Anyone interested in training for a career in health care is invited to a Health Sciences Open House at the College of Central Florida. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, 4-6 p.m., attendees can tour the Health Sciences labs, classrooms and the CF Ocala Campus. Prospective students will have the chance to meet with a Health Sciences advisor, apply to the college for free and learn about financial aid.

CF’s Health Sciences programs include Dental Assisting, Emergency Medical Services, Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiography and Surgical Services.

This free event will take place in the Health Sciences Simulation Center, Building 16 on the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Reservations are requested at CF.edu/healthopenhouse.

The Visual Artists’ Society will present the “Best of the Season” exhibition at the CF Webber Gallery Nov. 7-Dec. 8. This annual favorite includes a variety of styles and mediums.

New this year, VAS accepted open applications from artists across Central Florida. Artworks were selected and will be judged by Ginger Sheridan, an associate professor of art in photography at Jacksonville University. She will present awards including Best in Show, first through fourth place and honorable mentions at the opening reception on Friday, Nov. 18, 5-7 p.m.

“Best of the Season” is one of two annual opportunities for Visual Artists’ Society members to display the works that showcase their talent and imagination. The society has more than 100 members from all over Marion County and Central Florida, including professional and amateur artists and many of CF’s talented students. Because VAS has a varied membership, exhibits display a variety of styles and mediums, including more traditional paintings and photographs as well as jewelry, sculpture and digital media.

The Webber Gallery is located at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

The College of Central Florida’s Patriot Project will recognize Hispanic Heritage Month with a screening of “Latin History for Morons” on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Building 8, Room 110, at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala.

In this one-man Broadway show, John Leguizamo finds humor and heartbreak as he traces 3,000 years of Latin history in an effort to help his bullied son. The performance, which earned him a 2018 Tony Award, has been called “a genuinely brilliant piece of popular, political theater” and is a must-see for students, educators and the community.

The Patriot Project lectures are free and open to the public. Light refreshments and event giveaways will be provided.

Series Schedule:

Oct. 12 – “Latin History for Morons” presented by Wendy Adams

Nov. 2 – “Literature in the Colonial Period” presented by Sandra Cooper

Jan. 11, 2023 – “Theatre in the Colonial Period” presented by Nonalee Davis

Feb. 6, 2023 – “Math in the Colonial Period” presented by Mark Taylor

March 1, 2023 – “History of the Colonial Period” presented by Jay Thompson

April 5, 2023 – “Religion in the Colonial Period” presented by Dr. Ron Cooper

For more details, visit CF.edu/PatriotProject.

Update Sept. 27:
The College of Central Florida has extended its cancellation of all classes and business operations due to Hurricane Ian. The college will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28, through Saturday, Oct. 1, at all sites, including the Ocala Campus, Citrus Campus, Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm.

Scheduled activities also have been cancelled or postponed, including Wednesday’s District Board of Trustees meeting and the Appleton Museum of Art’s Free First Saturday and Hispanic Heritage Festival. The Appleton will reopen Sunday, Oct. 2. Classes and business operations will resume Monday, Oct. 3, weather permitting.

Please continue to monitor the CF website (www.CF.edu), traditional media and social media for additional updates.

Sept. 26:
The College of Central Florida will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Sept. 29.

This closing is for all sites, including the Ocala Campus, Citrus Campus, Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm, as well as online classes. Scheduled activities also have been cancelled, including the CF District Board of Trustees meeting, which has been postponed until Wednesday, Oct. 5.

We plan to reopen Friday morning for classes and all business operations, weather permitting. Please continue to monitor the CF website (www.CF.edu), traditional media and social media for additional updates.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to prepare now for this storm.

A limited number of students will be accepted into the College of Central Florida Entrepreneurship Academy’s inaugural cohort, which will begin classes in Spring 2023. Interested students should plan to attend one of two information sessions in October: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 5 p.m., at the Ewers Century Center, Room 107, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala, or Wednesday, Oct. 19, 12:30 p.m., at the Ewers Century Center, Room 101.

The CF Entrepreneurship Academy is an innovative program developed in partnership with Chick-fil-A of Ocala that will give students a new option for training to become business community leaders. CF students selected for the academy will receive two semesters of instruction in entrepreneurship-focused courses, including Principles of Management, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Opportunities, and Small Business Management, which lead to a Business Entrepreneurship College Credit Certificate. Each course will be complemented with hands-on experiential activities organized by Chick-fil-A of Ocala leadership.

