TUE: 10am - 8pm
WED-FRI: 10am - 5pm
SAT: 12-4pm
Closed on SUN., MON., academic holidays
CLOSED TILL SEPTEMBER 1ST 2008
University Galleries and Art in State Buildings: 2006-2007
Amy Vigilante
The University Galleries have focused for the past five years on the development of exhibitions involving interdisciplinary partnerships. The Galleries have interacted with over 60 entities across campus and in the community to present exciting exhibitions that explore significant research topics and social concerns. Physics, history, mathematics, law and other disciplines have been incorporated into the realm of art, utilizing visual language to explore traditionally verbal disciplines.
The University Galleries’ equally essential mission, to present the work of studio faculty and students in the School of Art and Art History, has been enhanced by Brown Bag lunchtime talks with faculty that were added to our programs. Last fall, the annual faculty exhibition kicked off the academic year, allowing new and returning students and faculty across campus to share in the excitement of fresh work, and to be introduced to the broad realm of talent that guides our programs. This new tradition will continue next year.
We opened A Jim Roche Experience in September and staged a huge event featuring blues band Bill Wharton and the Ingredients (The Sauce Boss). Live music in our courtyard was phenomenal. With a state grant we were able to produce a DVD of Roche’s performance art, hand-pulled posters from our letterpress shop and custom T-shirts for the event. Our membership almost doubled. We organized an exhibition of motorcycles in the courtyard, featuring President Machen’s BMW, and Bernie and Chris actually spent the three hour evening with us. Our interdisciplinary partners were the Department of English and IFAS.
Ten Plus Ten: Revisiting Pattern and Decoration brought in ten world renowned artists, and several very important Florida collectors. Academic partners were the Departments of Physics and Interior Design. Artist Tony Robbin came down from New York and gave a lecture at the Physics building that was attended by over 30 Physics faculty members. Our brochure designed by Connie Hwang will likely bring in as many national awards as last year’s Craig Robins catalog; over a dozen.
Our Student Juried Exhibition was curated this year by George Kinghorn, Director of the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art. Despite cuts in student government funding the gallery was able to produce a fabulous exhibition, and present 23 awards from campus and the community, solicited by our student coordinator, Kelly O’Neill. The juried show was followed by our two MFA thesis candidates’ exhibitions which were spectacular this year. These important shows are attended by hundreds of people annually.
Our exhibitions in Grinter Gallery and Focus Gallery have widely varied in terms of media and approach. Both of these venues offer opportunities for students and faculty members to curate. Managed by University Galleries Graduate Assistants they are fantastic educational opportunities for experimentation and spontaneity plus multi-cultural inquiry.
The Art in State Buildings program has been extremely active this past year, and will grow even more with the huge amount of building construction currently taking place at UF and its facilities across the state. We currently have twelve open projects, which is a record, and are anticipating campus growth to continue at this rate for several years. In addition, other public art concerns on campus have required our specialized input and expertise, and we are working toward a campus plan for public art outside of state funded projects
