LAKE EUSTIS MUSEUM OF ART

Lake Eustis Museum of Art
Click on "Paper Works Entries" above for
Paper Works 4 Me Call to Artists June 1 - July 30, 2009

I SEE THE LIGHT:
DOUGLAS J. NESBITT Photography at the Art Museum
coincides with
NOT SO LONG AGO:
SHIRLEY KEPHART (1934 - 2008)
Paintings at City Hall
June 11 - July 5, 2009
Lake Eustis Museum of Art, 200 B East Orange Ave., Eustis, FL 32726
&
Eustis City Hall Gallery, across the street

EUSTIS – In time for Independence Day, Lake Eustis Museum of Art presents coinciding exhibits that capture the essence and drama of people, places, trauma and technologies that shape lives and consciousness in America.
I SEE THE LIGHT: DOUGLAS J. NESBITT, photography, opens with a reception June 11 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the art museum at 200 East Orange Ave. At the same time, across the street at Eustis City Hall Gallery, a tribute reception opens a paintings exhibit, NOT SO LONG AGO: SHIRLEY KEPHART (1934 – 2008). Both exhibits run through July 5, 2009.
Nesbitt, of Orlando, uses a perfect synergy of lens, light and composition to redefine the obvious and visually convey depth of emotion impossible to verbalize. He shares provocative beauty and thought through his camera that addresses everything and fears nothing.
A former resident of New York City, Nesbitt says, “It was very important to me to do a tribute to the World Trade Center. This place was incredible; I was devastated” by the destruction of Sept. 11, 2001.
After the Towers fell, Nesbitt returned to New York with an image in mind. He would depict people entering World Trade Center Station at Ground Zero. Later, he realized the blurred figures he captured for Ascending Spirits were dressed in colors of red, white and blue, adding a powerful, unplanned punch to his photo.
Nesbitt shows a lighter side with Hollywood Women, a saucy team of models staring his camera down in an alley one block off Hollywood and Vine after a fashion shoot. Whether planned or spontaneous, Nesbitt seizes the moment, as in Home Girls Fishing shot as he exited I-4 at Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando.
“I thought, ‘What a beautiful picture,’” as he stayed about 40 yards behind the fishing women to in secret capture a moment he has never seen again. “I was stalking these women for the shot. They never saw me and haven’t seen the photo that I know of.”
Nesbitt prefers that his photos speak for him, because, “To convey the depth of my visual emotion verbally is impossible. My camera documents a plethora of topics. It sees spirituality, but not religion. It can be biased, yet seek out beauty in all of its many shapes and forms. As an artist, I am obligated to share what I perceive as beautiful, interesting and thought provoking. Especially to those too consumed with life’s daily commitments to take a fleeting moment to see, to understand and to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.”
NOT SO LONG AGO: SHIRLEY KEPHART (1934 – 2008), paintings and collage. Shirley Kephart focused on profound, political and social issues and the plight of humanity.
From the time her first grade teacher told her, “You’re going to be an artist,” Kephart followed a familiar path painting landscapes, animals and still life images. However, when she died at 73 in 2008, greatly influenced by Salvador Dali, she left behind latter day surreal paintings and collage that broke ground depicting America’s decline though technology, disrespect and greed. Not only did she apparently predict events of Sept. 11, she followed up with works that show truths behind the actual attacks.
“She didn’t like computers and thought they were the downfall of mankind,” says Kephart’s son, Scott Kephart. “She thought computers would take over and that would be the death of us. It was Y-2K and people thought it was the end of the world.”
Her works The Chisoms and Eve of Destruction seem to predict events of 9/11, while Tears of Terror is an expression of Kephart’s emotions after the attacks.
In an artist’s statement, Kephart wrote: “I feel the need to express my disgust through a narrative, surrealistic approach. The viewer will find there is a thread of forms that play throughout my work and may be perceived as something different in each painting. The figure forms, the large birds are for the viewer to interpret and to help with the understanding of the work.”
Kephart founded the art program at Eustis High School in 1965, and followed up as an art instructor at Lake-Sumter Community College. Thousands of Lake County residents benefited from her instruction, as she articulated her personal passion through her own paintings showing a world ripped asunder. She also designed sets for Bay Street Players in Eustis and IceHouse Theater in Mount Dora. As one of the first exhibitors at Mount Dora Arts Festival, Kephart went on to extensively follow the Florida exhibition circuit and also exhibited in a New York City gallery.
Lake Eustis Museum of Art at Eustis City Hall Gallery offers the community a chance to look back into the mind of Kephart to see not only where we’ve been but where we are today.

For more information, see www.LakeEustisMuseumofArt.org or call 352-483-2900. Lake Eustis Museum of Art, 200 B East Orange Ave., Eustis, FL 32726 is open weekdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., closed Monday and open Saturday and Sunday noon – 4. Openings and general admission are free to art museum members and $5 for non-members.

Funded by Membership, Sponsorship and Donations. Supported in part by United Arts of Central Florida, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, City of Eustis, Lake County and Florida Arts Council. # CH27639 OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES 800.435.7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

Cry Out Oh Noble Soul: Shirley Kephart

July 9 - Aug. 9, 2009
Winter Park artist Henry Sinn fills Lake Eustis Museum of Art and Eustis City Hall Gallery with INTRIGUE, ENCHANTMENT & SINN, dramatic, eclectic paintings, fabric and bead art, along with larger- than- life painted figures and small, quirky sculpted entities.