For more information, visit CF.edu/entrepreneurshipacademy.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, announces “BLOW UP II: Inflatable Contemporary Art,” on view Oct. 8-Dec. 11, 2022.

The larger-than-life inflatable art will transform the Edith-Marie Appleton Gallery and the museum lobby. This exhibition explores the imaginative and often whimsical ways that artists use air as a tool for creating large-scale sculpture. The eight internationally renowned artists of the supersized inflatable installations translate everyday materials into a wide array of figurative, conceptual and abstract imagery that are rich with meaning.

“BLOW UP II” was organized by Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.

“The first inflatable, invented in 18th-century France, was seemingly pure magic and continues to fascinate,” Lederer said. “Ever-present in our daily lives, the ubiquitous inflatables – from bouncy house to floppy tube men – provide endless amusement, whimsy and a playful sense of lift-off and levitation. Tapping into this idea with humor, scale and surprise, the artworks in “BLOW UP II” harness the power of air and our imaginations to take us on extraordinary journeys, exploring subjects as varied as anime, superheroes, history, politics and even mortality.”

What type of new viewing experiences are created when objects are blown up to an enormous scale? Los Angeles-based artist Jen Stark goes the abstract route, expanding her acclaimed neon rainbow to a massive scale in her first experiment with inflatables. Her vibrant, psychedelic visuals cover an 8-foot-tall cone, transporting the viewer to a dayglow fantasy space. Artist Susan Lee-Chun uses inflatables as a means to make unconscious or intentionally buried perceptions in our social fabric impossible to ignore. Her cheeky sculpture “Untitled (Flamingos only hang by the pool)” enlarges pink flamingos, a common symbol of Miami Beach, to an impossibly large size. Their imposing pink bodies force viewers to consider the pink flamingo with all of its flamboyant symbolism and history.

Regardless of underlying meaning, humor, playfulness and accessibility are key aspects of all of the works featured in “BLOW UP II.” This is especially important to the work of FriendsWithYou, a fine art collaboration of artists Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, who state that the sole purpose of their collective is “spreading the positive message of Magic, Luck and Friendship™.” Their whimsical, adorable anime characters prompt joyful reactions from viewers young and old.

Artists participating in “BLOW UP II” include Nicole Banowetz (Denver, Colorado), Sharon Engelstein (Houston, Texas), FriendsWithYou (Los Angeles, California), Joshua Harker (Dexter, Michigan), Susan Lee-Chun (Miami, Florida), Matt Ritchie (San Francisco, California), Lizabeth Rossof (Denver, Colorado) and Jen Stark (Los Angeles, California).

“With even the smallest works towering at over 8 feet, the renowned artists manipulate technology and air in breathtaking ways that overwhelm one’s senses while drawing you in to enjoy and learn,” said Jason Steuber, director of the Appleton Museum.

Special Events

Director’s Circle Reception
On Oct. 15, 5-7 p.m., Appleton Director’s Circle members are invited for an in-gallery meet-and-greet with Miami-based artist Susan Lee-Chun. There will be a complimentary bar and light hors d’oeuvres. RSVP is required to Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

Free Admission Days
See “BLOW UP II” with no admission fee on Arthur I. Appleton’s Birthday Weekend (Oct. 14-16), Free First Saturdays (Nov. 5 and Dec. 3) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on State Road 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Motivational speaker Dr. Michael A. Cadore Sr. will deliver an inspirational message at the College of Central Florida on Monday, Sept. 26. The public is invited to this free event from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the CF Webber Center, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala.

Cadore, a former NFL recruit, law enforcement officer and city councilman, says his life motto is, “If you don’t serve your community now, don’t expect your community to serve you later.”

Now the executive director of community engagement for external affairs at Eastern Florida State College, Cadore has served his community for more than three decades through education, public safety, civic engagement and mentoring. He was honored with EFSC’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from Eastern Kentucky University.

Light refreshments and event giveaways will be provided. The lecture is funded by the Mr. and Mrs. Seymour B. Robinson Memorial Endowed Chair.

For more information, visit CF.edu.