20/20 Art Alumni Exhibition

20/20 Art Alumni Exhibition

Sponsored by

Front cover image: Quinn Miller, Euphoria, 2016, Digital photograph, 20 x 30 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Back cover image: Tarra Wood, Resurgence of Cactaceae, 2017, Acrylic on panel, 10 x 12 in., Courtesy of the artist.

20/20 Art Alumni Exhibition August 21 - September 21, 2017

Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries Wasmer Art Gallery and ArtLab Gallery

The exhibition opens in conjunction with 20 Years: The Creation of FGCU in the Archives & Special Collections Gallery in the FGCU Library, August 31 - December 15, 2017; and Selections from the FGCU Art Galleries’ Permanent Collection in the Library Reference Area on the first floor of the Library Building, August 21 – December 15, 2017.

Introduction

John Loscuito and Anica Sturdivant, Curators Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries

Florida Gulf Coast University, the Art Program and Art Galleries have reached a significant milestone. For twenty years we have served our students and the community of Southwest Florida and now is a time to celebrate our past as we set our ambitions for the future. There is no greater reward than witnessing our alumni’s success as they continue to apply their creativity and research beyond FGCU’s campus. Twenty Art Program almuni have been chosen for the exhibition representing the range of ideas and techniques that the faculty and staff are proud to have been a part of shaping over the course of twenty years.

“...now is the time to celebrate our past as we set our ambitions for the future.”

The work of compiling this exhibition has revealed an exciting array of working artists and arts professionals among our graduates. Some are taking their passion for art and sharing it with their own art students, some are on the business side of the arts, and many still pursue their own studio practices. The Art Program alumni of FGCU have spread from Fort Myers to Hawaii, to Los Angeles, to Costa Rica, and to France, to name a few places, and many have remained close to their roots here in Southwest Florida. Each place they touch, every voice they hear, each connection they make, is a legacy of the FGCU Effect. Our lives have been enriched by these multi-faceted and multitalented people, and we are privileged to have worked with all of them, regardless of their presence in this exhibition. We hope that everyone enjoys this exhibition of twenty graduates who have continued to develop and grow as studio artists. The selection process was difficult and long, but well worth the journey.

This exhibition marks a significant change for the FGCU Art Galleries. In honor of Ms. Mary Wasmer, the Wasmer Family has generously made a donation to name the main gallery in the Arts Complex. The gallery is now the Wasmer Art Gallery and this is the inaugural exhibition.

The Wasmer Family have been avid supporters and collectors of art and we think it is fitting that their support is highlighted by the success of our Art Program alumni.

LAUREN ASHLEY S. BAKER ALYSSA BALADAD LINDA BARONE ALINA EYDEL JAMES FUTRAL EHREN FRITZ GERHARD BRIENA HARMENING PHILIP HEUBECK HANNAH JOHNSON MEGAN LEARY KISSINGER ERICA KLOPF JEFFREY SCOTT LEWIS FELIPE MALDONADO NICK MASIELLO LEILA MESDAGHI QUINN MILLER CHRISTINA PENUEL MR. REVRAC GRAYSON STOFF TARRA WOOD

Lauren Ashley S. Baker

Lauren Ashley S. Baker, The Darkness Looks Alive, 2016, Sheep fur, faux fur, clay, glass, wax, tape, hair, wood, dog chew toys, plexiglass, pillow, plaster castings, and alabaster, 72 x 48 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist.

“The Darkness Looks Alive” is a piece about insomnia and sleep paralysis. In the work the darkness is inverted , and represented with white on white materials, for one can be paralyzed by both stagnant dark and blinding light.

The figure is manipulated through plaster bandage casts, wax casting, and unfired clay sgraffito.

The altered form of both the second and third dimension mimics the way perception of dimensions becomes misguided and foreign. In such a state, your senses are activated to be hyperaware of your surroundings, and your mind falls victim to self induced deception. Fur and broken glass represent the contrast between the comfort of a safe place, and the feeling of pins and needles, evoked by the anxiety of a paralyzed body.

