Hand Art Center

Reception | Margaret Bourke-White’s Soviet Photographs (1930-1932)
2024-03-14 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Curated by Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva

Save the date: Curator’s Talk on March 27, 6 pm

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Margaret Bourke-White's Soviet Photographs (1930-1932)
2024-03-12 00:00 - 2024-03-28 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Exhibition Curated by Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva

Reception on March 14, 6-7 pm

Curator’s Talk on March 27, 6 pm

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Artist and Curator Gallery Talk with Luca Molnar and Katya Kudryavtseva
2024-02-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Open Dialogues Film Series and Discussion: Stories from the LGBTQ Community
2024-01-27 14:00 - 15:30 | Rinker Auditorium, 345 N Woodland Blvd, Deland, FL, United States
Community Trailer

Located in Room 108 of the Lynn Business Center at Stetson University

Spring 2024 Exhibition Reception
2024-01-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
The Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center invites you to the opening reception of two Spring 2024 exhibitions: The Beauty of Politics: Oscar Bluemner and Luca Molnar, curated by Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva, and Meditations of Life and Death: Kimberly Riner.

Left. Kimberly Riner. Detail of Allegory of a Still Life. Ceramic, video.Right. Luca Molnar. Hot Strike Summer (2023). Oil on wood, 40 in. x 30 in.

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Beauty of Politics: Oscar Bluemner and Luca Molnar
2024-01-16 00:00 - 2024-03-23 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Luca Molnar. Hot Strike Summer (2023). Oil on wood, 40 in. x 30 in.

Curated by Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva

Featuring Luca Molnar and works by Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection

Reception January 26, 6-8pm

Gallery Talk February 21, 6-7pm

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Meditations of Life and Death: Kimberly Riner
2024-01-16 00:00 - 2024-03-02 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Kimberly Riner, detail of Allegory of a Still Life (2018), ceramic, video.

Reception and Gallery Talk on January 26, 6-8pm

Statesboro, GA, based artist,  Kimberly Riner, creates mixed media ceramic installations exploring death and mortality.  Reinterpreting the vanitas genre – a genre that flourished in the Netherlands in the late 16th, early 17th, century as a metaphor for the meaninglessness of earthly life and transient nature of earthly goods and pursuits.  Translated from the Latin word meaning vanity, hallmarks of this artistic genre include depicting symbols associated with death and the futility of earthly pleasures. Employing classical iconography, such as skulls, timepieces, fruit, and flowers in contemporary fashion, Riner comments on 21st century vanitas to allude to the transient and cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Riner’s current body of work serves as a commentary on the self-admiration running rampant in our society.

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Relax ✳ Reset ✳ Let Loose
2023-11-17 12:00 - 16:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Join us at the Hand Art Center Patio to unwind with creative outlets and de-stress before finals! Draw, paint, write poetry, or play with kinetic sand! Also – learn about an upcoming art club!

Artist and Curator Gallery Talk with Mario Saponaro and Katya Kudryavtseva
2023-10-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States

34th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition
2023-10-19 00:00 - 2023-12-02 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Let Joy Resound (2022) by Jodi-Ann Taylor. Oil on canvas.

Counting Crows (2023) by Madison Higgs. Sculptural oil painting.

Award Recipients

Jodi-Ann Taylor – Ann West Hall Award

Bre’Anna Bivens – Friends of the Hand Art Center Award

Madison Higgs – Student Choice Award

Participating Artists

K Mauser

Bre’Anna Bivens

Ciara Kelley

Grant Wolf

Brayleigh Venter

Jane Hutchins

Natalie Thomas

Grace Herzog

Karleigh Pace

Jocalyn Ortega

Marina R. Burgner

Christine Glezer

Yovanna Zuniga

Tierra Thomas

Madison Higgs

Iris Hunt

Danielle Hunt

Jodi-Ann Taylor

Ariana Klein

Grace Gdaniec, guest juror

Guest Juror

Grace Gdaniec is a south Florida based artist and arts professional with experience curating contemporary art exhibitions, developing arts educational programming, and supporting artist studios since 2015. With a highly creative and artistic background, she has made sure that art has been a part of her life in many capacities. Grace is currently the Program Director at Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach, a project of the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. At Arts Warehouse she is lead curator organizing contemporary art exhibitions with a variety of themes and mediums, showcasing artists diverse in their backgrounds and their work. The position also supports the resident studio artists during their residency at Arts Warehouse. Grace has been invited to jury several shows including most recently the 37th Annual All Florida Exhibition in 2023 hosted by Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, FL. Before joining the team at Arts Warehouse, Grace was the Director of Programming of Bailey Contemporary Arts in Pompano Beach, FL. Grace holds a BA in Studio Art with a minor in Art History from Stetson University in Deland, FL.

