College Art on display all summer

 

 

By C.S. GILBERT

 

 

Last week the vulture observed that Florida Keys Community College’s “annual student art show . . . is always of interest, although the quality necessarily varies through the years and within the show. This year, however, featured some truly amazing works—some awarded and others ignored for the umpteen prizes given for two-dimensional and three-dimensional work (a rather unnecessarily broad classification, we think).

 

 

Best of show in our opinion failed to win an award but knocked our sox off . . . “ but alas, it was taken home by the student artist on April 21, we discovered last week, although the lion’s share of the show will be up through the summer, according to Librarian Lori Kelly. The piece, titled Yvridiko Skepsis, was an elaborate mixed media construction by Raul Marrero, who helpfully defines skepsi (as part of the piece) as “when the burden of knowledge is too Much” (capitalization is the artist’s). He also describes the work, which was done in Professor Alaina Plowdrey’s Creative Expressions class, as an “Ink/watercolor Mix” – but it loooked to be predominately painted/inked posterboard and pages torn from an old book, along with calligraphy. There’s no describing it adequately, except to recall that a dominant image was a large rooster, but it was stunning. If only Marrero would return it for the rest of the show!

Another reclaimed work was Raku Rooster Trio, a set of functional cannisters by Joan Cox, awarded second place in the 3-D category. However, still greeting visitors in all its shiny red and yellow glory is (as of April 28) the People’s Choice award winner, Aaron Hollowell’s Sodium Rapture; also listed as mixed media, it’s mostly corrugated cardboard, acrylic house paint and possibly shellac—very eye-catching.

 

 

Professor Ann Labriola has taken over instructing the ceramics department; in doing so she has quelled any fears that the program might falter after the premature death of Jay Gogin, who had guided it forever. Her students comprised the single largest body of work in the show, arrayed (including a few mixed media exceptions) the full length of the three long banks of bookcases centering the main hall of the library. The quality of the work certainly equaled or exceeded that of previous years; in addition, there seems to be a much wider variety of work (although raku is still well represented).

 

 

One very sweet and most memorable mixed media sculpture displayed among the ceramics is a bouquet of posies made of wire and wax by Victoria Eads titled, I’ll Stop Loving You When These Die.

 

 

Also well represented were the students in Professor Annmarie Giordano’s figure studies classes, working in many media; striking were a number of pastel, graphite and pen and ink renderings as well as Martin White’s unusual “digitally enhanced art,” which was unique in the grouping.

 

 

Of interest, too, was the black and white photography of students of Professor Nellie Appleby, herself a major award winning artist, predominantly the variety of silver gelatin prints by Aubrey DeYoung.

 

 

It may feel like summer, but the theater scene is still booming: there’s Venus in Fur at the Red Barn, Me and Jezebel at the Waterfront and tonight, the lone performance of the Fringe’s Grand Dames of Key West, five one-act plays by new local playwrights Sharon Brophy, Glenda Donovan, Wayne Dapser, Karen Leonard and Alicia Merel. The works were developed in playwright-in-residence Toby Armour’s recent workshhop. The reading is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall behind St. Paul’s Church. Admission is free but a $10 donation is suggested.

That’s all for now—gotta fly!

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