The College of Central Florida Webber Gallery will present “The 2024 Extreme Pressure Biennial of American Prints,” a celebration of contemporary printmaking, Aug. 5-Sept. 12. The competitive exhibition will include a variety of works by printmakers from across the United States.

Artworks will be judged by Texas-based artist Katherine Brimberry, an intaglio master printer who is known for her “painterly” etchings. Brimberry’s work is included in the collections of the Library of Congress, 3M permanent collection, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Galveston Arts Center, Amarillo Museum of Art and Texas Tech University Library. She co-founded Flatbed Press to be a publishing press for fine art prints and open studio for artist-printmakers, and is now the sole owner, serving as director and lead collaborating master printer.

Five cash prizes, totaling a minimum of $2,000, will be awarded at the opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 22, from 5-7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The Webber Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. For more information about the exhibition, visit CF.edu/Webber or call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

The College of Central Florida has been awarded a $643,598 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program to establish The Central Florida Aquatic Workforce and Research Project. This three-year initiative will prepare associate-level graduates for technical occupations in agricultural, ecological and environmental engineering and water conservation.

The project will involve 150 associate-level students and 100 high school juniors and seniors, offering hands-on learning through fieldwork, internships and research activities. Key objectives include:

• Developing an interdisciplinary course to enhance technical skills in data analysis, geospatial technology, and water quality assessment.
• Providing industry-aligned research and fieldwork experiences.
• Expanding recruitment pathways through targeted outreach and dual enrollment programs for high school students, especially those from rural and underrepresented minority communities.

This initiative will equip students with practical skills for technician-level jobs, addressing Florida’s workforce needs in aquatic and environmental fields. By partnering with local high schools, CF will engage students in hands-on learning about aquatics careers through course-based field experiences, internships and research activities.

“Through this grant, we can provide our students with the hands-on experience and technical skills necessary to succeed in the aquatics workforce,” said John Ash, CF Dean of Business, Technology and Agricultural Sciences. “We are excited about the opportunities this project will create for our students and the positive impact it will have on our community.”

For more information about CF’s Business and Technology programs, visit CF.edu/BusTech.

The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has been funding innovation at two-year colleges for over 20 years. With a focus on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy, and strong partnerships between academic institutions and industry, ATE promotes improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels.

To learn more about the National Science Foundation, visit NSF.gov.

A College of Central Florida robotics team was awarded a bronze medal at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, held June 24-28 in Atlanta.

CF Engineering Technology students Cameron Muncy and Shane Reedy, under the guidance of award-winning associate professor Sam Ajlani, built, designed and constructed a robot for the SkillsUSA Urban Search and Rescue competition. During the event, they directed their robot to travel through a course designed to look like multifamily housing, searching for and removing simulated explosive devices.

“We are really excited to have represented our school on a national level and to have brought something back,” said Muncy, who expects to graduate in December and said he has “always been interested in cars and machines.” The CF team was the only Florida team to place in the Urban Search and Rescue category.

The SkillsUSA Championship is the premier showcase of America’s most highly skilled career and technical education students and is one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world. Held in conjunction with SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference each June, this awe-inspiring event features more than 6,000 state champions from across the United States competing head-to-head in 115 skilled and leadership competitions. CF students Justin Bowen and Daniel Francois represented the college in this year’s drone event.

“The College of Central Florida’s Engineering Technology program is focused on preparing students for a variety of high-paying, high-tech careers, including robotics,” said Dr. Jennifer Fryns, vice president of Workforce Development and Innovation. “We are so proud of the CF students who took the opportunity to apply practical engineering principles to real-world applications at the SkillsUSA competition.”

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, will present “Common Thread: Photographs by Theresa Segal” from July 27, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025.

Opening in the museum’s Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists, “Common Thread” is a comprehensive anthology showcasing the work of Segal. This career-spanning collection of photographs delves into a subject she knows well: her native state, Florida. The exhibition features a diverse array of subjects, from the formal gardens of Vizcaya in Miami to the storage spaces of the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine. Whether she is exploring historic buildings and neighborhoods, parks or rural landscapes, Segal’s aesthetic remains both intimate and singular.

Also included are black-and-white gelatin silver prints from a collaborative photography project exploring Baracoa, Cuba. Shot on film using a medium format camera, the photos were exhibited in Havana, then traveled throughout the state of Florida in 2005, and are now part of the Appleton’s permanent collection.

Following photography’s progression from film to digital methods, Segal’s images retain a common vision. Much of her influences come from the Southern Gothic genre and she embraces the tropes with a darkly romantic approach. While her photographs are often symmetrically composed within a clinically square composition, they have a timeless, surreal quality. The act of photographing is of particular significance, which she views as “an occasion for quiet contemplation and opportunity to connect and create – it’s as much an expression as it is a meditation.”

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program. Join the artist on the Sept. 7 Free First Saturday for two tours of “Common Thread.” Tours will meet at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists. Tours are free; no reservation needed to attend.

About Theresa Segal

Segal was born in St. Augustine, Florida, where she attended Flagler College and later taught photography in the same classroom where she had discovered her love of the medium. She studied photography at the Southeast Center for Photography at Daytona State College and the University of North Florida. The artist has received numerous grants for her work including several Individual Artist Grants from the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida, the Florida Department of State and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been exhibited widely across the state of Florida.

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 SR 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.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, will present “En Pointe: Expressions of Dance in Art.”

In dance, our bodies are the paintbrush and the world is our canvas. Dance is performative, occupying space and elapsing time, and it is a particular challenge to capture motion within one static moment. Yet, it is a challenge many artists have endeavored for centuries.

We dance to celebrate, to commemorate, to commiserate and to initiate. It can be the play of free expression, or impressive and rigidly choreographed physical achievements. Dance can serve as a social function that communicates ideas beyond barriers of spoken language, allowing us to tell stories and say with our bodies what we cannot put into words.

Dance serves ritualistic and religious functions in historic cultures worldwide. We dance to entreat deities, remember our forebearers and to maintain traditions. We dance to celebrate the changing seasons of our world and the changing seasons of life.

On view June 29-Oct. 6, “En Pointe: Expressions of Dance in Art” explores various forms of dance and more through paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, masks and costumes. Over 60 works from the permanent collection will be on display in the Edith-Marie Gallery, telling the story of this powerful and multifaceted form of expression. Several videos of dance add to the experience, and an interactive station invites visitors to add their own form of art in motion. From poetic paintings and drawings of the Ballet Russes by Ernst Oppler (German, 1867-1929) and prints of Native American dancers depicted by Alice Asmar (American, 1929-2021), to a full Panamanian Diablico Sucio costume (circa 1980) and a golden pair of traditional Thai headdresses (circa 1900), visitors can discover how performative arts have inspired the visual arts in cultures throughout history.

On July 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m., all Appleton members are invited to celebrate the exhibition at a reception. Enjoy summertime hors d’oeuvres and refreshing beverages, while enjoying dance hits throughout the decades by DJ Just Joel. RSVP for all guests is required by July 7 to Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program.

 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 SR 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.