Art Center Sarasota's New Season Opens With Four Exhibits Beginning Next Month

Art Center Sarasota's 2023-2024 exhibition season will begins with four exhibits, October 12-November 11. In “Personifications” Randy Globus presents an interdisciplinary body of work that spans watercolor painting and mixed-media sculpture. These narrative works depict a collection of avatars that represent people and/or events in her life or aspects of her visual memory. (An Artist Talk is scheduled for Friday, October 27, 5:30-7 p.m.) Inspired by music, each piece in Clifford McDonald's “Soundtrack” is a visual representation of a song that addresses social issues, celebrates culture, or encourages love for self and others. (An Artist Talk is scheduled for Thursday, November 2, 5:30-7 p.m.) “Agglutinated Moments” features Zach Gilliland's multi-media sculpture that was inspired by Brutalism and the current socio-political environment. (An Artist Talk is scheduled for Thursday, October 26, 5:30-7 p.m.) “Storytelling: A Visual Narrative” is a group show juried by Amanda Poss. This exhibit invites artists to tell their most important stories through their individual style and interpretation. (A juror critique with Amanda Poss is scheduled for Friday, October 20, 3:30 p.m.) The opening reception for all four exhibits is Thursday, August 24, 6-8 p.m. Works on display will be available for purchase.

In “Personifications,” Randy Globus presents an interdisciplinary body of work that spans watercolor painting and mixed-media sculpture. These narrative works depict a collection of avatars that represent people and/or events in her life or aspects of her visual memory. In addition to early influences from puppeteers and ventriloquists, Globus is inspired by the centuries-old tradition of using avatars as a vehicle for exploring the psyche. “I use avatars and incarnations as vehicles to explore my psyche and the non-physical part of me that rests at the heart of my emotions and character,” says Globus. “Building characters sculpturally, creating theatrical stage sets, painting, photography and journaling are all components of my current work.  Combined sequentially, they become a storyboard, similar to a page from a graphic novel comprised of several panels. This process developed because I was finding it difficult to say what I wanted to say in one individual painting. This type of sequential art incorporates the element of time and brings the moment into perspective.” Globus received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. During the 1970's and early 1980's, she received grants from The Human Resources Administration of New York City to work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the fields of art education and graphic arts respectively. For most of the 1980's, Globus was employed by a Fortune 50 company as an art director for in-house graphics production. From 1998-2015, she was a tenured art teacher at The United Nations International School (UNIS) where she initiated and directed several public art works with UNIS students for the enhancement of the local community. After relocating to Florida, Globus has taught children and adult art studio classes and continues to pursue personal expression in painting and various art mediums.

Clifford McDonald introduces new ideas and seeks to positively influence the viewer's perspective on Black culture and life in “Soundtrack.”  Using hip-hop lyrics as a jumping off point, McDonald combines figurative and abstract imagery to narrate the stories of these songs and pays homage to the artists who created them. McDonald says that “'Soundtrack' is more than a display of artwork in a gallery; it's an experience that takes the viewer on a journey. Inspired by music, each piece is a visual representation of a song that addresses social issues, celebrates culture, or encourages love for self and others. By blending music and art, I've aimed to capture the feelings behind the lyrics.” McDonald was born and raised in Sarasota and earned his BFA from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. In 2016, after he started teaching art, McDonald became inspired by his students and the idea of using the transformative power of art to make a difference in the world. Today, he is a painter and founder of Art 4 Change, a nonprofit organization that creates positive social change through art, information, advocacy, and service. His artwork focuses on culture, community, and positive social change.

Inspired by Brutalism and the current socio-political environment, Zach Gilliland presents a new body of multi-media sculpture in “Agglutinated Moments.”  These new pieces represent Gilliland's formal obsessions from the past three years and explore the nuanced character of construction materials. “This exhibit highlights how I am currently finding my way in making objects,” says Gilliland. “Endless questions and self-doubt can inhibit us in getting started on, let alone finishing, something. I believe, though, there is a general blueprint for accessing the creative realm and, as creators, we are charged with finding our own personal openings into that creative energy. This exhibition is about finding that opening into the creative realm and then, instead of freezing at the entrance, accepting the risk to explore every pathway to its fullest.” Gilliland is a sculptor who, from an early age, had the ability to draw with both hands. After serving in the Air Force, his passion for soccer led him into the NCAA, where he played for Newberry College in Newberry, SC. After soccer practice one night, he stumbled into the ceramics studio and “re-found” his passion for making art. Gilliland earned a Studio Art Degree from Newberry and then moved to Sarasota where he fell in love with the art community and the opportunity to contribute to the visual art scene. In addition to his studio practice, he opened his own art handling company, Artwork Installation, in 2016. Gilliland is represented locally by Chasen Galleries. His art is in public and private collections throughout the Southeast.

“Storytelling: A Visual Narrative” invites artists to tell their most important stories through their individual style and interpretation. These stories may be personal or objective, representational or abstract, and may be derived from a novel or poem. Artists will provide viewers with a window into their lived or imagined experience. With narratives in contemporary art ranging from highly straightforward and factual to magical and fairytale-like, this exhibition will showcase diverse perspectives and unique thinking. The juror is Amanda Poss, who serves as gallery director for Hillsborough Community College. In addition to curating gallery exhibitions, Poss expanded access to the arts by instituting the college's first public art program in 2018 (Grounds4Art@HCC) and by growing the permanent art collection, which has tripled in size during her tenure. Poss teaches as an adjunct professor at HCC and serves as a board member for Tempus Projects in Tampa. In 2011, she received a BA from the University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, IN, and in 2015, she received her MA in Art History from the University of South Florida specializing in modern and contemporary Art.

Art Center Sarasota's exhibitions are paid for, in part, by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues and the State of Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.

About Art Center Sarasota

Founded in 1926 and later incorporated as a nonprofit in 1943, Art Center Sarasota serves as the first and oldest visual arts organization in Sarasota. Art Center Sarasota is admission-free and open to the public; our mission is to bring together creatives and the broader public to increase understanding of our human condition, support wellbeing, and build community connection through the universal language of art.

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