LAKELAND, Fla. (March 7, 2006) — Florida Southern College presents the work of 48 talented alumni artists March 13 through March 25 in the Melvin Art Gallery on campus. The exhibit opens with a reception March 13 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Many of the artists will be present at a second reception during Homecoming weekend, March 24 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both receptions are free and open to the public.

“This year’s Alumni Exhibition includes work of a great diversity of style, by several rather prominent artists from around the nation and the world,” said Downing Barnitz, FSC professor of art emeritus and guest curator of the exhibition. “Many of the featured artists work in the field as instructors, studio owners and professional artists, and have received acclaim for their art. I am confident this will be a show of quality and great interest to artists and art enthusiasts alike.”

Several of the exhibited artists have won awards in shows in Florida and elsewhere. A few artists have work displayed nationally in museums including Stan Gregory, a 1970 graduate, whose work is displayed in the Guggenheim Museum and the Brooklyn Museum.

Artists whose work will be displayed include Michele Hearndon Alford of Lakeland, Fla.; Kim Allison of Pittsburgh, Kan.; Owen Barnitz of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Hope Barton of St. Augustine, Fla.; Richard Bond of Lakeland, Fla.; Jane Bryant of Lakeland, Fla.; Suzanne Burke of Lakeland, Fla.; Cheryl Custer Dale of Lakeland, Fla.; Marsha Vann Dawson of Lakeland, Fla.; Marie Ann Morgan Dazzi of Crolles, France; Katherine Lahey Dekkers of Auburndale, Fla.; Gary English of Nashville, Tenn.; Cindy Epps-Smith of Lakeland, Fla.; Tom Freeman of Lake Wales, Fla.; Ellie Fried of Lakeland, Fla.; Mary Lou Giammatteo of Lakeland, Fla.; Stan Gregory of Jersey City, N.J.; Casey Hall of Glenwood, Md.; Katheryn R. Hays of New Florence, Pa.; Marshi Huneycutt of Lakeland, Fla.; James Kaman of Hurley, N.Y.; Hitoshi Kimura of Tampa, Fla.; Nicole Kita of Lakeland, Fla.; Harald Kuestermann of Koblenz, Germany; Renee Harrison Long of Lakeland, Fla.; Nicole Longo of Lakeland, Fla.; Ann Monique Loughborough of San Antonio, Texas; Mary Krist Marinel of Oviedo, Fla.; Kari McCullough of Dunedin, Fla.; James Meaders of Brentwood, Tenn.; Victoria Heywood Meares of Lakeland, Fla.; Cathy Melvin of Winter Haven, Fla.; William K. Melvin of Winter Haven, Fla.; Donna Mintz of Atlanta, Ga.; Vanya Mullinax of Tarpon Springs, Fla.; Lazarus Mitchell of Orlando, Fla.; Valerie Ottman of Riverton, Utah; Windon Newton of West Hollywood, Calif.; Daniel Painter of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Anne Nichols Reynolds of Lake Placid, Fla.; Samuel Romero of Chicago, Ill.; Deborah Botner Sims of Winter Park, Fla.; Michael Solava of Largo, Fla.; Julie Stone of Lakeland, Fla.; Symphony Tidwell of Lakeland, Fla.; Amarilis C. Vazquez of Lakeland, Fla.; Colleen Wolf Vinson of Land O Lakes, Fla., and Roxanne R. Youngs of Auburndale, Fla.

The Melvin Art Gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and during intermissions of most performances of the FSC Fine Arts Series.  For more information please contact the gallery at (863) 680-4223.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.