Student Spring Charrette: Putting art on a pedestal

The 2013 Student Spring Charrette, celebrating its 11th year at SPC’s Tarpon Springs Campus, runs through April 28.

Judges named artwork from Betty Stallard as the Best in Show. Those who selected the student winners were:

• Lynn Whitelaw, Curator of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
• Maria Edmonds, Chair of the Hispanic Leadership Council
• Townsend Tarapani, Tarpon Springs City Commissioner
• Rod Davis, Associate Provost, SPC Tarpon Springs Campus

Other student winners:

Painting -

• First Place: Gene Prine
• Second Place: Gaile Prine
• Third Place: Tom Wilke

Design -

• First Place: Catherine Peshek
• Second Place: Jooli Mastrangelo
• Third Place: Katherine LaFayette

Drawing I -

• First Place: Michael Karaszkiewicz
• Second Place: Shelby Grafton
• Third Place: Dalton Hopkins

Drawing II -

• First Place: Angeline Neugebauer
• Second Place : Philip Humphreys
• Third Place: Caitlin Kern

Mixed Media -

• First Place: Dalton Malony
• Second Place: Patrick Smith
• Third Place: Toni Williams

Comments from the judges:

• “The works in this exhibit were first class due to the wonderful instruction we have on the Tarpon Springs Campus.” – Maria Edmonds
• “This work was even stronger than the past year and shows much exploration.” – Lynn Whitelaw
• “The work was inspiring, profound and expressive, clearly a reflection of great instruction.” – Rod Davis
• “I can tell you, there was much deliberation among the judges. This show is a clear reflection of the instructor’s abilities and a testament to the talent within the Tarpon Springs community.” – Townsend Tarapani

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Museum and education faculty, students team up on artistic publication

From left: Sandra Paulik, Cher Gauweiler, Kimmera McCarthy. From left standing: Jessica Grandmaison, Michelle Sutera

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art celebrated St. Petersburg College Night at the Museum on Thursday, March 21.

Part of the festivities included a display table with a publication that Dr. Cher Gauweiler, Elementary Education Professor, and her students created in collaboration with the museum.

The publication, titled Awakening the Artistic Spirit Within: From a Whisper to a SHOUT, was the culminating project from a FGO Creativity Grant Gauweiler received for 2012-2013. Students who participated in the publication visited the Leepa-Rattner Museum as part of a college course. Then, they selected one piece of art that they felt connected to. After that, the students created an original piece of art or wrote a poem.

Copies of the publication were given as a gift at the event and also distributed to the SPC community. Gauweiler will present the outcomes of this project at the International Conference for College Teaching and Learning Conference in Ponte Vedra Beach on April 10.

“This project is such a complement to the museum’s mission and purpose and a great expression of student creativity sparked by works of art,” said Patricia Buster, Education Coordinator at the museum.

Mary Matlick, a SPC exceptional student education major, praised both the book as well as the creative process behind it. “The book was so thoughtful and I love reading the poetry and looking at the art,” Matlick said in an email. “Thank you so much for encouraging me to do something creative. I have always been into some kind of artistic expression – growing up with two glassblowers for parents left me little choice. It was a good feeling to take a little time and awaken that which has been put on hold for a little while now.”

Before visiting the museum, students also participated in a half-day workshop with Donna Wissinger, a professional flutist and artist-in-residence. She instructed them on how to integrate the arts in their future classrooms through an interactive workshop that incorporated dance, visual art, movement and drama. The purpose of Wissinger’s presentation was to help the students reawaken their own possibly latent creativity and to become more comfortable with the arts.

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SPC Night at Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art March 21

On Thursday, March 21, 6-8 p.m., SPC students, faculty and staff are invited to SPC Night at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at the Tarpon Springs Campus.

The event is free with student or employee ID and will feature museum tours, pizza, activities, music and more.

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LRMA annual Stone Crab Fest set for Oct. 20

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will hold its annual education fundraiser for all ages, Stone Crab Fest, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Tarpon Springs Yacht Club at 350 N Spring Blvd.

