Nabil Harb: Atmospheres
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15 – FRIDAY, APR. 7, 2023
Artist Reception March 24, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Merging Science Fiction and Southern Gothic traditions, Lakeland artist Nabil Harb’s photography allows us to see visual complexity and historical connections in pictures of easy to miss places.
The title of the exhibition refers to Harb’s interest in depicting the rich sensory experiences that exist in Florida, specifically its wet and heavy air, as well as the other ways that water can travel in fog, rivers, and storms. Whether he’s photographing under a tank, on hunting trails at night from the bed of a pickup truck, or going outside to photograph in the middle of Hurricane Ian, the smells, tastes, sounds, and tactility of the environment he is photographing make their way into his pictures.
Jim Leary: Reflections & Transmissions
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 22 – FRIDAY, JUN. 16, 2023
Living and working in Sebring, Fla., Jim Leary constructs painted assemblages made from found and salvaged materials. Using architectural materials like window frames, glazing, and shingles, Leary finds complimentary formal elements among disparate fragments and reconfigures them into abstract wall hangings. Evoking details of domestic, commercial, and sacred buildings, the works in Reflections & Transmissions function as a kind of abstract signage directing us to the mystery and play that can be found in everyday and discarded materials.
HIWYMN : Color & Force
ONGOING
In the early 1960s in Fort Pierce, Florida, five young African-American men in their teens and early twenties got together and taught each other how to make paintings of the Florida landscape. Founded by Alfred Hair and Harold Newton, and with the instruction and inspiration of established white Fort Pierce artist A.E. Backus, this group of five painters eventually grew to twenty-six, and produced around 100,000 to 200,000 paintings between 1960 and 1980. Color & Force focuses on the work of Al Black, Mary Ann Carroll, Rodney Demps, Alfred Hair, Harold Newton, Sam Newton, and Livingston Roberts, their stylistic differences, and their roles within the group of artists who have come to be known as The Highwaymen.
This exhibition is located in the lobby of the board room in Building F.
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A History of Florida
ONGOING
Always evolving and always on-view, A History of Florida consists of geological specimens, fossils, and material culture excavated locally in and around Highlands County. With these objects and contemporary art from the MOFAC Permanent Collection, A History of Florida presents a condensed visual timeline of Florida from its initial emergence from the sea through the 20th century.
A History of Florida includes reproductions of the ten murals painted by Christopher Still as part of his House Chamber Murals installed in the Florida House of Representatives Chambers. Depicting Florida’s history and natural beauty, each canvas print measures over six feet long and hangs in the MOFAC Concourse.