Lauren Baker (FGCU, Class of 2010) is a transdisciplinary artist, utilizing a variety of materials and mediums to achieve her concepts. Her present focus is on relational dynamics between sculpture, photography and performance. Baker is currently residing in Tallahassee, Florida. As well as pursuing a master’s degree at Florida State University, Baker teaches figure drawing and actively participates in the local art community, including serving on the board of directors for 621 Gallery.

Alyssa Baladad Repetitive process art is something that I find to be soothing, meditative, and challenging.

Building up layers of colors and line work using only one tool pulls my focus together and lets me flow freely. This type of work is very gratifying but not in an instant. It takes time and a slow calm pace.

My work is created with water mixable oil paints and one small paintbrush. Each brush stroke is a fluid movement that is not predesigned. It is a natural reaction to the open canvas space.

The color choices I’m making are also a natural reaction to how I am feeling. I find myself using color combinations that I wouldn’t normally use, but somehow they come together in a way that is almost mesmerizing. I find inspiration mostly from nature. Recently, the movement of water and the Florida sunsets and clouds have been particularly catching my interest. Striations in rock formations and other naturally occuring evidence of time’s passing have given meaning to the way that I view these paintings.

Alyssa Baladad, Flowscape Series: Piece 1, 2017, Water mixable oil paint on canvas, 33.5 x 50.5 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Alyssa Baladad (FGCU, Class of 2015) lives and works in Fort Myers, Florida. Baladad’s current work is done with water mixable oil paints on large canvas. She is currently an Assistant Manager at a local paint studio called Vino’s Picasso. She has also worked with the Marco Island Center for the Arts as a ceramics instructor and as an after-school art instructor for the United Arts Council of Collier County.

Linda Barone ‘’ The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves’’.

- Jane Goodall How can orangutans of southeast Asia tell us they need the rainforests preserved? How can a Florida panther ask us to slow down and watch when we drive through their habitat? The orangutan and panther, as well as numerous different animal species around the world, need to be protected from the danger of becoming extinct. Loss of natural habitat, poaching, illegal pet trade, and environmental pollution are some of the threats they face.

My concern for the protection of animals is reflected in my work. By creating paintings combining animals with an element representative of a threat they face, and by removing the animal’s habitat from the scene, I bring the danger of human encroachment front and center.

Linda Barone, Encroachment Orangutan, 2016, Acrylic, 30 x 40 in., Courtesy of the artist.

I strive to be a voice for animals through my work so that, as more people understand the dangers, more people will work to protect animals, the environment, and animal habitats.

Linda Barone (FGCU, Class of 2011) works with the Florida Gulf Coast University’s ‘’Wings of Hope’’ program. She creates artwork for the Panther Posse and Bear Brigade Environmental Educational Program. Her artwork aids in teaching the importance of Florida wildlife conservation to elementary school students.

Alina Eydel My artwork is a manifestation of my spiritual practice: I believe we are the physical manifestation of Divine Consciousness.

The entire universe is within our cells; we are the creators of it, created from it, and creating our physical experience in it.

This series focuses on my contemporaries — women from all walks of life— and presents them in surreal, magical, notof-this-physical-reality interpretations. I combine traditional portrait painting with my signature, more contemporary, mixed media technique: Gold leaf, semi-precious stones, glass beads, and eco-friendly butterfly wings create mosaic jewels that play with contrasting textures. The application of the mosaic is a meditative, magical process through which I can focus on vibrations of love, health, and gratitude and thereby “charge” each piece with those energies. The portraits become gilded, mosaic icons of modern women— a metaphysical twist on the concept of divinity.

Alina Eydel, Tattooed (SelfPortrait), 2016, Acrylic on linen with 24k gold leaf and glass bead mosaic, 30 x 40 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Alina Eydel (FGCU, Class of 2011) lives and works in Naples, Florida.

