'Beyond Mortal Landscapes: Student Responses to southXeast'

FAU's University Galleries will present works by high school students from Seminole Ridge Community High School and Dreyfoos School of the Arts as part of the University Galleries Museum Education Program on Friday, April 25, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the Schmidt Center Gallery Public Space, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.

Since 2005, the Museum Education Program has been recognized by the School District of Palm Beach County as an approved field experience provider.  Each academic year, the program produces lesson plans and teaching activities that contain a variety of approaches and cross-disciplinary content that allow teachers to plan trips to the University Galleries' exhibitions.  FAU students trained in educational theories within museums practices lead the tours of the selected exhibitions.  At the core of these field experiences is arts integration, an approach to teaching that engages a student to connect the creative process or art form with another subject area in order to gain a deeper understanding of both.

University Galleries has developed a partnership with Seminole Ridge Community High School in Loxahatchee with the guidance of their visual arts teacher, Gwenn Seuling, and Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach with English teacher Carly Gates. Their students will present original art works and writings inspired by their field experience at FAU during the University Galleries' recent "southXeast: contemporary southeastern art"exhibitions as well as their tour of the Jaffe Center for Book Arts.  "southXeast: contemporary southeastern art" is an exhibition featuring emerging and underrepresented mid-career artists from several southeastern states. This is the fourth edition of this exhibition, which has been presented every three years at FAU since 2005. Co-curated by Rod Faulds, University Galleries director, and guest curator Sybille Canthal Welter, the exhibition results from a thorough review of hundreds of artists recommended by curators, critics, past "southXeast" artists and FAU art faculty.

The exhibition demonstrates the students' creative approach to multiple disciplines and supports the University Galleries' role as a dynamic extension of the classroom in providing arts education to the Palm Beach School District and its community. 

University Galleries 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.

The University Galleries at FAU are open to the public Tuesdays through Fridays, from 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, from 1 to 5 p.m. Group and class tours are welcome during public hours as well as at other times scheduled by appointment. For more information, contact the Galleries at 561-297-2661 or visit www.fau.edu/galleries.