Florida Southern College
‘Best of Beijing’ Brings Internationally Renowned Chinese Artwork to Central Florida
Artist: Feng Zhengjie
LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2008) — Beginning Jan. 9, 2009, Florida Southern College’s Melvin Gallery will be host to “The Best of Beijing: Contemporary Chinese Art,” a major exhibition of internationally known Chinese artists. It is the first major exhibition of contemporary Chinese art in Central Florida.
The exhibition consists of 38 works by 33 artists, including many of the most famous contemporary Chinese artists. The artists include Li Xiaofeng, Su Xinping, Zhu Wei, Wang Lifeng, Liu Qinghe, Feng Zhengjie, Fu Yuehui, He Sen, Huang Yan, and Li Wei. The works include paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and works in mixed media.
Chinese contemporary art has gained international acclaim over the last decade as Beijing has become one of the most exciting art centers in the world. “The Best of Beijing” represents the first time a major exhibition of contemporary Chinese art has come to Central Florida.
The works in “The Best of Beijing” exhibition were brought to the United States by the Red Gate Gallery, the oldest and most prominent commercial art gallery in Beijing, and the Byron Cohen Gallery of Kansas City, Mo., and were exhibited in conjunction with Art Basel/Miami Beach last month. The works from the Byron Cohen Gallery will be exhibited in the main gallery of the Florida Southern College Melvin Art Gallery until Feb. 5, when they will return to Beijing. The works from the Red Gate Gallery will be exhibited in the Melvin Gallery’s Burks Art Gallery until March 19, after which they will travel to Cologne, Germany.
An opening reception for the Chinese art exhibition, as well as a concurrent exhibition of the works of art teachers from Polk County schools, will begin at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 in the Honeyman Pavilion, adjacent to the Melvin Art Gallery. The public is invited.
The Florida Southern College galleries are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday when the College is in session.
About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive United Methodist-affiliated college with a liberal arts core. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 46 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing.
Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio; is a national leader in engaged learning; and boasts 26 NCAA Division II national championships. It is ranked in the Top 5 “Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South” by U.S. News & World Report and is included in The Princeton Review’s “366 Best Colleges” guide.
The College is committed to the development of the whole student through vibrant student life programs that prepare graduates to make a positive, consequential impact on society.
Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
Melvin Art Gallery
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The Melvin Art Gallery is one of the nicest college galleries in the Southeast. It is operated by the Department of Art and Art History of Florida Southern College. The mission of the Gallery is to exhibit the work of FSC students and to provide exhibitions of both historical and contemporary art that will be stimulating to students and inspire them in their own work. The Melvin Gallery brings truly outstanding exhibitions to Lakeland that are of interest to the general public as well as to students. You are invited to all of our gallery events.
James G. Rogers, Jr., Ph.D
Director, Melvin Art Gallery
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Hours: (When the college is in session)
Monday-Friday,
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Florida Southern College, a private, comprehensive United Methodist college with a liberal arts core, is nationally recognized for the quality of its fine arts programs, a hallmark of the institution since its founding in 1885. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, a distinction for which the campus recently earned inclusion on the World Monument Fund’s watch list of 100 most endangered sites in the world.
Florida Southern College maintains its commitment to academic excellence as evidenced by being ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges — Bachelors and by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s Best 366 Colleges. For students pursuing a degree in the arts, Florida Southern offers bachelor’s degrees in areas such as studio art, graphic design, art education, art history, theatre arts, music education, sacred music, music management and music performance.
This extraordinary campus provides the perfect backdrop for the College’s nationally-acclaimed Festival of Fine Arts, a diverse showcase of world-class performances that runs from fall to spring. The series has been an annual Lakeland tradition for more than four decades and provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the College’s music and theatre arts students to learn from and even share the stage with world renowned performers. The College’s Festival of Fine Arts, Melvin Art Gallery, “Child of the Sun” Jazz Festival, Florida Lecture Series and summer music camps provide for the area community an unmatched resource of cultural enrichment.
Rendering of the Water Dome after restoration---another area on the Florida Southern College campus where arts students will be inspired.
The Robert A. Davis Performing Arts Center consists of Branscomb Auditorium, the Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall, the Loca Lee Buckner Theatre, the Honeyman Pavilion, and the music building addition.
To tour the College’s Frank Lloyd Wright campus, visit http://www.flsouthern.edu/fllwctr/ or call (863) 680-4110 or (863) 680-4597.
The “Child of the Sun” Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Campus is open year round although some buildings are locked when school is not in session and on weekends.
For more information about arts, entertainment and enrichment offerings at Florida Southern College, please visit www.flsouthern.edu and find contact information below.
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