Her pieces can be found in public collections around Florida and private collections all over the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.K., Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Spain, Japan, and China.

James Robert Futral “Repurpose” or “upcycle;” chances are you’ve heard these terms before, but few people know how rewarding it can be to create with items that would otherwise be discarded (aka: free materials). If you’ve seen my metal or wood sculptures before, or if you see them in the future, they will likely have been constructed from repurposed materials.

From a young age I have been interested in the properties of materials and how they can be constructed or fabricated together. Throughout my adult life, I have used repurposed and found objects for fabrication of art and for practical application (i.e., constructing homemade tools and equipment or for repairing commercial items). As an artist and fabricator, I have used a wide range of diversity and comprehension of mediums. My preferred mediums are metal, wood and clay but I also thoroughly enjoy working with organic materials like vines and stone.

James Futral, Iron Vase 2, 2017, Repurposed materials and automotive parts, 38 x 38 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Since graduation, James Robert Futral (FGCU, Class of 2016) has continued to improve and explore his artistic skills and is constantly seeking knowledge. The most recent highlights of his artistic career include acceptance into Appalachian State University’s “Rosen Sculpture Competition” 2017-18 and a work study scholarship at Penland School of Arts and Crafts for the summer 2017.

Ehren Fritz Gerhard My imagery depicts an intense encounter with time and place. It is the feeling I get from crunching through leaves, stooping under branches and listening to the air whistle through my nostrils. I could step on a snake, stumble upon a wild boar or end up with a spider web all over my face.

Ehren Fritz Gerhard, Blue Hammock, 2016, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Working somewhere in-between scientific observation and romantic idealism, my goal is to create a living image that breathes and moves. I make large and small scale canvases inspired by the Hudson River School, American Impressionists, graffiti and cartooning. Each successive layer of paint is imbued with the joy of discovery, fear of the unknown, and tension between life and death.

Ehren Fritz Gerhard (FGCU, Class of 2009) completed his Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University in 2013. He is currently employed as Adjunct Professor of Art at Florida Gulf Coast University, Art Exhibitions Director for the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs and Director of the Bonita Springs National Art Festivals. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida with his wife, dog and cat where he maintains an active studio, works on his garden and goes on primitive camping trips as often as possible.

Briena Harmening

Briena Harmening, This is How I Operate, 2016, Spray paint, screen print ink, and thread on canvas, 27 x 26 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Cross-stitch, quilts, doilies, the sound of my grandmother’s sewing machine, my mom threading her needle for another country-style alphabet: this is the art I grew up with, and it is these kinds of traditional women’s work, infused with autobiography, that drive my own practice. In my work, I combine fiber media with various forms of painting, thereby pushing the limits of tradition and renegotiating the relationship between art and craft.

My work is both contemporary and personal: drawing influences from street art and punk rock, and incorporating found objects and spray painted surfaces that become backgrounds for text. The words that I choose - phrases, fragments, and excerpts - document my thoughts about life. This is one of many binaries I explore and seek to balance in my work, along with the traditional and contemporary, the private and public, the domestic and manufactured, and what is delicate and hard.

Briena Harmening (FGCU, Class of 2005) resides and works in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a 2010 MFA graduate of the University of Tennessee. Harmening’s work utilizes mediums such as fibers, sculpture, painting, and video performance to address identity and autobiography.

She currently teaches both Advanced Art and International Baccalaureate Art levels at Hillsboro High School.

Philip Heubeck In my work, I deal with the ways of nature - observing them, learning from them, capturing and emulating them. I explore the human perception of natural processes, the search for beauty in seemingly mundane details and ultimately the experience of spirituality, of the sublime.

Philip Heubeck, Fenceposts in the Moonlight, 2017, Acrylic on reclaimed wood, 30 x 60 x 4 in., Courtesy of the artist.

