Tom Otterness

November 24 through March 2
In 1982, dozens of bulbous, laboring bodies were cast and mounted in a monumental work of art in what is now the Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building. Greeting patrons as they enter the space, these incessant and steadfast working figures, each no more than nine inches tall, climb, construct, and carry, languidly working with (or against?) each other in a 17-panel plaster frieze titled “Battle of the Sexes”. In an architectural style that crowns and frames the room, the artist Tom Otterness references art historical concepts as well as anthropological issues and contemporary societal themes of gender, labor and equality. This exhibition includes over 30 works by Otterness from the same era as the frieze and provides context. The exhibition focuses on the process and the creation of the objects, from a simple sketch to the final patinated bronze sculpture. Some objects have never been publicly exhibited before.

August 18 through November 10
In collaboration with Florida Atlantic University’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts program, 10 current graduate candidates and 10 alumni exhibit works concurrently in the Cultural Council’s main gallery space. The FAU-MFA current candidates worked with the Council staff to curate, install and promote alumni work alongside their own to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the MFA program.

May 5 – August 4
The Cultural Council presents PBC:ART, its first juried exhibition. The artists selected created challenging and engaging works that demonstrate the mastery of their medium. A total of 22 artists are represented in this exhibition that showcases the range, talent and overall quality of professional artists living and working in Palm Beach County.

Pictured Artwork by Barry Seidman

The following artists were featured:

Carolyn Barth | Anthony Burks, Sr. | Katie Deits | Jose Delbo | Bea Doone-Merena | Judy Flesher | Richard J. Frank | TD Gillispie | Maria Hayden | Steve Horan | Claudia Jane Klein | Malcolm Mackenzie | Monica McGivern | Clarence “Skip” Measelle | Hanne Niederhausen | Scherer & Ouporov | Barry Seidman | Rita Shapiro | Vicki Siegel | Karla Walter | David Willison | Jo Anna Zelano

The jury panel included Rolando Barrerro, Gallery Director of ActivistArtistA GalleryStudio in Boynton Beach; Jamnea Finlayson, owner of JF Gallery & Framing in West Palm Beach; and Ken Plasket, owner of Kenneth Plasket Gallery, also in West Palm Beach.

Foundations

January 19 through April 14
The Cultural Council hosts the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship winners of Palm Beach County for its inaugural exhibition.

Foundations is a fitting title for the first exhibit, as it places emphasis on the Council’s relocation to a permanent facility, the laying of groundwork for future planning, projects and goals, as well as establishing a tradition of serving artists in the community. The Council follows in the footsteps of the Montgomery Building’s previous occupants who championed artists and new work in particular.

With a variety of media represented, the breadth and talent of the artists of this region is extraordinary. From the surreal to the literal, the aesthetic to the sublime, painters, photographers, sculptors and even animators demonstrate their resolve to create, inspire and dream.

Kristin Miller Hopkins

December 1 through 29
Thinking deeper into her heritage during her last trimester of pregnancy, Hopkins mixed media collages represent abstract wonderings and wanderings of ideas surrounding family trees and the concept of nature vs. nurture. Hopkins pondered on the future of her child as well as her past generations and began to contruct delicate collages influenced by trees and sea life. She believes nature around us gives us information on our physical world in the same way that our families give us information on our bodily world. Kristin Miller Hopkins has an M.F.A. from the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY and a B.A. in Studio Art from Florida State University. She is currently an Associate Professor of Art + Design at Palm Beach State College. She has exhibited her installations, artist’s books, photography and mixed media works nationally. More of her work can be seen at www.kristinmillerhopkins.com

Melinda Trucks

December 1 through 29
Melinda Trucks’ inspiration for art began at an early age while immersed in the rich and vibrant landscape of the Great Smokey Mountains. Surrounded by the arts with her grandmother’s weaving and her uncle’s penchant for painting on the back porch, this further encouraged Trucks to pursue her artistic passion. Her bodies of work in this exhibition, both women and landscapes, are layered with expression, painted with a controlled gesture that defines her style and illustrates her experience as a painter. The landscapes are often captured plein air, as her uncle used to paint. Trucks’ recent travels have expanded her interest in women of various cultures throughout the world and are reflected in her recent canvases. Trucks received classical training in studio art at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and earned a Master’s degree in painting at Florida State University in Tallahassee. More work may be viewed on her website: www.melindatrucks.com

Michael Dubiner

October 27 through November 24
As far as presidential elections go, the United States 2000 election was definitely one for the history books. Michael Dubiner was here in Florida when chaos erupted outside his office in downtown West Palm Beach, prompting him to document the subsequent unrest in black and white photographic stills. The images of protestors, of all ages, backgrounds and political affiliations, are captured throughout several days while the nation’s next leader dangled in the air. Dubiner’s “Election Series” reflects his influence from Weegee and Gary Winogrand but in a modern-day perspective and a style all his own.

Who Got My Vote?, 2000, Black and White Photograph, 13 x 10 inches

Nancy Tart

July 14 through August 11
Spring in the Swamp, 2012, Oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches

Roxene Sloate

July 14 through August 11
In the Woods, 2011, Pastel on paper, 12 x 9 inches

Alyssa di Edwardo

June 9 through July 7
Prospect Park, 2011, Mixed media on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

Nathan W. Dean

June 9 through July 7
Evening Rain, 2010, Digital photograph, 30 x 20 inches

Mark Forman

May 5 through June 2
#317, 2011, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Elle Schorr

May 5 through June 2
Summer in the City, 2011, Single shot digital photography, 40 x 30 inches