Athough school may be out for summer, learning happens year-round at local galleries and art museums. Learn more about what’s coming to exhibit spaces near you, and get the inside scoop from the curators themselves.
Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist and Works on Paper by the Artist & His Circle
June 1–June 16
The Lightner Museum, St. Augustine
The Lightner Museum is located in the former Alcazar Hotel, built in 1888 by Henry Morrison Flagler and is most famous for its collection of 19th century artwork. In June, their special exhibit on Edgar Degas provides a rare look at more than 100 original works on paper by the artist and his close circle of friends. Fifty of these pieces are by Degas himself, while the rest of the collection includes monotypes, drawings, prints and photographs created by his peers: Mary Cassatt, Édouard Manet, Jean Leon Gerome, Alfred Stevens, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne and others. www.lightnermuseum.org
Summer Spotlight XXII
June 1–July 19
College of Central Florida
Webber Gallery, Ocala
Presented by The Visual Artists’ Society, this year’s Summer Spotlight will showcase works focusing on two themes: reflection and political statements. Artists can choose any medium to express their heartfelt beliefs or revelations, including sculpture, paintings, photography and more. Previous Best of Show winners and CF visual arts alumni will have their work exhibited. Gallery hours are 10am-4pm, Monday through Thursday, and admission is free. www.cf.edu
Divergent Convergence: The Arts of Creativity, Discovery & Inquiry
June 1–July 21
Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville
Curated from the Harn Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition will show guests how artists perfect their craft, impact science and innovation and ultimately get their artwork from idea to reality. It includes multiple types of artwork, like photographs, videography, ceramics, drawings and textiles—and work from famous artists including Andy Warhol and burgeoning artists. The Harn has free admission to its exhibits and educational activities. www.harn.ufl.edu
Century
June 1–Nov. 3
Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville
Century is a journey through moments captured by some of the 20th century’s greatest photographers, including 36 new photos never before seen at the Harn. View the works of Laura Gilpin, Helen Levitt, Walker Evans and more. Reviews from art critics, insight from artists and words from activists help guide visitors through the exhibit. www.harn.ufl.edu
2019 Orlando Museum of Art Florida Prize in Contemporary Art
June 1–August 18
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando
The Orlando Museum of Art will host its sixth annual Prize in Contemporary Art exhibition, which spotlights emerging, Florida-based artists who excel in contemporary art. These 10 artists will have work featured across multiple galleries in the museum, and one will earn a monetary award from the museum for their contribution to the arts and to encourage them to keep creating. www.omart.org
Urban Chatter
June 8 – Oct. 20
Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala
Shown simultaneously with Do Not Bleach, Urban Chatter is all about the sights, sounds and sentiment of urban city living. Artist Sharon Kerry-Harlan creates her textile pieces using thread and sunbaked cloth, and they depict people and faces that are a mixture of African sculptures and masks, modern cartooning and abstract style. www.appletonmuseum.org
French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950
June 14–Sept. 6
Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville
This exhibit will highlight approximately 65 pieces of art from the Brooklyn Museum’s renowned European Collection. The works will vary widely in size, subject matter and scale, and include drawings, paintings and sculptures produced by the era’s top artists. Featured artists include Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and more. www.cummermuseum.org
Visual Magic: Dali’s Masterworks in
Augmented Reality
June 15–Nov. 3
The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg
Using cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) technology, visitors to this exhibit will get an entirely new look at Dali’s “Masterworks” collection. These paintings are more than 5 feet in height or width, and each one took Salvador Dali at least one year to complete. Guests will view Dali’s works through an AR app on their phones, where they will come to life. The details featured in the AR experience are based on frequently asked questions about these paintings to bring their inner meanings to life. The Dali Museum owns eight Dali Masterworks, which is the largest collection of any institution in the world. www.thedali.org
Tableau and Transformation: Photography from the Permanent Collection
June 20–Oct. 20
Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa
Photography lovers, this is an exhibit not to miss. The Tampa Museum of Art has a massive 20th-century photography collection, and this exhibit will highlight works by Zeke Berman, Chuck Close, Lucas Samaras and many more. It includes experiments in photography like darkroom effects and new compositional ideas and looks into the different studio practices of each artist. www.tampamuseum.org
Curator Q&A: Jason Steuber, Harn Cofrin Curator of Asian Art at the Harn Museum of Art
What’s the story behind the Divergent Convergence exhibit?
This exhibit links art, science, technology and exploration, things you wouldn’t always think of together but are actually linked. It also shows creativity through the practice to the final product. It answers the question of, ‘Hey, what do artists do?’
Our main image for the show was an image made by Kenneth Kerslake, a professor at UF in the late 20th century, and his work with printmaking was very well recognized. We brought that print to the forefront to talk about how an artist works. They’ll practice drawing hands a hundred times to perfect their craft, and we have his sketchbooks and the copper plates used to produce the prints all the way up to the final product. It’s not like an artist just sits down and is amazing. It celebrates how artists work and that it is a full-time job.
Tell me about some of the other artists featured in this exhibit.
One of the large prints by Andy Warhol, the soup can, is an easily recognizable piece for the general public. You can talk about pop art and how the everyday can be important to creativity. How and why is something as ordinary as a soup can famous?
Another artist on display is Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and her exhibits over the last year and half have been sold out in every major city in the U.S. The Harn collected a piece of hers well before this popularity, so if you weren’t able to get to another major city that had her works, you can see one here firsthand.
That’s the fun of putting these together—making a great exhibit for the visiting public and hearing them say, ‘I’ve never seen that,’ or, ‘Wow, I finally get to see this one.’
How can parents excite their children about visiting these exhibits?
Museums aren’t quiet places; they’re very active places, and the activities are kid-friendly. In the gallery we have a family guide made by our education department for learners of all ages with ideas, activities and questions that are accessible for them. It helps them have a dialogue with the works. Plus, any family can stop by our Bishop Study Center and have even more opportunities for learning or additional reading.
*Andy Warhol, Soup Can, Vegetarian Vegetable, 1964, Silkscreen, Gift of Richard Anuszkiewicz, © 2019 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