I find it important to work from instinct rather than rationality, and during the early stages of the creative process, I often feel more like an observer than an active manipulator. There is very little preplanning, letting the artwork surprise me and guide me until a certain direction is recognizable and the wide circles in which I’m moving around the undefined center become smaller and smaller.

Wood is my material of choice, and paint is allowed to flow freely, evoking either forces of a geographical or microscopic scale. I’m interested in pushing the possibilities of abstraction through mark making and the characteristics inherent in the materials themselves. They provide guidance and thus determine the final result considerably.

Philip Heubeck (FGCU, Class of 2010) is originally from Berlin, Germany, where he grew up either taking in the big city or extensively hiking and exploring the woods outside of town. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Hannah Johnson My work is an experimental exploration using pastel as a drawing and painting medium. Early in my pursuit as an artist, a close family member was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a degenerative disease affecting language, communication, and comprehension. From that moment forward, my work has involved the interpretation of expression and memory through visual cues and color. I have translated these concepts through Hannah Johnson, Infinite, 2014, the numerous layers within my works, some of which appear to pause Pastel on canvas, 44 x 62 in., and restart at different points in the compositions. Many of the works Courtesy of the artist. evoke abstracted landscapes of mountains or canyons; a metaphor of the self, molded by experience and environment. The works never appear to finish at the edge of the material, giving the viewer a sense of peering into a memory or vision. The seemingly impermanent medium is used to visualize the work as constantly moving; the viewer has stopped to observe the work at just the right moment in its changing lifetime.

Hannah Johnson (FGCU, Class of 2014) started her career in museums and art conservation.

In 2015, she took a position as Gallery Coordinator for Thomas Riley Studio, a contemporary gallery and design atelier in Naples, Florida. She resides and continues her studio work in Fort Myers, Florida.

Megan Kissinger

Megan Kissinger, Tangled Up in Blue, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 in., Courtesy of the artist.

I love to portray the rare, almost magical moments when wild things exist in a state of balance and perfection.

My compositions reveal my fascination with light and line and are complemented by combinations of radiant colors in the sweeping settings in many of my paintings. I can get lost in late afternoon and twilight shadows—sweeping and arching lines—and in scenes like dappled light in oak hammocks and pine scrub. My paintings attempt to portray not realism, but a sort of super-realism where everything is a little brighter, more in balance—closer to perfection than life really ever is.

In my acrylic paintings, I work traditionally with canvas and begin every new piece with charcoal sketching and under-paint in a wash of complementary color before beginning the final painting.

I apply the paint in many thin layers, sometimes hundreds, using both glazes and scrubbed-in paint to get the feeling of light and shadow.

Megan Kissinger (FGCU, Class of 2004) resides in Fort Myers, Florida and works as a Museum Conservator and Exhibit Designer. She is represented by Tower Gallery, Sanibel, Florida and Wild Child Gallery, Matlacha, Florida.

Erica Klopf

Erica Klopf, Mandala Installation, 2017, Flowers, fronds, leaves, and other natural materials, 120 x 120 in., Courtesy of the artist.

I believe the most radical political move one person or a group of people can make is to grow their own food.

Gardens capture the sun’s energy, generate resources, and empower people to take control of their impact on this planet. I have found purpose for my art through environmental design and am pursuing a career that encourages the development of sustainable practices and community building. I will always consider myself a student, and am eager to learn outside the classroom through educational opportunities.

Volunteerism will continue to be a part of my life at the FGCU Food Forest and other community projects.