“It is an honor to be reviewing work by Stetson University students for the 34th Annual Juried Exhibition, with a particular excitement due to it being my alma mater. When selecting art for group exhibitions, I look towards diversity in mediums and themes. A piece of art stands out to me if it has impactful visual presence, a sense of intention, and the evident skills and technique. I will be looking for work that utilizes materials in new or unique ways and that encourage the viewer to take a closer or longer look. I hope that the piece may teach me something about a person – their history, culture, thought process. With that said, classic motifs such as still life or landscapes, perhaps with a twist, draw me in easily.I look forward to viewing the submissions and seeing what the new generation of artists is creating at a time when developing their artistic style and practice is encouraged.”

Overcoming the Unknown
2023-10-19 00:00 - 2023-11-21 23:59 | Gallery duPont, 134 E Minnesota Ave, DeLand, FL, 32724, United States
Deland High School Art Show

Curator: Grant Wolf

Art Professors: Bryan Carson and Kristan Kinsella

Artists featured at Gallery DuPont: Amanda Brown, Layla West, Clayryss Gonzalves, Allison Gomez, Karissa Kelley, Grant Giddens, Mia Lopez, Ryan Canol

Artist featured at the Hand Art Center: Libby Thomas

Art Talk by Madison Creech
2023-10-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Fried Fruit Gallery and other DIY Exhibition Spaces

Image courtesy of Madison Creech.

Madison Creech is a Lecturer of Art & Art History at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She holds an MFA in fibers from Arizona State University and a BFA and BS in textile, merchandising, and fashion design from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has served as faculty associate at Arizona State University, instructing surface design and served as Visiting Assistant Professor and the Brown Visiting Teacher-Scholar at Stetson University teaching digital art and textile art courses. Creech was the 2018-19 Fountainhead Fellow in the Department of Craft and Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Creech has held residencies at Praxis Fiber Digital Weaving Lab in Cleveland, Ohio, Metro Community College Prototype Lab in Omaha, Nebraska, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Texas, and Techshop in Chandler, Arizona. Her work has been widely exhibited across the country, and she has been the recipient of several distinguished awards, including the Juror’s Award from the ARC Gallery’s Frayed exhibition in Chicago, IL, the Rudy Turk Award for History in American Craft from ASU, and the Mary Beason Bishop and Francis Sumner Merit Scholarship from the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. She co-founded Fresh As Fruit Gallery in DeLand, FL, and currently co-runs Fried Fruit Art Gallery in the Cargo District in Wilmington, NC.

Ann West Hall Endowed Visiting Artist Lecture

Reverberations of Belonging: Open forum on Gender and Sexuality
2023-10-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Gallery tours available from 11 am to 2 pm

Poster by Ann-Marie Willacker

Community discussion co-moderated by:

Harlo Miner (she/her) is a parent of 4 children, public servant and veteran. She served as a Naval Aircrewman in the United States Navy and currently works as a Child Protective Investigator for the Department of Children and Families. Originally from Chicago Illinois, she has recently moved to DeLand.

Rajni Shankar-Brown, PhD, (she/aval/they) is an internationally renowned scholar-educator, artist, writer, human rights and eco-justice activist. Her published collection of poetry Tuluminous has been praised as “a marvelous and meaningful testimony of the power of language to heal and transform” by the Presidential Inaugural Poet, Richard Blanco, and Rajni is described as the “Poet Laureate of the just society” by NYU’s Moral Courage Project Founder, Irshad Manji. She serves as the President of the National Coalition for the Homeless Board and is the Jessie Ball duPont Chair of Social Justice Education and Director of the Asian Studies Program at Stetson University. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Catalyzing Equity, Justice, and Social Change. Her recently published education book series includes Bending the Arc Toward Justice: Equity-Focused Practices for Educational Leaders and Re-Envisioning Education: Affirming Diversity and Advancing Justice, along with environmental justice and artivism (art + activism) books in progress. In addition, she is a grateful Amma (means “Mom” in her first language, Tamil) who loves sunflowers and masala chai.

