From Private Walls: Pensacola Collects III

Mar 16th - May 12th, 2012

When some Pensacola art collectors are at home, staring at their walls, this is what they see – stunning art from some of the best known artists in the world.

This year, for the third year, visitors to the Museum will have that special "inside" opportunity to gaze upon some of that same art.

Beginning March 16, the PMA will once again present From Private Walls: Pensacola Collects III. This exhibition of notable works by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists is drawn from the area’s private art collections. During the past two years, the show has included a variety of media: paintings, sculpture, prints, glass, drawings, ceramics, and mixed media, spanning selections from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Names include such widely-recognized artists as Van Dyke, Picasso, Braque, Miro, Warhol, Calder, Andrew Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth, John Marin, Keith Haring, Dale Chihuly and Christo. In 2010, an incredible 17th century oil portrait of St. Sebastian by Guido Reni was a center-piece. To understand the piece’s importance, Catherine the Great owned a companion piece by the same artist. Last year a 14-foot painted aluminum sculpture by Frank Stella from 1988 was a show-stopper.

Garden of Eden: Photography by Andrzej Maciejewski

Mar 22nd - Jun 2nd, 2012

 Still Life with 4024(USA), 4025(USA), 4049(Honduras), 4410(USA) and 4026(USA), 2011, Maciejewski

Born in Poland, Andrzej Maciejewski, fell in love with the camera early. In his still life photographs, presented in the exhibition entitled Garden of Eden, that which looks perfect belies corruption, according to Maciejewski. Garden of Eden features 24 color still-life photographs of fruits and vegetables, inspired by the paintings of Old Masters. While they appear to be pristine, further examination shows fruits and vegetables with label stickers or wrapped in plastic.

"Our society has created a naïve approach to nature, glorifying its fertility and opulence," Maciejewski writes. "At the same time, our civilization harnessed and enslaved it. From the paintings of Old Masters to modern commercials, we still get the same picture of ‘natural,’ healthy and beautiful fruits and vegetables, but the truth is that we are slowly destroying whatever is left of nature on our planet for the sake of money and comfort." Garden of Eden is also scheduled to be exhibited at several other venues in the United States as well as Canada, Finland, Norway, United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland and Latvia.

Revisiting Eden: Glass by Kathleen Elliot

Mar 22nd - May 19th, 2012

From the Valley of Heart's Delight, 2008, glass, mixed media, Elliot

Kathleen Elliot creates sculptures out of flameworked glass, using a vocabulary of botanical forms, including leaves, flowers, fruit and vines. Her work has moved from the representational to the imaginary, in which plant forms incorporate human characteristics and convey a sense of alternative realities.

In 2003, Elliot began making botanical sculptures, drawing upon plant forms she observed in nature. Four years later, she began an on-going series of imaginary botanicals, which use natural forms, but invent new species, including human/plant hybrids. In a painstaking process she creates individual forms, colors them with glass powders, combines them into complex compositions, and anneals the entire piece, reducing the stress on the glass. Then the surface of the sculpture is kept glossy or sandblasted to a low sheen. Elliot's work is informed by her study of applied philosophy, considering the fundamental question of the "the good life". She has found an answer in the deep human connection to nature. Elliot's study of alternative spiritual disciplines forms another strong thread in her development. She studied with Carlos Castaneda, who wrote about his encounters with a Yaqui shaman. This experience, and the possibility of other dimensions of reality, lead her to create works that reflect a wide range of new expressive possibilities.

Elliot has found kindred spirits both in painting, particularly in the work of Van Gogh, and in the work of contemporary glass artists William Morris and Ginny Ruffner. Elliot's sculptures gained immediate recognition through many awards and articles, and through two solo exhibitions at the William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, and in many group exhibitions including those at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Triton Museum of Art, San Jose, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica CA, and the Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco.

Surfing Florida: A photographic history

May 24th - Sep 2nd, 2012

Florida surfers know that while we don’t have the legendary waves of Hawaii or California, we do have the legendary surfers and surf culture. The Sunshine State has produced an amazing talent pool that successfully competes globally and has contributed to the innovation and growth of the world-wide surf industry.

Surfing Florida: A Photographic History presents the history of Florida surfing and surf culture, including its international dimensions. The project coincides with preservation and academic efforts that are emerging in America and overseas as modern surfing history approaches its 100th year. More than 25 professional surf photographers have contributed their images for the exhibition. Scholars from four universities have worked to weave surfing’s larger themes – nature/religion, environmental activism, surf music, maritime history - into the specifics of Florida’s surfing chronology.

Surfing Florida is organized by the University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. Funding was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Photos courtesy of Surfing Florida, University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton.