University of North Florida sculpture students will have installation artwork on display during an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at the Rainbow Building, located at 1754 North Main Street in downtown Jacksonville.
The one-night exhibition will feature installation artworks by 11 UNF sculpture students. Each installation is unique and focuses on a variety of topics including directional forces, growth and development, conscience-cleansing, light and shadow, the physicality of material, depression and suicide.
“Sculpture, as a discipline, utilizes a variety of materials to construct an idea, whereas installation art uses space itself as the medium,” said Dr. Jenny Hager, UNF sculpture professor. “Viewers are invited to explore the environments that have been created by our students.”
The exhibition is the culmination of Hager’s Enlivened Spaces course, which she designed to inspire artwork that transforms and enhances an existing space. The upper-level art and design course is designed to empower students to work independently.
“We’re grateful to Petra for providing the Rainbow Building, which is a great example of a alternative art space. As an artist, it’s wonderful to be able to explore ideas in such an interesting venue,” Hager said.
Petra has been a local brokerage for the past 20 years and represents over 1.2 million square feet in the Jacksonville area. Most of its managed property is in downtown Jacksonville, Springfield, Southside and the Beaches.
The Department of Art and Design offers courses of study leading to career preparation in fine arts, graphic design and digital media, and art history as practitioners, teachers, artists or consultants; provides service courses in art to other disciplines in the University; and fosters individual professional growth and cultural enhancement by promoting artistic production and scholarly research on the part of the faculty and students.
For more information about the free exhibition, contact Hager at (904) 620-4687.
UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.