Opening receptions are at 7:00 p.m. on the first night of each exhibition unless otherwise noted. The entire College community and the public are invited to all openings. The gallery will also be open during selected events of the Festival of Fine Arts Series. When the College is in session, the Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

The Burks Gallery exhibits student work on rotation unless otherwise noted.

Bud Gibbons – Recent Work
August 20 to October 1
Artist reception – Friday, September 5, 7 p.m.
The Melvin Gallery is pleased to host a solo exhibition of the paintings of Bud Gibbons, a prolific artist and an art professor at the Pennsylvania State University at New Kensington. The exhibition will include prominent works from recent years, including 100 paintings from his series “365 Days – 1999”, in which Gibbons embarked on a marathon painting project, completing one work a day for an entire year. The artist will be present at the opening reception.

Honeyman Pavilion
China – Photographs from the 2008 Study Abroad Trip
September 19 to November 6
Opening Reception – Friday, September 19, 7 p.m.
During the month of May, Florida Southern students and faculty embarked on a study abroad trip throughout China. Thousands of photos were taken by students in Eric Blackmore’s Advanced Digital Photography class. The photographs in this exhibition document their travels. The selected images were edited, refined, and printed by the students.

Folk Art from the collection of George Lowe
October 10 to November 12
Opening Reception, October 10, 7 p.m.
Local art collector and radio personality George Lowe shares his beloved folk art collection with the Florida Southern community. Highlights of this exhibition include work from Howard Finster, Jimmy Lee Suddth, RA Miller, Charles Lucas and more. Lowe’s outstanding collection was recently featured in an exhibition at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. An exhibition catalog will accompany the show and George Lowe will be present at the opening reception to discuss the work.

Burks Gallery
Selected work by George Lowe
October 10 to November 12
Inspired in part by the work he collects, George Lowe is an impressive artist himself. This solo exhibition of his amazing mixed media drawings is wonderful. One of Lowe’s drawings was recently added to the collections of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Show
November 21 to December 11
Opening Reception, Friday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.
Join us for the exhibition of current work from Florida Southern freshman, sophomore, and junior art majors. See why our Department of Art and Art History has gained the reputation as one of the strongest in the Southeast. The highly anticipated Florida Art Award from the Maris Ozolins Fund is awarded to a junior each year at this show.

Polk County Art Teachers Exhibition
January 9 to February 5
Opening Reception, Friday, January 9, 7 p.m.
This exhibition showcases the diverse talents of grade school, middle school and high school art teachers from schools across Polk County. Several teachers exhibiting in this show are graduates of the Art Education program at Florida Southern.

Stan Gregory – Recent Work
February 13 to March 19
Alumni Reception Friday, March 13, 6 – 8 p.m.
Florida Southern College alumnus Stan Gregory has enjoyed a prominent career as a visual artist in New York City, where he currently lives and works. Gregory’s organic abstractions resonate with a sense of control implicit in his process, often based on a grid format. Gregory’s works are included in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Stan Gregory will be present at the alumni reception on March 13.

Senior Studio Show
March 27 to April 10
Opening Reception Friday, March 27, 7 p.m.
Each year, several of our seniors go on to top graduate programs. We believe you will be delighted both by the creative freshness and the polish of their work. The John R. Reuter award for the outstanding studio artist will be announced at the opening reception.

Senior Graphic Design Show
April 17 to May 2
Opening Reception Friday, April 17, 7 p.m.
Come see the creativity and professionalism Florida Southern’s senior graphic designers bring to their work in both print and digital media. The senior graphic design awards will be announced at the opening reception.

Annual Lakeland Art Guild Exhibition
May 8 to June 3
Opening Reception Friday, May 8, 7 p.m.
Once again, as it has for more than thirty years, The Melvin Art Gallery is pleased to host the Annual Spring Exhibition of The Lakeland Art Guild. Founded in 1952, the Guild is Lakeland’s oldest community arts organization. Please join us at the opening for the announcement of awards.