The exhibit opens with a reception in both venues from 6 – 9 p.m. July 9 and closes Aug. 9, 2009. The opening allows Sinn to give firsthand insight into the manifestation of his subconscious populated with people and humanized creatures in exotic, fable-like locations engaged in mysterious interactions.

With a posh palette and unequaled imagination, Sinn, head of the department of painting and drawing at Crealde School of Art, has lorded over his personal underworld of artistic intrigue since the 1980s. With his bachelor’s degree in painting from Rollins College and extensive studies with his mentor, revered painter, sculptor and assemblage artist Grady Kimsey, of Winter Park, Sinn is an extraordinary visual communicator.

His recent painting Phoenix depicts a regal, winged, red creature with eyes cast beyond a swirling blue and pink background, destined to advance with dignity and hope into the future.

Sinn explains the work saying, “In the worst of times the best of humanity shines. Steadfastness above turmoil, concern above apathy, courage above connivance, faith above fanaticism. What in easy days is carelessly pass over as ‘the way things are’ is suddenly and carefully reassessed, worth against dross. In difficult times we relearn to communicate, to send messages of belief and to find again that what weighs us down lifts us up.”

As a child, Sinn “always had that bent to fantasize and create an image in my head. Occasionally, I will be inspired by something. Mostly, things just come to me. I have to be in the right stage of consciousness to let those things come out almost metaphysically. Almost always, I am surprised to take a second look (at a piece) and think, ‘Oh, that’s what I was thinking of.’”

He has a special affinity for animals. “I love them and sometimes assign them human qualities,” Sinn says. “In the last 10 years, I have slowly come to use a different side of my brain and my hands to make sculptures such as my beaded Snake. It all comes together in a different way. With painting, your brain is always working.”

Visitors to Orlando International Airport may walk across Sinn’s massive floor mosaic, Field of Ferns. His work is exhibited and collected in the Southeast, with representation in more than 20 significant corporate collections including Wyndham Hotel-Austin, Westin Hotel-Chicago, Orlando City Hall, SunTrust, Corp., and Cornell Museum in Winter Park.

For more information, see www.LakeEustisMuseumofArt.org or call 352-483-2900. Lake Eustis Museum of Art, 200 B East Orange Ave., Eustis, FL 32726 is open weekdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., closed Monday and open Saturday and Sunday noon – 4. Openings and general admission are free to art museum members and $5 for non-members. Eustis City Hall Gallery is open during city business hours.
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Funded by Membership, Sponsorship and Donations. Supported in part by United Arts of Central Florida, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, City of Eustis, Lake County and Florida Arts Council. # CH27639 OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES 800.435.7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

ArtCentric Edition

Docents do it for the love of art

A new year brings to life Lake Eustis Museum of Art Docent Project, spearheaded by volunteer Ruth Silseth and 2008 Board President Maria Lawton.
“You don’t need to be an art historian, an artist or a trained speaker,” Silseth says of this opportunity for LEMA members to participate in this art education program.
Silseth, with 20 years experience as a museum docent, brings these hallmarks of a docent to the project: enthusiasm, a love of art and a desire to share these things with museum visitors.
Volunteer docents enhance the museum experience as guides to visitors who, through docents, gain a deeper understanding of art and the museum setting. Call 352.483.2900 to schedule a tour for groups of three - 18.

Benefits of Membership grow with LEMA

Lake Eustis Museum of Art takes a giant step forward in rewarding members for their support.
A new class of membership is added, which entitles Individual Reciprocal members, at the $100 or more level, benefits, discounts and in many cases free entry to more than 350 museums nationwide that are part of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Program.
Find LEMA listed on the NARM site at http://sites.google.com/site/northamericanreciprocalmuseums/north-american-reciprocal-museum-listing, along with other museums, including Orlando Museum of Art, Salvadore Dali Museum, Asheville Art Museum and Museum of Arts & Design in New York.
All members enjoy free entry to LEMA opening receptions and the gallery, along with a 10 percent discount on most classes, programs and purchases. Guests are asked to donate $5 for gallery entry.

Volunteers and backers are the best

Lake Eustis Museum of Art owes its existence to a valuable troupe of volunteers and legion of supporters who never waiver from the mission of community enrichment through fine art and art education.
Established in 1994, LEMA enjoys ongoing participation from founding members Eliza Terry and Mary and Jan Zigengeist.
Long-time volunteer Tena Cottle is Volunteer of the Year 2008. Her tireless service is greatly appreciated, along with that of immediate past president Maria Lawton, and a growing roster of volunteers and supporters.
Some volunteer a few hours monthly, while others are on call and a few, such as artist and author James O’Connor, take LEMA’s art message into the community.
Every contribution, whether in time, funds or in kind counts.

Network of Support for LEMA
Lake Eustis Museum of Art is funded by Membership, Sponsorship and Donations and is supported in part by United Arts of Central Florida, State of Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, City of Eustis, Lake County Department of Tourism & Business Relations, Florida Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. # CH27639 OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES 800.435.7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

The Lake Eustis Museum of Art is supported by income, its Membership, the Friends of the Lake Eustis Museum of Art, donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, Arron Lock, the City of Eustis, and funded in part by United Arts of Central Florida and by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.