Erica Klopf (FGCU, Class of 2012) was raised in Naples and is dedicated to the development of sustainable landscapes in South Florida. Her undergraduate degree is a double-major in Environmental Studies and Art. Her studies of ecology, tropical fruits, and design, culminated in the design of the Florida Gulf Coast University Food Forest. She holds a Permaculture Design Certificate through The Permaculture Project, an Advanced Permaculture Design Certification in Edible Forest Garden Design through Perennial Solutions, and is a trained Permaculture Teacher through the Urban Permaculture Guild of San Francisco in Experiential Permaculture Education. She is the Founder and Director of Florida Edible Landscaping. Her most recent projects involve the “Rauschenberg Seed to Table” project in Captiva, Florida and the “Community Cooperative Soup Kitchen” in Fort Myers, Florida.

Jeffrey Scott Lewis The works in this series are abstracts with only the titles giving clues to the narrative content of each painting. For example, “The Ecstasy of Rejection” is about the intense pleasure that some of us seem to get from negative emotions. The works are not, however, pessimistic. The paintings speak to the human desire for something good to come from something bad. The “Contradictions Series” is very optimistic.

This is probably the most personal work I have done to date, drawing inspiration from my own struggle with bi-polar disorder. Life with bi-polar disorder is full of inconsistency.

Extreme highs and lows are the norm. Taking the essence of those feelings and describing them with color, movement and gesture is the basis of the series.

Jeffrey Scott Lewis, The Ecstasy of Rejection, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist.

The white backgrounds represent the calmness and stability that I seek, while the black strokes represent the unpredictable mood swings that come with the disorder. The intense colors that are layered on top are saturated and vibrant, much like the sentiments I experience. There is little room for grey in my world. I try to balance the dark and ominous with the bright and uplifting in my compositions. I am utilizing my condition as an asset with this work.

Jeffrey Scott Lewis (FGCU, Class of 2004) lives and works in Fort Myers, Florida. He is a 2011 MFA graduate of Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. He currently does freelance visual merchandising for national and local retailers.

Felipe Maldonado Connections between ideas, cultures and people have been driving factors in my art. I use these connections to discover a deeper understanding of the influences of the past and relate them to the current state of being; while, in the process, finding a meaning to the influences in my life.

My work helps represent these ideas as I stack whole ceramic pieces and shards; allowing me to challenge the idea of what traditional ceramics is and how it “should� be used.

The work is influenced from the previous forms before it. By assembling the pieces to connect in a variety of ways, and with the use of different styles of surface decorations the audience can appreciate the influences of the traditional, while witnessing the revolution of the contemporary.

Felipe Maldonado, Rustic Fountain Tall, 2017, Ceramics and silicon, 41 x 36 in., Courtesy of the artist.

Living and working in Cape Coral, Florida, Felipe Maldonado (FGCU, Class of 2016) is a ceramics teacher at North Fort Myers High School. Maldonado is currently working on pursuing a graduate program in the next 2 years. Recently, he had the opportunity to co-present an FGCU research project at the 2017 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Portland, Oregon.

Nick Masiello The idea that people are naturally drawn to words has always intrigued me; enough to want to take those words they are so familiar with and blur the boundaries between letters and paint strokes. The words become one image, colors layered one on top of the other. Whatever was said in the initial process is left in the moment it is laid onto canvas.

Nick Masiello, Sex Sells, 2017, Mixed media on polylaminate, 41 x 40 x 5 in., Courtesy of the artist

In my work, I combine mixed media with various forms of painting and sculpture to push the boundaries of how we view the written word as art and its underlying message. My art becomes very personal to me yet remains contemporary. Each piece is a journal entry, a stream of consciousness. The words that are written are both positive and negative, keeping true to the duality we experience in everyday life.

Nick Masiello (FGCU, Class of 2012) resides and works in Southwest Florida. Masiello’s work utilizes mixed mediums on canvas, sculpture, installations, and murals as an abstraction of the written word, using color, mark making and graffiti. He currently works as an artist assistant and installer to several Florida artists and galleries and has a working studio in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Leila Mesdaghi The “Barzakh Series” originated from a desire to provide a visual existence for a phychological fascination. “He saw a woman hanging by her hair,” I heard that in a story when I was a little girl. I was not scared but curious. To this day, I keep questioning that memory: What an extreme punishment! How would that be possible? How would it feel like? What would it look like? How long would one last before the scalp tears off the skull and where would one fall?

