In celebration of our 20th anniversary, the Art Galleries of the Bower School of Music & the Arts and FGCU Library present the 20th Anniversary Art Walk, featuring multiple exhibitions in several campus locations, on Thursday, Aug. 31.
The event begins at 5 p.m. with the “20/20: Art Alumni Exhibition” in the recently christened Wasmer Art Gallery. A curator talk is at 5:40 p.m.
Twenty alumni artists were chosen for the exhibition by Gallery Director John Loscuito and Gallery Coordinator Anica Sturdivant and represent the range of ideas and techniques that the faculty and staff are proud to have been a part of shaping. Featured in the Wasmer Art Gallery and ArtLab Gallery are: Lauren Ashley S. Baker (’10), Alyssa Baladad (’15), Linda Barone (’11), Alina Eydel (’11), James Futral (’16), Ehren Fritz Gerhard (’09), Briena Harmening (’05), Philip Heubeck (’10), Hannah Johnson (’14), Megan Leary Kissinger (’04), Erica Klopf (’12), Jeffrey Scott Lewis (’04), Felipe Maldonado (’16), Nick Masiello (’12), Leila Mesdaghi (’16), Quinn Miller (’15), Christina Penuel (’09), Mr. Revrac (’12), Grayson Stoff (’15) and Tarra Wood (’11).
“There is no greater reward than witnessing our alumni’s success as they continue to apply their creativity and research beyond FGCU’s campus,” Loscuito says in the exhibit catalog, noting that our artistic Eagles have spread throughout the world from Fort Myers to Hawaii, to Costa Rica and France, sharing their passion for art in schools, in studio practices and in the business world. “Each place they touch, every voice they hear, each connection the make, is a legacy of The FGCU Effect.”
The exhibition, which runs Aug. 21-Sept. 21, is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. It’s the first exhibit in the Wasmer Art Gallery, formerly known as the Main Gallery, in the Arts Complex. The family of Mary Wasmer made a generous donation in her honor to support art at FGCU.
At 6 p.m. guests are invited to the Library for the opening reception of “20 Years: The Creation of FGCU,” in the Archives & Special Collections Gallery on the third floor. The exhibit explores the land development and structural growth of FGCU, and several speakers will share their experiences, including founding President Roy McTarnaghan. The exhibition runs Aug. 7-Dec. 15.
The Art Walk culminates with a reception and performance at 7 p.m. at the ArtLab Gallery on the first floor of the Library. In celebration of the generous donations made to the FGCU Art Galleries, “Selections from the FGCU Art Galleries’ Permanent Collection” also will be on display in the Library Reference Area on the first floor.
FGCU’s art galleries are open to the public 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m-7 p.m. Thursday. The Archives & Special Collections Gallery is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
- Artwork featured above is a detail from Quinn Miller’s digital photograph “Euphoria”