eighty year period. Notable women artists such as Laura Woodward and Jane Peterson came to Florida at the height of their careers. They created an amazingly diverse group of beautiful images in a wide range of mature styles. Their chosen subjects range from gardens and citrus fruit to sweeping wild landscapes, local portraits and urban life. The works are loaned from the large Florida art collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown. Featured Image: “Sea Grapes”,  watercolor on board  by Jane Peterson, 1876 – 1965

Witness To Creativity:
Installations by – Jean Banas, New Smyrna Beach, Fl; Raina Benoit, St. Petersburg, Fl;Frances Gardner, Lancaster, SC; Grace Leal,Cocoa Beach, Fl; Martha Lent, Winter Park, Fl; Kathy O’Meara, Port Orange, Fl; Beau Wild, Port Orange, Fl
Exhibited: July 16, 2010 – Aug. 29, 2010
 
Watching art being made can be very inspiring. It allows the viewer to see the process in action instead of just the finished product. Six art installations were in-process and open to the public for a week culminating in an exhibition. The concept was to open the Museum to the public while the artists prepare their works. The public can engage the artists about their projects, work methods and messages. Museum curator, David Swoyer “Interesting mix between artists and visitors which is a great way to have art understood. Dialogue about a conceptual work while it is being made actually becomes part of the work”. The Musuem document and posted to the web daily progress and interchange via website and social networks.
Witness to Creativity Photo Albums.

Illustrating Orchids: Blanche Ames Ames (1878-1969) & Marion Ruff Sheehan (1924-1998)
Exhibited: May 8, 2010 – July 11, 2010

The exhibition presented the art of two botanical illustrators whose work is the epitome, not only of scientific illustration, but also of the creative perfection that makes the works great art. Blanche Ames Ames (1878-1969) and Marion Ruff Sheehan (1924-1998) used their extensive artistic abilities to document the form and structure of the numerous genera of orchids. Working in ink and watercolor the artists made precise renderings of the dissected orchids before them. Each of the women teamed with their husbands – prominent scholars of orchid study. The exhibition included original ink drawings, original watercolors and lithographs made from the originals. Works are from the collections of the Botanical Libraries of Harvard University and the collection of Thomas and Marian Sheehan.

Almost Alice: New Illustrations of Wonderland by Maggie Taylor
Exhibited: February 20, 2010 – May 2, 2010

Organized by Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida.  Exhibit opened in the same period as the movie “Alice” and was covered by multiple news media.  The exhibition featured 45 digital inkjet prints illustrating Lewis Carroll’s famous work “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”   The composite images usually begin with an original photographic portrait—often a daguerreotype or tintype from the mid-19th century.  The artist then uses 21st century digital processes and Photoshop montage techniques to layer multiple images to create the final prints, which are simultaneously historic and contemporary. Taylor’s radical manipulation of her source images but retention of photographic realism results in an ironic visual surrealism that perfectly complements the verbal wit and irony of Carroll’s writing and are innovative in both content and technique. A fun program coincided with the show called for local GArtNers to provide creative “Alice” plants and allowed anyone to participate no matter the age or gender. Brochure page 1  Brochure page 2

Inaugural Juried Exhibition
Exhibited: Nov 13, 2009 – Feb. 14, 2010

Inaugural Statewide Exhibit of more than 40 contemporary Florida Women Artist. This exhibit included a variety of styles and materials with a something for everyone” appeal.  Two curator presentations were held that included an explanation of artistic styles and creative methods. Included in the selections by Jurors Morgan Lewis, Leslie Puckett, and Janice Hartwell are 38 artists including:  Kristin A. Anderson, Beth Appleton, Barbara Balzer, Connie Bransilver Barrow, Donne Bitner, Leslie Anne Chanove, Terrie Corbett, Jaimie Cordero, Joelie Dietrick, Nancy Baur Dillen, Emily Arthur Douglass, Bettina T. Edwards, Mary Erickson, Kathryn Erickson, M.K. Foltz, Gwenddyn Freyer, Kathleen Giddens, Jean Goddeau, Francie Bishop Good, Julie Guyot, Holly Hanessian, Mary Klein, Grace Leal, Susan Martin, Luisa M. Mesa, Melissa Miller Nece, Lesley Nolan, Terry Tramauer Norris, Florence Putterman, Florence A. Roghaar, Lilian Garcia Roig, Jacquelyn Modesitt Schindehette, Joan Brechin Sonnenberg, Jennifer M. Surgent, Kathleen Wilcox, Charity Wood, M. Laine Wyatt, and Valeria Yamamato.