But in “Barzakh,” the suspense is endless.

Leila Mesdaghi, Barzakh, 2016, Digital photograph of a performance, Dimensions vary, Courtesy of the artist.

In my work, I investigate and obsess about my self-imposed illusions, emotions, relationships, and memories, and my process becomes about finding tangible ways to relate to them. I welcome emotions related to guilt, love, regret, and despair as personal and universal emotions. My body becomes my medium, a body continually waiting, repeating, and enduring. I make art to take control, to find refuge, and to seek comfort.

Leila Mesdaghi (FGCU, Class of 2016) lives and works in Fort Myers, Florida. In 2016, she was represented at the 2nd Contemporary Art Biennale Peace on Paper in Tehran, Iran, at the Abadan Contemporary Art Museum, and the Isfahan Contemporary Arts Museum.

Quinn Miller When you’re little, you always hear about superpowers.

Those who can fly, breathe fire, or even turn invisible. I have always been fascinated by time, and if there is one thing I have learned to do with time, it is to capture it.

In my work, I coexist properties of both the real and digital worlds. I have a strong urge to use surrealism to create these dark scenes that convey a variety of topics; mainly fears and other intangible feelings Quinn Miller, Euphoria, 2016, transformed into physical representations.

My typical process Digital photograph, 20 x 30 in., consists of finding the perfect location and model, then creating/ Courtesy of the artist. finding the props necessary for the shot and post-editing the photos in Photoshop. The ability to create something based off of fantasy and to show the viewers what you see through your own “lens”, is priceless.

Quinn Miller (FGCU, Class of 2015) currently lives in his hometown of Clewiston, Florida.

Miller’s work is impossible without the use of his camera and the program Photoshop, but he also applies the use of real world props. He currently teaches Digital Design and Visual Tech at Clewiston High School.

Christina Penuel In this series, I am moving away from traditional canvas and framed forms. Using wood frames and angles, I create the illusion of volume without actual weight or mass. Freeing myself of the golden rule, I randomize angles and slants when cutting and sanding, creating irregular shapes and frames as I work.

Christina Penuel , Untitled, 2017, Canvas and wood, 8 x 8 x 10 in., Courtesy of the artist.

The frame is not just a support or boundary for a painting, but a way to create a new viewpoint.

Looking through the wood frame creates a new complexity, producing smaller paintings and perspectives using shadow, and depth to not only give a three dimensionality to the painting itself, but see new tones and color relationships.

With this small series, the pieces are meant to be seen through fractured shapes leaving viewers to wonder, “Are these paintings with abstract frames? Or are they wooden sculptures mounted to a painting? Or something else entirely?� These works are the beginning of my effort to move away from the standard.

Christina Penuel (FGCU, Class of 2009) was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida, and currently works as a high school art teacher with a special focus on Ceramics and Sculpture.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Mr. Revrac In my art, I am observing the uncertainties of our tech-obsessed culture, asking the questions: where are we going and what might become of us? Much of my work is heavily influenced by the aesthetics of the sci-fi genre called Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk explores the concerns modern culture has towards technology: its fears and its obsessions. My art examines the struggle between these dichotomies by exploring the relationship between technology and the human condition in the digital age.

Mr. Revrac, Glitch Tech 0-070417-0, 2017, Multimedia assemblage, 19 x 16 x 9 in., Courtesy of the artist.

My work is questioning and contesting what makes us human. I allude to these realities with a style that is reminiscent of retro- futurism, by incorporating LCD screens depicting human eyes, brains, and mouths; my art is embodying the figurative ghost in the machine. I enclose all of these elements within reclaimed industrial boxes, breathing life into these disembodied cybernetic creatures. I believe the fusion that takes place within my art, between the circuitry, wires and the digital human elements will evoke an emotional response between the dichotomies of technology and the human condition, exploring our merging existence and the speculative fiction of our evolutionary future.