Live music will be provided by the DeLei’ed Parrots. Dress is casual (tropical) and there will be a cash bar.

Tickets are $55 per person in advance and $65 per person the day of the event. For reservations and further information, contact the museum at (727) 712-5229 or visit www.spcollege.edu/museum.

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Artists’ Market Oct. 13-14 at LRMA

Thirty local artists will be featured at the Artists’ Market Oct. 13-14 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

Hours are Saturday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the museum, 600 Klosterman Road at the corner of Klosterman and Belcher Roads., Tarpon Springs.

Original artwork including wearable art, paintings, prints and more will be on display for sale. A portion of the proceeds will support the education mission of the museum. New this year: learn about the creative endeavors of local art and cultural groups, which have been invited to share their information and browse through the Art Book Nook, a collection of gently-used, beautiful art books donated for resale.

Added to an already terrific weekend is the Pinellas Association of Visual Artists member show, displayed in the museum auditorium. Designated artwork will be available.

There is no charge for admission or parking either day. Free docent tours also will be available at 2 p.m. both days. For further information, contact the museum at (727) 712-5762 or visit www.spcollege.edu/museum.

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SPC Night at Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art Sept. 19

SPC students, staff and faculty are invited to an evening of discovery at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 19. Free with student or employee ID.

The event will feature gallery tours of paintings, photography, contemporary glass, fine art crafts and the special exhibition A Modern Legacy: Contemporary Art from the Gulf Coast Museum Collection.

Pizza, soda and chips will be provided.

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LRMA named in Top 100 for architectural design in state

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tarpon Springs Campus

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at the Tarpon Springs Campus has been recognized as No. 46 in the Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places. online competition by the Florida by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida). The competition, which commemorates the organization’s 100-year anniversary, received 2.4 million votes in four weeks.

The museum, which opened in January 2002, was designed by award-winning architect E. C. Hoffman Jr. and built by Creative Contractors, Inc. The 53,000 square-foot building simulates the bow of a ship—a post modernist nod toward Tarpon Springs’ fishing and sponging communities—and is comprised of three buildings in one: the museum, the Ellis Foundation Art Education Center and the Michael M. Bennett Library.

Hoffman Architects, PA was awarded the 2002 H. Dean Rowe Award of Design Excellence by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the design of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

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Larsen named LRMA Acting Director

Ann Larsen

Ann Larsen has been named to a one-year appointment as Acting Director of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

“I’m delighted to be able to serve in this capacity to help the museum and am enjoying working with many of the people I’ve worked with for the past 10 years,” Larsen said. “I’m just wearing a different hat now.”

Since LRMA opened 10 years ago, Larsen has been involved in a number of capacities. She served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for two consecutive terms, as an ex-officio board member on all board committees and more recently as the Museum Store Buyer & Manager.

For more than 30 years, she has worked in arts and non-profit business management. In the arts, she served as Assistant to the Director of the Iowa Arts Council, then Managing Director of Olson-Larsen Galleries (both in Des Moines, Iowa); she later worked as Executive Director of the Minnetonka Center for the Arts near Minneapolis and Executive Director for the Pasco Arts Council. She also served as the Executive Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay.

Larsen received a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Iowa and continued studies in nonprofit management at the University of St. Thomas.

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Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art celebrates 10 years

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art celebrates its 10th year anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 22 with an event from 1 to 5 p.m. that is open to the public and will include:

• Docent tours of the newly installed galleries
• Art activities for children
• Free refreshments and birthday cake
• Musical entertainment
• 2 p.m. book signing and talk with photographer Herb Snitzer, author of Glorious Days and nights: A Jazz Memoir
• 3 p.m. special performance of Bettina Bedwell Rattner: Our Modern World by actress Nan Colton

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Leepa-Rattner Museum in the news

The St. Petersburg Times Sunday’s Latitudes section featured the reinvention of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

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