Justin Quaid Grubb (he/him) is from Bloomington, Indiana. An Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Stetson University, Grubb earned an MFA (2021) in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a certificate in Collegiate Teaching in Art & Design and a BFA (2019) in Ceramics from the IUPUI Herron School of Art & Design. Grubb has exhibited in collaboration with Jimmy Rhea for WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE, BUT WE DON’T ALWAYS SCAN (Lamar Gallery, Pensacola State College, 2022) and Marita Chustak for Coextensive Matter (Eskinazi Fine Art Center, Herron School of Art & Design, 2019). Following his graduate thesis exhibition, Mars is for Fags (RISD Grad Show 2021, WaterFire Arts Center, Providence, RI), Grubb was invited to participate in the 2021 Tsinghua International Conference on Art & Design’s virtual postgrad exhibition ASK: Our Diverse World (Tsinghua University, Beijing, China). Furthermore, he has participated in a number of group and juried exhibitions including: B22: Wiregrass Biennial (Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL), the 24th Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition (San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, 2022), Off Center (Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA, 2021), Afterlight: Online (Field Projects Gallery, New York, NY, 2021), and Onyx + East (Harrison Gallery, Indianapolis, IN 2019). Justin Quaid Grubb’s first solo exhibition, SURVIVING THE WILDS OF THE PANHANDLE (TAG, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL) opened in September of 2022, followed by ALL-AMERICAN AND VERY DOWN TO EARTH (Good Children Gallery, New Orleans, LA) in November 2022.

Art Lecture by Noel McCleaf
2023-09-23 14:00 - 15:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Noelle McCleaf posing by her work at the Hand Art Center (2023). Photograph by Grant Wolf.

Noelle McCleaf is an artist who explores themes of memory, relationship, and identity in the landscape of South Florida. In this lecture, Noelle will discuss current and past art projects, including works currently on display at the Hand Art Center, such as prints from the series Erma and Milly and Noelle’s contribution to A Yellow Rose Project.

Born and raised in Virginia, Noelle received her BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design and her MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, both with a concentration in Photography. Her work has been shown in national and international exhibitions, including at the Camden Image Gallery in London, The Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, and at the Slow Exposures photography festival in Zebulon, Georgia. Publications that have featured her work include Blink Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Southern Glossary, Accent Magazine, Feature Shoot, Lenscratch and Plates-to-Pixels.

She currently lives and works in Venice, Florida as an exhibiting artist and Full Time Faculty in Photography and Imaging at the Ringling College of Art and Design.

Portfolio: https://www.noellemccleaf.com

Artworks on view Sept 7 to Oct 14 at the Hand Art Center

Exhibition and lecture sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Exhibition Reception
2023-09-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Ritual (2023) by Sharon Mullings

Join us for the Opening Reception of three Art Exhibitions

The Artist’s Labor: Oscar Bluemner and Mario Saponaro

Curator: Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva

Exhibition Manager: Lily Paternoster

A Yellow Rose Project

Project co-founders: Meg Griffiths and Frances Jakubek

Cuerpo-territorio: Reverberations of Belonging

Curator: Dr. Natália Marques da Silva

Artists: Noelle McCleaf, Sharene Ashley, Bryan Carson, Eve Payor, Nathan Wolek, Terri Witek, Rajni Shankar-Brown, Justin Quaid Grubb, Leah Sandler, Martha Underriner, Matt Roberts, Dylaney R. Sabino and Dominic Addonizio

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Artist's Labor: Oscar Bluemner and Mario Saponaro
2023-09-07 00:00 - 2023-12-07 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Art Exhibition featuring contemporary artist Mario Saponaro and works by Oscar Bluemner (1867-1838) from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection

Curator: Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva

Exhibition Manager: Lily Paternoster

A Yellow Rose Project
2023-09-07 00:00 - 2023-10-14 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Project co-founders: Meg Griffiths and Frances Jakubek

Exhibition documentation by Grant Wolf

Presented at the Hand Art Center as a digital installation with soundscape art by Dylaney R. Sabino and Dominic Addonizio, “A Yellow Rose Project is a large scale photographic collaboration made by women all across the United States.”

In 2019, project co-founders Meg Griffiths and Frances Jakubek “invited artists to make work in response, reflection, or reaction to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.” The resulting body of work honors the legacy of the women’s suffrage movement while highlighting continued social justice work regarding equity, respect, and inclusivity. It is an honor to experience this impactful project – we hope our community in DeLand and across Stetson University will join in the contemplation of the project’s critical interventions and enjoy the work of its talented participants.

