MEDIA CONTACT: Polly Burks
561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu

"Picturing Florida" Exhibition at FAU Captures Senior Citizens' and Students' Impressions of Florida

BOCA RATON, FL (January 20, 2006) - Florida Atlantic University's University Galleries will present "Picturing Florida," an exhibition by two visiting artists who have created artistic representations of Florida. The exhibit will be on display from Friday, February 10 through Saturday, April 8 in the Schmidt Center Gallery on the Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, February 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition and events are free and open to the public.

"Picturing Florida" is a community-oriented, artist-in-residence project made possible by a grant to the artists from the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. New York-based artists Ellen Harvey and Mark Dean Veca made several trips to South Florida to meet with senior citizens and middle/high school students to gather impressions of Florida. These are being transformed into large pieces of art that will fill the Schmidt Center Gallery space.

From Saturday, January 28 through Wednesday, February 8 the artists will be creating their works on site with the assistance of FAU visual arts students. Participating community groups - seniors and school children - will have opportunities to observe and visit with the artists while they are working.

Harvey was born in the United Kingdom and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Her work comprises video installation and painting, and generally focuses on the social implications of visual art in our society. Harvey recently published "New York Beautification Project," an account of her efforts to paint old-fashioned landscapes on graffiti sites in New York City. These 40 small-scale, oil landscapes can be seen throughout the city on public spaces such as telephone booths, power boxes and bridge pillars. Harvey also recently produced an installation for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. This is a site-specific installation using video and engraved mirrors to explore the architecture and history of the Academy.

Veca, who also resides and works in Brooklyn, holds a BFA in painting from the Otis Art Institute (Los Angeles, CA). He specializes in large-scale interior mural projects that combine comic-inspired imagery and repetitive decorative motifs. Veca was included in the noteworthy 2000 exhibition "Greater New York," an exhibition that featured New York City's up and coming artists. His works have been exhibited at The Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Bronx Museum for the Arts and he recently produced an environmental installation and limited edition sneakers for Nike.

The production phase of "Picturing Florida" is sponsored by Sunbelt Rentals of Boca Raton, MAB Paints of Delray Beach and FAU students from the department of visual arts and art history. University Galleries programs are supported by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council; the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz; the R. A. Ritter Foundation; FAU Student Government through student activity fees; David Jones Fine Arts Services, Boca Raton; and contributions from Friends of the University Galleries.

The Schmidt Center Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and is closed Sunday and Monday. Group and class tours are welcome by appointment at other hours. For further information, call 561-297-2966.

- FAU -