The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, welcomes back one of Ocala’s most beloved holiday displays. On view Nov. 2-Jan. 12, “A Dickens Christmas: The Urban Family’s Holiday Exhibition” features themed trees and much more from the collection of Ocala cardiologist Dr. Paul Urban, his wife, Joyce, and daughters, Katie, Kristie, Kassie and Karlie.

Joyce Urban’s love of Christmas began when she was a child in the city of Philadelphia. Every year she would go see the elaborate decorations at the department stores set up along the path she walked as she went to see Santa. This wonder of Christmas has stayed with her through the years. She began publicly displaying her collection in 1989 because she wanted to provide a place for children of all ages to come experience what she did as a child. Over the years, her Christmas Tour has raised money for many local charities including Harvest International, Interfaith, Pilot Club, Women’s Pregnancy Center and the Counseling Resource Center where she worked as a counselor. In 2012, Joyce opened Urban Counseling where she continues her legacy of helping others.

The Urban family is honored to loan a portion of their Christmas collection to the Appleton during the holiday season. Visitors can look forward to beautifully themed trees, the popular Dickens Village miniature, an extensive nutcracker collection, handmade Santas from around the world and much more. The display is different every year!

Adorning the second floor of the museum are trees decorated by community groups and organizations. Participants include Appleton Artspace, Better Together, Bridge to Hope, CAMPUS USA Credit Union, College of Central Florida, East Marion Elementary, Hands Up Communications with LN Signs and Greater Marion County Association of the Deaf (GMCAD), Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Humane Society of Marion County, North Central Florida Media and Urban Counseling.

Visit the museum on the December 7 Free First Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., for the annual Holiday Community Day. Enjoy free admission all day to see “A Dickens Christmas: The Urban Family’s Holiday Exhibition,” as well as other holiday displays and special exhibitions. Make festive crafts in the Artspace, and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., have your picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy Face Painting by Tonya. All activities are free. The Donut Express and Little Red’s Chicken & BBQ food trucks will be on-site throughout the day. This Free First Saturday/Holiday Community Day is sponsored by the Urban family, CAMPUS USA Credit Union, Marion Cultural Alliance and National Endowment for the Arts.

If you’re searching for the perfect holiday gift, an Appleton Museum of Art membership truly is the gift that gives all year. A variety of membership levels are offered to fit the needs of every individual, couple or family. Visit AppletonMuseum.org for membership details. We also invite you to visit the Appleton Store any time with no admission fee to find unique gifts for all ages including artist-made jewelry, art books and activities for adults and children, holiday greeting cards, home décor, fine glassware and more.

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program. Free First Saturdays are supported in part by CAMPUS USA Credit Union, Marion Cultural Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Contact CF Manager of Marketing and Public Relations Lisa McGinnes at 352-873-5800, ext. 1565, mcginnel@cf.edu or CF Marketing, Public and Community Relations Director Rachel Cote at 352-873-5800, ext. 1374, coter@cf.edu. The Ocala Campus is located at 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala, Fla. 34474-4415, 352-873-5800. The Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus is located at 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto, Fla. 34461-9026, 352-746-6721. The Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus is located at 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland, Fla. 32626, 352-493-9533. The Hampton Center is located at 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, Fla. 34475-6456, 352-873-5881 and the Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, Fla. 34470-5001, 352-291-4455. For additional information, visit College of Central Florida at www.CF.edu. Topics and concepts presented at this event are for discussion purposes only and are not intended to espouse, promote, advance, inculcate, or compel individuals to believe the topics or concepts presented therein. Nor do they constitute endorsement of such topics or concepts by the College of Central Florida, its Board of Trustees, or any of their officers, employees or agents.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, presents “Transformational Gifts: Recent Acquisitions (2019-2024),” on view Oct. 19, 2024-Feb. 2, 2025.

More than 99% of the Appleton’s encyclopedic collection consists of gifts, including 6,000 works donated in just the last five years. These generous gifts of art enrich the cultural and educational landscape of our community and come from a variety of sources, beginning with Arthur I. Appleton and continuing through contributions from institutions, collectors and community members. With a collection now exceeding 24,000 world-class works, the Appleton serves as a bridge, connecting individuals to diverse cultures and histories from around the globe. The collection spans centuries and continents, featuring an expansive range of art and artifacts from ancient to contemporary.

