The Museum of Florida Art, Board of Trustees cordially invites you to an Opening Reception Friday, June 12, 2009 from 5 to 7pm.  On display: Confessions of a Suburban Primitive: Paintings by Carl Knickerbocker, Imagining Flora and Fauna: Oleda Baker, A Naive Painter and Eye of the Needle: Fiber Art by Katherine K. Allen, Eleanor A. McCain and Barbara W. Watler.  Please join us at the reception for fine art, libations, and an array of hors d'oeuvres provided by the Museum of Florida Art Guild. 

To view the invitation, please visit

http://www.museumoffloridaart.org/pdfs/exhibitions/openingreception.pdf

On exhibit in the Main Gallery:

Confessions of a Suburban Primitive: Paintings by Carl Knickerbocker
On Exhibit: June 12 - August 23, 2009 (Lower Gallery)
Gallery Talk with Jeanine Taylor August 18, 2009 at 11AM
Carl Knickerbocker is a true outsider artist. He describes himself as a Suburban Primitive and mainly paints large works. His work encompasses the world of politics, tourism and themes related to current cultural aspects of our society. These paintings will stir the imagination with their clever humor. Knickerbocker's work is a unique blend of whimsy and provocation and becomes an antidote for what ails us in our fast paced, often frightening society. His work provides us with a paradox that is simultaneously entertaining and enlightening.

On exhibit in the Chris Harris Permanent Collection Gallery:

Imagining Flora and Fauna: Oleda Baker, A Naive Painter
On Exhibit: June 12 - August 23, 2009
Coffee Tea & Art with Oldea Baker: July 15,2009 from 10 -11:30AM
Oleda Baker's naive works evoke a dreamlike state. If one were to describe her paintings, one might say they were mysterious with the viewer having a sense of being part of the picture. At the very least, Oleda's creations do not leave the viewer's emotions untouched. Her style is of soft edges and rounded shapes. Henry Rousseau comes to mind as her work is related historically to his style. She paints what she imagines, sometimes specific, most times surreal, but always from her feelings. One feels drawn into the suggestion of a deeper narrative that seems to lurk within the decorative elements of these fine art fantasies.  For more information, please visit http://www.museumoffloridaart.org/exhibitions.php

On exhibit in the Dorothy Johnson Gallery, Libby West & Ann West Hall Gallery, and the Florida Art Gallery:
Eye of the Needle: Fiber Art by Katherine K. Allen, Eleanor A. McCain and Barbara W. Watler
June 12 - August 23, 2009
This exhibit refers to the legacy of stitching and cloth as coming from and through the hands of women. The artists who comprise this exhibit are nationally and internationally known for their expressive power with thread, cloth and color. Barbara Watler has used fabric as her primary medium for 25 years. She holds a degree in Advertising Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. As a freelance illustrator she carries over her impeccable sense of style and design into her fine art fabric creations. Eleanor McCain feels that quilting is grounded in American history, family, community and common experience. Art quilts are a living document of cultural history expressing artistic, emotional and spiritual values, particularly those of women. Katherine Allen's art works are a meditation on nature. She is interested in evoking keenly joyous moments in celebratory gestures and expressive colors. Each work begins with a piece of plain silk or cotton and then plant parts are used as stencils. Screen printing inks of various colors are used to transfer the stencils resulting in unpredictable and beautiful images.  For more information, please visit http://www.museumoffloridaart.org/exhibitions.php

On exhibit in the Volusia County Historic Courthouse, 120 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand:
Legendary Florida: The Florida History Paintings of Jackson Walker
Ongoing Exhibit - Monday-Friday, 8 am – 5pm, free admission
For more information or to download the accompanying educational resources, please visit MuseumofFloridaArt.org

Museum of Florida Art
600 North Woodland Blvd. DeLand, FL 32720
Phone: 386.734.4371

Gallery Admission: Members – Free, Non-Members - $3.00, Children Under 12 and Sundays – Free
Museum Hours: Tuesday- Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sundays 1pm to 4pm

the Museum of Florida Art offers a venue where:
-  Creativity is fostered
-  Appreciation of art is nurtured
-  All people are welcomed

The mission of the Museum of Florida Art is to promote and showcase Florida Art and emerging and established Florida Artists through exhibitions and educational and interpretive programming made available to a diverse statewide audience of all ages; to collect and preserve works of art for this purpose; to publish books and other materials concerning the foregoing; and to make such resources available for the public.

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