Mr. Revrac (FGCU, Class of 2012) is currently represented by ArtĂŞria Gallery of Bromont, Quebec Canada, showing work throughout the year at international events.

Grayson Stoff Growing up in Southwest Florida has given me a great appreciation for nature’s slow, incremental growth, as a portrait of time passing by. The dangling roots and twisted branches I come across while kayaking or riding around on my bike never cease to fascinate me.

Grayson Stoff, Untitled, 2017, Acrylic on three canvas panels, 66 x 28 in. each, Courtesy of the artist.

With these works, I wanted to combine the forms I’ve been working with in sculpture and flatten them into a painting. And like the slow growing process of the plants that inspire me, I spent the last couple years working on these paintings one step at a time. Working on the large, un-stretched canvas has freed me to work on these paintings while often spending hours sitting right in the artwork as I paint. It has been a liberating experience to have my artwork grow around me as I work.

Grayson Stoff (FGCU, Class of 2015) continues to reside in Fort Myers, Florida. Stoff’s work is made up of a mix of acrylic paint, charcoal, and permanent marker on canvas hung from wooden boards. He is Art Teacher at De LaSalle Academy of Fort Myers, a school for students with learning challenges, and has introduced lessons involving ceramics, glass fusion, and woodworking to the school.

Tarra Wood There is something both fascinating and satisfying about the intricacies of historical portraiture. As someone who has always created detail-oriented work, I find inspiration particularly from 18th century European paintings. Obscure and unknown portraits also hold my curiosity as I find myself wondering about the story and personalities behind the nameless faces.

Tarra Wood, Resurgence of Cactaceae, 2017, Acrylic on panel, 10 x 12 in., Courtesy of the artist.

My recent work blends my interest in art history with my love of desert-dwelling cacti and succulent plants. While I have been painting and illustrating cacti for some time, I happened upon melding the two with a surrealist sensibility. I enjoy juxtaposing realistic imagery and themes in a way that is unexpected, and perhaps even confusing, while still maintaining the elegance of the elements. My incorporation of these strange plants, in a setting one would never see them, is my way of giving these people a story; and a story I want to know more about.

Tarra Wood (FGCU, Class of 2011) currently resides in Naples, Florida, working as a freelance graphic designer and photo editor. She continues her pursuit of artistic expression, through gallery exhibitions as well as running her art-based Etsy business, Walrus & Toad. Primarily working with acrylic and watercolors, she also enjoys sculptural work as well as digital media.

The FGCU Arts Complex design plans were completed in 2000 - 2001, and the building opened in Fall 2002.

