Current and Upcoming Exhibits

January 7 – February 25, 2012
Main Gallery
Redeemed by Art: Al Black’s Highwaymen Murals
Photographs by Gary Monroe

In the 1960s, a group of self-trained African American artists began producing iconic Florida landscapes in and around the Fort Pierce area. They became known as The Highwaymen because they sold their paintings alongside the roads frequented by tourists. Al Black (b. 1946) was one of them. For more than thirty years, he worked with the group as both salesman and painter. Then in 1997, found guilty of fraud and possession of drugs, Al Black went to prison. He was about to begin the most productive decade of his life. Encouraged while incarcerated by Dr. Diane Rechtine and Warden Ron McAndrew, Black began to paint Highwaymen style murals throughout the prison. When he left prison in 2006, he had created more than 100 murals that transformed the drab walls of the institution into windows of hope and beauty. Intrigued by Al’s story, Gary Monroe, professor of art and photography at Daytona State College, photographed the prison murals in the context in which they were created. Monroe, author of The Highwaymen: Florida’s African American Landscape Artists and Harold Newton: The Original Highwayman, brings a depth of knowledge and a unique perspective to his subject. Through his photographs, he tells us a story about the power of art as a force for change and as a possible means of redemption.

March 2 – April  28, 2012
Main Gallery
Region4: Transformation Through Imagination

An innovative and powerful art exhibition. Curated by Mallory O'Connor, the Region4: Transformation Through Imagination exhibition merges the worlds of art and science. It features works by 19 artists that seek to transform the reality of an EPA Superfund site into images that convey both the history of the problem and the possibilities for restoration and positive change. With a goal to inform and explore, the artists have used scientific data from the site to create their art works, often forming partnerships with scientists who served as consultants on the projects.

Friday, March 2 - 5 to 7 pm: Opening reception and film in conjunction with Cinema Verde

Friday, March 30 - 5 pm: Brook Singer Lecture
Brooke Singer is a media artist who lives in New York City. Her work blurs the borders between science, technology, politics and arts practices. She works across different media to provide entry into important social issues that are often characterized as specialized to a general public. Brooke's current work includes Superfund365.org, an online, data visualization application that consists of 365 Superfund sites.

Images on Right
Top: John A. O'Connor, Left Behind, (three panels) , mixed media on Sintra, 2012
Bottom: Debra Lindberg, Transformation Through Imagincation, encaustic collage, 2012

The exhibition includes a variety of works of art that were created by Alachua County Grade 5 - Grade 12 art students who were selected from 31 participating schools. The School Board of Alachua County’s Visual Arts Showcasing Program is designed to share the excellence of student art with the community. The Alachua County school receptions are sponsored by the Thomas Center Associates, Inc., a membership organization that supports ongoing programs and events at the Thomas Center.

The exhibition includes a variety of works of art that were created by Alachua County Kindergarten - Grade 4 art students who were selected from 31 participating schools. The School Board of Alachua County’s Visual Arts Showcasing Program is designed to share the excellence of student art with the community. The Alachua County school receptions are sponsored by the Thomas Center Associates, Inc., a membership organization that supports ongoing programs and events at the Thomas Center.

May 5 – June 23, 2012
Main Gallery
In a Southern Garden: Design and Observation

Curated by Tim Malles, In a Southern Garden  will feature the work of 16 Gainesville-based artists created during two days (March 9 and 10) of plein air (from the French words for “open air”) painting in the enchanting gardens of the historic Thomas Center and Matheson Museum. Plein air painting challenges artists to capture what they see in front of them, as well the light, the atmosphere and feeling of the moment in time in which they are working. These captured “impressions” are the hallmark of this style of painting, which traces its roots and popularity back to 19th Century Europe.

Reception: Sunday, May 13 (Mother's Day) 2-4 pm

May 26 – June 30, 2012
Mezzanine Gallery
Art Teachers Exhibit

Reception: Thursday, June 7