VISUAL ARTS CENTER of NORTHWEST FLORIDA – Florida Springs Exhibit
BY SARAH HOUGH; Art by Margaret Ross Tolbert
The finest painters, photographers, and poets have been inspired by the beauty and wonder of Florida’s pristine beaches, the Everglades and natural freshwater springs. Unique not only in size and number, Florida’s springs are noted for their beauty. They also represent a part of Florida that is often forgotten and therefore, luckily, often pristine . Massive caverns and labyrinthine tunnels hold Florida’s liquid gold: water.
May 8 through June 6
The Visual Arts Center, in partnership with the Historical Society of Bay County, is pleased to present the artwork of two contemporary Florida artists. Jean Blackburn and Margaret Ross Tolbert create art about the beauty and wonder of Florida’s natural springs.
A third generation Florida native, Jean Blackburn grew up on Anna Maria Island . Her work ranges from photorealist vignettes of the fractal intricacies of water to magical realist visions of her childhood . Her work celebrates nature and the joys of human life. Jean now serves on the governing boards of Sea to Shore Alliance and the Friends of Myakka River State Park. She is a certified Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, and has served on Sarasota County’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Council.
Margaret Ross Tolbert’s Sirena series is part of the folklore of Florida springs and part actual documentation of another endemic resident of the springs of North Florida. On rare occasions, Sirena is seen in the freshwater springs of Florida. You just have to come and experience it for yourself. Margaret’s recent exhibitions have included dance performances and animations presenting the energy of the creative act of painting, of ethnic dance, and of exploration of the springs and the creative process.
The exhibit is sponsored by the Visual Arts Center the Historical Society of Bay County.
Fri., May 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. Opening reception.
The public is invited. Mon., May 18 at 7 p.m. The Historical Society of Bay County and the Visual Arts Center, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council, present Dr.Tom Berson of Santa Fe College with Transparent Waters: The History and Significance of Florida’s Springs . Dr. Berson received his doctorate from the University of Florida where he wrote his dissertation on the history of Silver Springs and the north Florida interior. A former health and science journalist, he also has an MA from Florida State University in American and Florida Studies. He has taught Florida and Environmental history classes at Stetson University and currently teaches American History at Santa Fe College . He is on the Speakers’ Bureau of the Florida Humanities Council. The talk is free and open to the public.
The night promises a special magic as the talk will be presented in the Visual Arts Center Gallery surrounded by beautiful paintings of the springs It just might be the next best thing to being at a spring.
[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2015/01/Sarah-Hough.jpg” ]Sarah moved from Michigan to the Panama City area in 1985 . She is an avid traveler, having visited more than 20 countries in the last 10 years . Instead of getting shorter, her bucket list keeps getting longer as she finds more and more places to visit . Sarah is a dedicated volunteer with Guardian ad Litem . Much of her leisure time is spent quilting . She serves also on the Gulf Coast State College Education Encore Advisory Council .[/author]