“Transformational Gifts” features approximately 200 recent additions, acquired between 2019-2024. The works span a vast 5,000 years, with notable names such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Charles Ephraim Burchfield, Ansel Adams, Jim Dine, Louise Nevelson, Käthe Kollwitz, Joan Miró, James Rosenquist, Genryusai Seiya, and many others.

“Gifts make up the very fiber of the Appleton Museum of Art,” said Jason Steuber, Appleton director. “The museum was established in 1982 with Arthur I. Appleton’s foundational collection of about 5,000 works, and the museum itself was built on 44 acres of land donated by the City of Ocala. Over the years, generous donations and acquisitions have grown the collection exponentially, and we’re excited to present these important works on view at the Appleton for the first time. We invite the community to explore how these gifts continue to enrich the present while shaping the future.”

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program. Free First Saturdays are supported in part by CAMPUS USA Credit Union, Marion Cultural Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, was founded and funded by World War II Navy veteran Arthur Ivar Appleton. Before establishing and opening Ocala’s world-class art museum in 1987, Appleton had achieved the naval rank of lieutenant and returned to serve as president of Appleton Electric Company in 1947. The Appleton Museum proudly upholds our founder’s vision of supporting military service by offering a unique year-round program of free admission for U.S. veterans.

This summer, the Appleton participated in the Blue Star Museums program once again. From Armed Forces Day (May 18) through Labor Day (Sept. 2), the Appleton welcomed 675 visitors under the Blue Star Museums program. This annual initiative is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America. Working to connect the military with their communities in making them feel welcome, participating museums provided free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.

“Reinforcing the museum’s unwavering commitment to service personnel, in 2020 the Appleton established its venerable Community Heroes program,” said Jason Steuber, Appleton director. “Year-round, state of Florida health care professionals, first responders and educators with a valid work ID receive free admission to the museum.”

Since January 1 of this year, more than 600 individuals have taken advantage of this program, which is a heartfelt thank you for their leadership, lifesaving work and dedication to keeping communities safe.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

The College of Central Florida, in partnership with the City of Ocala, will host a special naming ceremony dedicating a Humanities and Social Sciences classroom in memory of Ira Holmes. The event, originally scheduled for Oct. 8, now will take place Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at the Ocala Campus, Building 8, 3001 S.W. College Road.

The beloved professor, who passed away on June 9 at age 90, joined the CF faculty in 1962. He started the Ira Holmes International Film Series more than 60 years ago to share his lifelong passion with the community. The newly named Ira Holmes Classroom is the location for series film screenings open to CF students and the community.

Holmes, known for his love of art, travel, lifelong learning and cultural studies, led more than two dozen study tours to Europe. He was one of the first members of the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board, serving more than 40 years and assisting with numerous landmark projects including the Reilly Arts Center and Marion Theatre renovations. Just a few days before his passing, the City of Ocala was preparing a proclamation recognizing Holmes’ years of service.

At the 5:30 p.m. event, CF President Dr. Jim Henningsen will deliver dedication remarks, and Ocala City Manager Pete Lee will present the City of Ocala proclamation. At 6 p.m., Ira Holmes International Film Series director Wendy Adams will lead the sharing of memories plus a special presentation by Holmes’ daughter, Amanda Concha-Holmes, and at 7 p.m., the 2024-2025 series will kick off with a screening of “The Seventh Seal.” The 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film was selected by Holmes as “a message of hope for us all.”

RSVP requested at CF.edu/Ira.

On view through Jan. 26, 2025, in the second-floor Preview Gallery, the exhibition is drawn from the Appleton’s extensive photography collection. Seventeen gelatin silver prints and one color photograph highlight the individuality of the subjects – including rare and intimate portraits of Marlon Brando, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin – as well as the distinctive artistic perspectives of the photographers. Artists on exhibit in “Striking Poses” include Mary Ellen Mark, Anne Noggle, Abigail Perlmutter, Berni Schoenfield, Bert Stern, Brett Weston and Edward Weston.

“With photographers who are just as fascinating as their subjects, we are pleased to present these compelling works, along with some interesting backstories uncovered during the process of organizing the show,” said Victoria Billig, Appleton assistant director.

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program. Free First Saturdays are sponsored in part by CAMPUS USA Credit Union and Marion Cultural Alliance.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.