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Courtesy photo ÔAlligators: Dragons in Paradise' will be on display March 6-April 11.

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published: Wednesday, September 05, 2012

SFSC Museum of Florida Art and Culture sets schedule

Special to the News-Sun

AVON PARK -- The South Florida State College Museum of Florida Art and Culture (SFSC MOFAC) announces its 2012-13 season of exhibitions and programs. SFSC MOFAC provides an exhibition venue for contemporary Florida regional artists and preserves Florida's history and heritage through art. The museum also serves as a repository for the historical artifacts unearthed by members of the Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy.

SFSC MOFAC is adjacent to the SFSC Theatre for the Performing Arts, Highlands Campus. It is open to the public October through May, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12:30-4:30 p.m., and by appointment for group tours. SFSC Artist and Matinee series patrons may visit the museum one hour prior to each performance.

For more information about SFSC MOFAC and its programs or to request a museum tour, contact Mollie Doctrow, curator, SFSC MOFAC, at ext. 7240 at (863) 453-6661, 465-5300, 773-2252, or 494-7500, visit the SFSC MOFAC website at http://mofac.org/, or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mofac.

The following exhibitions and programs will be presented during the 2012-13 season at SFSC MOFAC:

"Selections from the MOFAC Collection" is currently on display through Oct. 5. SFSC Selections from the MOFAC Collection include artworks by Christopher Still, John Costin, Robert Butler, and Carolyn Staves. The museum is currently open by appointment through Oct. 5. Regular museum hours begin Oct. 10.

"Reflections from an Artistic Marriage: Watercolors, Oils, and Batiks-Phil Fisher and Natalie Guess" will be on display Oct.10-Dec. 1. Phil Fisher's colorful and vibrant paintings capture the moment and most are done "en plein air." Natalie Guess paints using the rare art form known as batik, painting with hot clear wax and color dyes.

"Journey Stories" will be on display Dec. 5-Jan. 19. The two exhibitions based on the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition, Journey Stories, highlight Highlands County residents who moved from other countries.

"Sand and Sea: John Bunker and Rick Crawford" will be on display Jan. 23-Feb. 28. The shell's strength and visual appeal has inspired artists, architects, and engineers. Eroded sand dunes, worn and broken shell fragments, and archeological finds inspire the wood-turned sculpture of Rick Crawford. A selection of John Bunker's shell paintings will also be on display.

"Tools from the Earth" will be on display Jan. 23-Feb. 28. Archaeologist Terry Powell's handmade authentic items are inspired by actual artifacts and extensive research. A selection of Powell's shell tools and jewelry will be presented.

"Alligators: Dragons in Paradise" will be on display March 6-April 11. Created by the Museum of Florida History, "Alligators: Dragons in Paradise" is a potpourri of fact and fantasy that explores our enduring fascination with the alligator and the alligator's symbolic and sociological role in Florida history.

"Cracker: Florida's Enduring Cowboys, Photography by Jon Kral" will be on display April 17-May 3. Photographer Jon Kral chronicles the daily work, environmental dangers, and family life of the endangered Florida cowboy. Kral's photographs serve as a record of a disappearing lifestyle.

The "SFSC 2013 Juried Student Art Show" will also be displayed April 17-May 3. Co-organized by the SFSC art students, the annual juried SFSC student art exhibition celebrates the outstanding achievements in painting, drawing, design, photography, and ceramics completed during the academic year.

On loan from St. Johns River State College, the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts' "Jack Mitchell Collection," represents 45 years of photographing in New York City. The exhibition will be on display Dec. 1-March 29. It can be viewed in the Lower Lobby Gallery of the SFSC Theatre for the Performing Arts during regular SFSC MOFAC hours.

"The Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail" is an ongoing exhibition at SFSC MOFAC. Science, art and the natural world come together in the Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail, a self-guided walking trail that explores pristine scrubland on the South Florida State College Highlands Campus.

SFSC MOFAC invites the public to programs throughout the year. A presentation on Florida history, "Menendez: Claiming La Florida for King and Cross" will be presented on Saturday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m., in the SFSC University Center Auditorium.

Based on his book, "Pilgrim in the Land of Alligators," Jeff Klinkenberg shares stories and pictures about his pilgrimage across the state looking for "real Florida" on Thursday, March 21, 7:30-8:30 p.m., in the SFSC University Center Auditorium.