Anna Maria College’s Art Center Gallery is a vibrant hub for artistic expression, hosting artists from across the globe who bring their unique perspectives to campus. Through these exhibitions, students experience a rich array of art forms that foster critical conversations and broaden cultural understanding.
The Gallery’s latest exhibit Letters from the Middle East by Jonathan Sharlin features life-size portraits accompanied by audio recordings of personal stories. Providing an immersive experience and the opportunity to connect with the subjects, the goal of the exhibit is to capture the, “…human story, its intimacies, anguish, and truth, to tell of the complexity of people, history, and geography.”
Darrell Matsumoto, director of the Art Center Gallery explained the impact that these exhibitions have on the Anna Maria College community. “The exhibitions specifically and generally are about seeing/experiencing unique work of contemporary practitioners of art, design, which bring essential cultural experience to the students and greater community. The Art Center Gallery is a jewel of the department and college. It is a place to gather and be exposed to the new.”
The natural conversations that arise between the artists and attendees also build connections, help students network in the art industry, and broaden world views. Darrell intentionally selects artists who will expose the College’s audience to more complex works. The curatorial calendar is purposely built to interest faculty, staff, visitors, and students, regardless of their major.
The Art Center Gallery’s next installation is Art, Health, and Wellness: The Power of Creativity and Nature Through the Eyes of Sculptor Emilie Brzezinski. While Anna Maria College has featured sculptures throughout its grounds, the Brzezinski installation will be the first sculptural exhibition the College has ever hosted inside its Gallery. The artwork is on a long-term loan from the artist’s estate.
Brzezinski’s artwork focuses on the power of nature and uses the immense size of her sculptures to convey that point. In addition to her signature work with wooden sculptures, Emilie Brzezinski (1932 – 2002) served as a trailblazer for women artists and sculptors worldwide. Learn more about her work at https://brzezinskiart.com/.
