FAU Presents Exhibition on the Florida Dream

The University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University presents "Florida Dreaming," a group exhibition featuring 16 contemporary artists. The exhibition will be presented in the Schmidt Center Gallery in the Performing Arts Building, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus from Saturday, Nov. 5 through Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017.  There will be an opening reception on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Both the exhibition and opening are free and open to the public.

Organized by guest curator Erica Ando, who received her Ph.D. at FAU, the exhibition looks at the dreams (and their obstacles) that have compelled people to make South Florida their home. Parsing the intersections of industry and commerce, history, politics, landscape, environmental issues, familial relationship, and psychological factors, the exhibition contemplates the past, present and future of this complex place of dreams.

"'Florida Dreaming' shows how artists respond to their surroundings," said Ando. "They all draw from their intimate knowledge of Florida to create works that are layered, nuanced and ultimately transcend local boundaries."

The artists included in the exhibition have all lived or worked in South Florida. They are Eddie Arroyo, AST, with a collaboration including Diann Bauer, Felice Grodin, Patricia Margarita Hernandez, and Elite Kedan, as well as Zack Balber, Leah Brown, Margarita Cano, Phillip Estlund, Naomi Fisher, Adler Guerrier, Kathleen Hudspeth, Silvia Lizama, Rick Newton, Onajide Shabaka, and Barron Sherer.Their work, in a variety of media representative of a wide range of interests in styles, includes drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and video.

"We're thrilled to show the works of this diverse group of contemporary South Florida artists," said Rod Faulds, director of the University Galleries. "'Florida Dreaming'fulfills one of our missions at FAU's University Galleries -- to support and exhibit local artists. It is a wonderful opportunity for the community to see how artists understand and express the world around us."

The University Galleries are open Tuesdays through Fridays, 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. The Galleries are also open during other hours for class, school and group tours by appointment. The Schmidt Center Gallery is located in the Performing Arts building (No. 51) marked by a tall, white cubicle tower. Parking on the University campus is subject to strict regulations. Visitors should stop at the information booth at Glades Road and Northwest 10^th Avenue to pick up a parking pass, or parking is available in metered spots.

The University Galleries exhibition and education programs are supported in part by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County; R.A. Ritter Foundation; Beatrice Cummings Mayer; and individual contributors. Museum Education programs are made possible by the Kaye Endowment for Arts Integration. For more information, call 561-297-2661, email galleries@fau.edu, or visit www.fau.edu/galleries.