Learn more at ayellowroseproject.com

Quotes derived from Meg and Frances’ exhibition statement. Contact us to receive a printed copy in the mail.

Cuerpo-territorio: Reverberations of Belonging
2023-09-07 00:00 - 2023-10-14 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Noelle McCleaf, Miss America (Milly’s Doll Clothes), From Erma and Milly (2019-Present)

More Information Coming Soon

Curator

Natália Marques da Silva

Artists

Noelle McCleaf

Justin Quaid Grubb

Leah Sandler

Nathan Wolek

Eve Payor

Sharene Ashley

Matt Roberts

Terri Witek

Bryan Carson

Martha Underriner

Rajni Shankar-Brown

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Summer 2023 Closing Reception
2023-08-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Last chance to view and celebrate our Summer 2023 Exhibitions:

Squares, Swirls, and Saturations: Oscar Bluemner’s Landscapes

Curators: Sam Berman, Marisa Ingram, Christina Knowles, Natalie Brooks and Beatriz Vossen

Into the Bowl: Curating Toiletpaper Magazine

Curators: Lily Paternoster, Hallie Martin, and Mario Saponaro

Dusting Off: Pieces from the Permanent Collection

Curators: Leah Marisi, Grant Wolf, and Malachi Jimenez

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sam Berman: Orphic Abstractions
2023-08-20 00:00 - 2023-10-12 23:59 | Gallery duPont, 134 E Minnesota Ave, DeLand, FL, 32724, United States

“Magnificent Magnets” with Marisa Ingram
2023-07-28 00:00 - 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Arts & Crafts workshop with artist and educator Marisa Ingram

Design a Bluemner-inspired landscape to keep or give as a decorative magnet. Admission os free and all are welcome!

Slot A: 10:30 to 11:30 am

Slot B: 2:30 to 3:30 pm

Oscar Bluemner's Birthday
2023-07-21 10:00 - 11:30 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Join us for a special celebration of Oscar Bluemner’s Birthday (he turned 156 today!)

Enjoy cupcakes and art activities after making your very own Birthday hat!

Dusting Off: Pieces from the Permanent Collection
2023-05-18 00:00 - 2023-08-25 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Hand Art Center staff and esteemed guests have come together to highlight Stetson University’s permanent collection. In selecting pieces that represent their own perspectives, tastes, and preferred materials, they wove together a unique tapestry composed of artists like Ron Meyers, Gary Bolding, Brenda Star, and Sean Erwin.

Into the Bowl: Curating Toiletpaper Magazine
2023-05-18 00:00 - 2023-08-25 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
It all started with a grand idea. How could we merge a new, post COVID world with art and Stetson University? Answering this question had no clear answer, but we were steadfast in our pursuit. The most important piece was Elsewhere Studio, where the impossible turned possible. The space was cultivated and transformed into a playground for the craziest ideas and absurd imagery. Through all the tribulations of the curation process: original concepts, failures, environmental strife, and sweat induced labour (Queen’s English), we were able to bring the Toiletpaper magazine to this new world, and thus Shower Thoughts was born.

So why Maurizio Cattelan? Cattelan (b. 1960) pioneered a commercial empire while simultaneously maintaining his status as a brand name contemporary artist. Toiletpaper, once described as a “mental outburst” by co-creator Pierpaolo Ferrari, is the epitome of contemporary surrealism: eyes peeking out among the flowers, a skeleton without the meat on its bones, lips that speak different stories.

What is gathered before you is the process of presenting a surrealist wonderland and creative explosion. The imagery is tricky, uncomfortable for some (as the original visitors of the show confirmed), but curated to inspire conversations and bend what we have accepted to be true. Doing so required crafting a careful narrative, accompanied by text, reactions, images from the original exhibition and documentation of install.

We invite you to dive Into The Bowl.

Sponsored by the Lavalle Experimental Learning Fund

Squares, Swirls, and Saturations: Oscar Bluemner’s Landscapes
2023-05-18 00:00 - 2023-08-25 23:59 | Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave., DeLand, FL, United States
Bluemner’s Art is Blooming at the HAND ART CENTER!

Come enjoy the shade of summer in the cool comfort of the Hand Art Center’s Gallery. The Wonderful World of Color is waiting for you – come draw Bluemner inspired cityscapes and make them come to life on our very own magnet wall! Using what you’ll learn from Bluemner, explore the HAC’s Personal Favorites Pieces and participate in our Art Themed Scavenger Hunt!
