EXHIBITIONS
Future Retro: Drawings from the Great Age of the American Automobile
September 20-December 6
This exhibition showcases the beauty and ingenuity of American automotive design during the decades following World War II, a landmark period in car styling, through more than 100 drawings from the collection of Frederick A. Sharf. An eclectic mix of illustrations, from preliminary sketches to fully rendered works, provides a rare glimpse into the creative process at some of America’s premier car companies. Dating from an era when speed and power were increasingly important factors in automotive sales, these drawings show reference to the emerging technologies that influenced postwar car design, such as airplanes and rockets. “Future Retro” is on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Exhibition reception: 6 p.m. September 19; free for members, $10 for guests
Working Title: A Faculty Exhibition
September 27-December 13
Polk Museum of Art is proud to present its first exhibition of works by the accomplished arts faculty at two of Polk County’s prestigious colleges: Florida Southern College and Polk State College. This exhibition will be an opportunity for our audiences to see what these talented artists produce when they are not in the classroom. It also will offer students from the respective colleges an opportunity to learn from their professors by seeing and understanding their mentors’ more personal creative explorations. Featured artists will include Sarah Brewington Baulac, Eric Blackmore, Beth Ford, Joe Mitchell, Bill Otremsky, Sam Romero, Holly Scoggins, Kelly Sturhahn and David Woods.
“Coffee with the Artists,” an informal way to chat with the artists about their work, will be 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, November 8, at PMoA. Free to everyone.
Terra Incognita: Photographs of America’s Third Coast
Through September 13
On loan from the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, La., this exhibition is a photographic project of 15 years’ duration (1991-2006) by nationally recognized photographer and author Richard Sexton. Latin for “unknown land,” “Terra Incognita” consists of 57 black-and-white photographs of marsh, scrub lands, dunes, beaches, swamps and forests along the Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Florida Panhandle. According to R.C. Baker of the Village Voice, “Nothing in these extremely fine-grained prints remotely resembles a ‘snapshot.’ … Sexton’s spare compositions coalesce into a portrait of nature as the ultimate abstractionist.” This exhibition is sponsored by Visit Central Florida, Eaglebrooke, Fleetwing, Rodda Construction Inc., Robert & Malena Puterbaugh, the City of Lakeland and the State of Florida.
Photos available.
Collected Color
Through September 13
Color is an important part of our world. It allows us to visually recognize, relate, and interact with our surroundings. Because of its enormous impact on how we interpret what we see, color has always been an important attribute of art. But, color is not important for art only because it affects what we see; it also affects how we reproduce what we see so that others may share our creative experiences. It was not until the late 19th century that artists began separating color from naturalism, using it in more expressive ways to emphasize emotion or creative formalism. How has the use of color in art changed? Is color still an important creative component? This exhibition examines how color is represented within the Permanent Collection at Polk Museum of Art.
Remembering Florsheim
Through October 12
Richard Florsheim (1916-1979) was a prominent American printmaker, painter, sculptor, educator and writer. He graduated from the University of Chicago before studying art at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He completed his formal art training in Paris at the Musée Nationale d’Art Moderne. Florsheim first gained international recognition in the late 1930s after exhibiting his work at such major institutions as the Salon des Refuses in Paris, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Art. He was a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists and the prestigious National Academy of Design. In 2004, the Richard Florsheim Art Fund donated 60 original works by Florsheim to the Permanent Collection at Polk Museum of Art. This exhibition will include a majority of those works and will mark the first time in a decade that these works have been on public display.
STUDENT GALLERY
Artwork by Summer Art Camp Students
October 11-November 9
Awards Ceremony: 11 a.m. October 11
Polk Museum of Art will recognize work by the young artists who participated in Summer Art Camp this year. This exhibition is sponsored by MIDFLORIDA.
EVENTS
Exhibition Reception
Friday, September 19, 6 p.m.
Admission: Free for members, $10 for guests
Join us to celebrate our new exhibition, “Future Retro: Drawings from the Great Age of the American Automobile,” from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A lecture about the work will begin at 6 p.m., and a reception featuring light hors d’oeuvres and cash bar will follow.
National Museum Day
Saturday, September 27
Admission: Free
Celebrate National Museum Day with us! Everyone will be admitted for free, and docent-led tours will be offered beginning at 10:30 a.m. at no charge.
National Museum Day was started in 2005 by Smithsonian Magazine to honor the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution, which offers free admission every day. National Museum Day offers everyone the opportunity to explore an unfamiliar museum or to see the latest exhibitions at one in your hometown by presenting a free ticket at any participating museum. PMoA will not require a ticket. Tickets to museums around the country may be printed at www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/.
CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & TOURS
“Wild Child” Workshop on Fast Drying Alkyd Oils, Mediums and Glazes
Saturday, September 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Instructor: Kate Carney
Cost: $100 PMoA Members, $120 Non-Members
No medium expresses the language of color like oils. This one-day intensive workshop will help you get away from your inhibitions about the challenges of oil painting and get into pure color. Learn how to effectively use chemicals to make oil paint behave in ways so far away from what you thought you could do with them. Grow creatively with confidence as you master skills that may help you unlock your own artistic vision. Messy, fun and not for the faint of heart, this workshop requires an open mind and a willing heart … and a lot of rags.
Kate Carney is an award-winning artist based in Central Florida. Educated in England at University of London’s Chelsea School of Art and Queen’s College, Carney brings her knowledge of the classics to her classes to help support the newer techniques with solid technical experience.
Meet Me at PMoA: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia
Thursday, September 18, 1 p.m.
Facilitator: Tinia Clark
Fee: Free (registration required)
This program provides an opportunity for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease (and related dementia) and their caregivers to engage in conversation about art on exhibit at the Museum. Participants will discuss art with a specially trained educator who will create an accepting and engaging environment in which the disease is a non-issue, allowing participants to experience and interact with the Museum’s collection freely. This program is designed for people in the early stages of dementia and their care partners and is open to the public. If you are concerned about privacy, please speak to the facilitator.
The program is offered on the third Thursday of every month; space is limited to 8 participants and their caregivers. To register, contact Matt Belcher at 863.688.5423 or MBelcher@PolkMuseumofArt.org.
Meet Me at PMoA is based on the MOMA Alzheimer’s Project and is a collaboration among Polk Museum of Art, Alzheimer’s Association – Florida Gulf Coast Chapter and the Arts Ensemble International Education Foundation.
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
Family Fun Workshops
Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-Noon
Cost: FREE for everyone
September 6: Polk Museum of Art
September 20: Winter Haven Public Library
Family Fun Workshops provide a safe, fun environment for families to participate together in hands-on activities led by an art educator. Workshops are held at the Museum and at facilities in Polk County as a part of our ongoing community outreach efforts.
After School Art
Monday, September 29, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Cost: Free for members, $5 per child for non-members
“After School Art” offers a class centered around an art project for children of all ages and abilities. Each class is self-contained, so a child may attend one or all of the series, which runs every Monday through November 3.
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Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida, is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Central Florida. The Museum is one of the Top 10 art museums in the State of Florida, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the only art museum accredited by the American Association of Museums serving the 561,000 residents of Polk County. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesdays – Saturdays; 1 – 5 p.m. Sundays; and closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is free for Museum members. General admission is $5 for adults and $4 for seniors (62 and older). Children and students with student IDs are admitted for free. Special exhibition fees may apply. Admission is free to all on Thursdays, thanks to our partnership with the Chao Foundation; Fridays, thanks to our BB&T; and Saturdays, thanks to MIDFLORIDA. The Museum is fully accessible.
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