Being Green And Scooters Inspire Museum Art Exhibits

Tag : fine art materials

The first is the recently opened exhibit "It's Not Easy BeingGreen," a one-liner meant to elicit empathy and made famous byKermit the Frog.
In the exhibit, the green refers to the environment: A diversegroup of professionals was asked to present ways in which peoplecan live better lives while caring for their surroundings.
The artists, architects, urban designers and developers displaytheir ideas and talents in three sections: urban design issues;environmentally friendly products and fine art.
For the third section, local and international artists createdpersonal works about sustainability, the place of activism andother environmental issues.
"We didn't tell them what to do," said Elaine Gustafson, directorof exhibitions and collections and curator of contemporary art."These are artists who feel that this is what they want their artto reflect. This is their way of life."
The pieces include photography, works on paper, jewelry, furnitureand a conceptual piece that uses found materials to explore thenotion of sustainability.
In the exhibit, functionality is often married to the artisticform.
One example is a bamboo bowl by World of Good. It's environmentallyfriendly, functional and beautiful, Gustafson said.
The exhibit continues through Sept. 28. Admission is by donation.
The museum also will present Art After Dark with Starbucks from 8to 11 p.m. Friday. This month's theme is "Kick-Start My Art," witha showcase of scooters displayed along with scooter-themed art bylocal artists.
Four artists will display their works on easels behind theirscooters inside the museum. They are Chad Cardoza, Todd Gross,Kieran Walsh and Amy Wells.
Artists providing scooter-themed works but no scooters are JoeBagley, Linda Chaney, Daniel Mrgan and Deborah Muller.
There will be music by DJ Gabe as well as gelato, Starbucks coffee,light hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
Sculptures, Prints Spotlighted At HCC
The Hillsborough Community College Ybor Art Gallery presents an exhibition of new sculptures and prints by KendraFrorup.
A native of the Bahamas, Frorup has an eye for the common as wellas unusual things that define a culture. She often uses them in herart.
"They're large things, like rings and large rusted pieces," saidDorothy Cowden, director of the University of Tampa's Scarfone/Hartley Gallery , where Frorup was one of three featured artists in a show inOctober.
"One piece is wood that's bent in a circle and glued; she leaves itnatural and raw," Cowden said. "That's the strength of it all. Itlooks impromptu, like she just picked these pieces up and put themtogether. But, of course, it's not."
Frorup's black-and-white prints are also large and often referencesomething she found.
"One major work that will be on the wall consists of old flooringthat she pulled up and rolled the ink over and made a print of it,"Cowden said.
Frorup earned a bachelor's in fine arts from UT and a master's insculpture from Syracuse University. She teaches sculpting andprintmaking at UT.
Frorup will discuss her new works at 6:30 p.m. Thursday during thefree opening reception from 8 to 11 p.m.
The gallery is on the first floor of the new HCC Ybor PerformingArts Building at Palm Avenue and 15th Street.