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A Taste of Art To Come
Art and Music Showcase + Award Ceremony
Everybody is familiar with certain art venues in town: the Seafood/Arts festival downtown, the Art festival and the various downtown galleries. But you may forget that the University of West Florida is home to many great artists and musicians. Most of the art department's faculty members are artists themselves, and this Friday they're inviting you to come experience a taste of their work.
To kick things off, UWF's School of Fine and Performing Arts will host an opening reception for its all-star faculty exhibition at 5 p.m. The pieces on display will range from paintings, video, printmaking, and digital soundscapes to photography, ceramics, and sculptures. Featured artists will include: Felecia Carlisle, Valerie George, Steve Haworth, Richard Haley, Joseph Herring, Hank Heuler, Jim Jipson, Daniel Kelleher, John Markowitz, Clare Podemski, Greg Saunders, Duncan Stewart, and Lyda Toy.
Following the exhibition, attendants will be ushered into the Music Hall. Once there, the UWF Art Department will present Lewis Bear Jr. with the third annual Award for Service to the Visual Arts. Lewis Bear Jr. is a native of Pensacola and president of the Lewis Bear Company. He has displayed his love of the arts by serving our community as chairman of the board for the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, Escambia County United Way, and the Pensacola Museum of Art. He is also a life trustee of the Pensacola Museum of Art.
After the award presentation, it's time to have your ears tickled. The fourth annual Concert Showcase is a unique preview of what the students and faculty of the music and theatre departments have to offer for the upcoming year. The showcase is a 60-minute production that will make use of the whole Mainstage Theatre. What this means is both aprons and the pit will be utilized in order to keep the show constantly flowing.
"The concert showcase is a unique event in that the 'no applause, no pause' format allows for the audience to see a montage of different performance aspects of the Music and Theatre departments in one non-stop presentation," said Kyle Marrero, Director of the Center for Fine and Performing Arts and chair of the Department of Music. The music presented will showcase styles ranging from jazz to classical. Serious pieces will contrast comical ones, and hundred-piece ensembles will juxtapose intimate solo performances.
If you've never made it up to the University of West Florida's Center for Fine and Performing Arts, this is a perfect opportunity to see what it's all about. They have a very nice art gallery, and the music halls are top notch. If for some reason you can't make the opening reception or you want to bring people back to see it, the all-star faculty exhibition will continue to be displayed until Oct. 9, with regular gallery hours Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you enjoy the arts, then you have no business being anywhere else this Friday. With music, art, people, food by Soiree Catering, and drinks, what more could you want? "This evening has become known as a highlight of the center, a chance to see the variety within what has quickly become the artistic center of the Northwest Florida region," said Marrero. "I guarantee it will be a feast for the eyes and ears."
UWF presents Concert Showcase, Faculty Art Exhibition, and Lewis Bear Jr. Award Ceremony
WHEN: 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26
WHERE: UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Building 82. 11000 University Parkway.
COST: Free (due to limited seating, reservations are recommended for the concert showcase)
INFO: 857-6285