20/20 Vision: The FGCU Art Program Patricia Fay, Art Program Coordinator

As we know, it all began in 1997. For the 190 students in the College of Arts and Sciences at the newly founded Florida Gulf Coast University, Art was one of the original twelve concentrations for the initial Liberal Studies degree: Art, Biology, Computer Science, Earth Systems Science, English, Environmental Studies, History, Math, Psychology, Social Sciences, Spanish, and Theatre. Founding professor Morgan Paine launched the Art Program with six students, built a foundational curriculum based on models from within the Florida State University system, and taught courses from drawing, painting, and sculpture to 19th and 20th century art history. Further curricular support came from Humanities instructor Joel Hollander, graphic designer Susannah Wohlpart, and well-known regional artist Carl Schwartz. I was hired as the second full-time art professor in August 2000 to focus on developing ceramics, sculpture, and interdisciplinary studies courses; by then we had 39 students in the Art concentration, and 585 students total in the College of Arts and Sciences. Like all the faculty at that time, I came to FGCU to help start a new university; this was an unprecedented career opportunity, a chance you just never get to be there at the beginning, shape the institution, and watch it grow. And grow it did – in 2006, the College of Arts and Sciences transitioned from concentrations within the single Liberal Studies degree to formal disciplinary majors, and by 2007 there were 126 students working towards an Art degree within a cohort of 2312 total students in the CAS. In Fall 2016, in the twentieth anniversary year at Florida Gulf Coast University, there were 167 Art majors and 5384 students enrolled in 23 undergraduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Following an intensive design process, the FGCU Arts Complex opened in August 2002. Studio courses had been taught in a second-floor, carpeted classroom in Reed Hall, and the move into purpose-built facilities for ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting and printmaking was a revelation. The expansive art gallery in the center of the building established a contemporary art agenda that continues to support and extend the curriculum, including a consistent schedule for student exhibitions. The progressive hiring of an inspired and inspiring faculty has always been a central priority; Megan McShane joined us in 2004 to build the curriculum for modern and contemporary art history, as did sculptor Mary Voytek, whose work graces the front of the Arts Complex. In 2008, Anne-Marie Bouche took over ancient to Renaissance art history and humanities general education from earlier hire Scott Karakas, and Andy Owen replaced retiring professor Carl Schwartz to direct the drawing curriculum and develop coursework in printmaking. In Fall 2011, Michael Salmond joined the faculty in digital media design to move the Art Program in exciting new directions.

Faculty led Art Program Study Abroad trip to Guyana, Spring 2013

Senior Project posters from art majors Shannon Adwell, Renee Grossman, Holly Miklas, and Jenna Gorsuch.

The mission of the Art Program at Florida Gulf Coast University is to educate students and the community in the creation and appreciation of art and design; emphasize the importance of context in art history and contemporary culture; provide students with a clear sense of direction towards a career in the creative industries; and teach art with a lively awareness of both global perspectives and local responsibilities. We believe that the making and interpreting of visual art is a defining attribute of the human experience, and is essential to a comprehensive liberal arts education. Our curriculum is designed to support the student seeking a B.A. degree in Art with a solid core of foundational skills; the flexibility to pursue and define a clear personal direction; and intensive upper-level experiences designed to launch careers in the visual arts and related fields. Studio coursework includes painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and photography; digital media design incorporates screen and print based media in graphic design, web design, interactive design, typography and videogame design. In art history, the full chronological survey of Western art is covered at both introductory and advanced levels, plus topical courses in global, environmental, and contemporary art issues. Internships, course-based career preparation, and student assistant positions in the program and in the gallery provide invaluable learning opportunities for future directions. In their final semester, graduating students develop and present their Senior Project, a professional quality exhibition of self-generated work with accompanying research, writing, publicity, and documentation.

At the end of the first twenty years of the FGCU Art Program, our vision for a contemporary education in the arts has been realized in the remarkable accomplishments of our alumni. Our students have moved into staff and leadership positions at arts institutions across Southwest Florida, including the Baker Museum in Naples, the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs, and the Rauschenberg Residency on Captiva Island. They are starting their own businesses to make, sell, and promote their work using the tools of social media and online marketing. Our alumni have pursued and completed graduate studies in a wide range of fields including studio art, art therapy, arts management, graphic design, education, library science, and business. And many of our graduates are training a whole new generation of artists through teaching appointments at elementary, middle and high schools across Florida and the nation. Their success is our reward.

Art Program bus trip to Art Basel Miami Beach, the world’s premier exhibition of contemporary art. December 2, 2017

Graphic Designer: Anica Sturdivant Copy Editor: Joanna Hoch FGCU Art Galleries Staff: John Loscuito, Gallery Director Anica Sturdivant, Gallery Coordinator/Assistant Curator Gallery Assistants: Amber Frank Taylor Hallbeck Chloe Isabella Lewis Caitlin Rosolen - de Jesus

Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries 10501 FGCU Blvd S Fort Myers FL 33965 T239.590.7199 artgallery.fgcu.edu