The Visual Artists’ Society presents the “Best of the Season” exhibition beginning on Nov. 14 at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 S.W. College Road.

“Best of the Season” will be judged and juried by Janis Brothers, who is a multidisciplinary artist who uses video, installation, sculpture and drawing to explore human experiences. Her inspiration comes from the rural environment and her familiarity with loss and death. Through narratives and haunting aesthetics, her art explores the complexity of these universal themes. The public is invited to the opening reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 5-7 p.m. The gallery opens at 4 p.m. and the exhibit and reception are free.

The “Best of the Season” exhibit has always been a favorite of gallery visitors. The theme of this year’s exhibition is “Artist’s Magical Moments.” Members of the Visual Artists’ Society were invited to create works relating to the theme.

VAS has more than 100 members from all over Marion County and Central Florida including professional and amateur artists, and many of CF’s talented students. VAS exhibits showcase a variety of styles and mediums, including more traditional paintings and photographs, as well as jewelry, sculpture and digital media.

The exhibit will continue through Thursday, Dec. 12. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The gallery is closed Friday through Sunday and college-observed holidays. For additional information, call 352-873-5809.

To learn more about CF, visit CF.edu.

The Homosassa Game and Fish Club presented a check for $4,528 to the CF Foundation for student scholarships. In 2005, the club partnered with the CF Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship for CF students from Homosassa and Citrus County.

“We are so grateful to the Homosassa Game and Fish Club for their annual scholarship support,” said Dr. Vernon Lawter, vice president, Regional Campuses at the College of Central Florida. “Their donation from monies raised through their tournament each year creates opportunities for students to fulfill their dreams and helps build a stronger community.”

The funds presented this year came from the 35th annual Cobia “Big Fish” tournament held in June.  The tournament is organized by a group of dedicated volunteers who not only wish to provide the Nature Coast with an exciting fishing tournament, but also want to raise funds to assist with various community needs and help local nonprofit organizations.

The CF Foundation, founded in 1959, is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that enhances the college’s programs and services through the development and management of private contributions and community partnerships. To learn more, visit CF.edu/foundation.

College of Central Florida Wind Symphony and Choral Ensemble will present a free fall concert on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles R. Dassance Fine Arts Center at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. The Choral Ensemble will present music consisting of well-known folk songs and modern techniques, while the Wind Symphony will perform five pieces of music.

“I have no doubts that this concert will have people talking about our amazing music department for a long time,” said John D. Ash, associate professor of Music and director of the Wind Symphony.

Ash is the director of Bands for CF and has taught music education since 1998 as a high school band director and music teacher. He has received numerous awards, accolades, and nominations, ranging from the Lee County Fine Arts Teacher of the Year, to having several groups perform in state championship performances, and multitudes of other performances. He has performed as the principal tuba for the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, Kingsport Symphony Orchestra, East Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble, Classic Brass Quintet, Emerald Coast Brass Quintet and Virginia Wind Symphony.

“The students have been working very hard on a very unique and varied program of music. I am confident the audience is going to have a fantastic evening,” said Jason Longtin, associate professor of Music and director of the Choral Ensembles.

Longtin is a National Board Certified Teacher, been involved in musical theatre production for 20 years and taught at Lyman High School (Longwood), at Crystal River High School, and at Florida Virtual School. Choirs under his direction have performed throughout the United States, Italy and Switzerland. As a composer, his music has been performed throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Longtin has served on the State Board of the Florida Vocal Association.

Doors open to the public 30 minutes before these Visual and Performing Arts performances. Tickets are not required. For more information, call the CF Box Office at 352-873-5810.

The College of Central Florida is conducting Health Sciences program information sessions on Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m.-noon at the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland. Potential students can stop by to ask questions about any of the CF Health Sciences programs.

Sessions provide details about admissions criteria, program requirements, costs and more, including the limited-access component. While any student meeting minimum criteria is encouraged to apply, not all applicants may be accepted. A point system is used to score all applications. Residents in CF’s service district of Marion, Citrus and Levy counties will receive residency points in the application process.

There is no waiting list for any of the Health Sciences programs and some programs have part-time enrollment options and offer evening/weekend classes.

Upcoming information sessions include:

Nursing (Associate Degree Nursing, Bridge, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing)

• Thursday, Dec. 12, noon-1 p.m. Potential students must attend this session before applying to any of the programs.

Emergency Medical Services

• Friday, Nov. 1, 6-7 p.m.

For information about any of the programs or sessions, call 352-873-5817or 352-854-2322, ext. 1655.

The College of Central Florida invites recent high school seniors and those looking to advance their career to an open house on Friday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Citrus Learning and Conference Center, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto.

Future students are encouraged to stop by and receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for spring semester, which begins Jan. 8.

To apply for financial aid at the event, please bring these documents: Federal Student Aid ID available at fsaid.ed.org; email address; 2017 W-2 and Federal Income Tax Forms (1040, 1040A or 1040 EZ) of you and/or your parents (if you are a dependent student); 2017 untaxed income (Social Security, disability, workman’s compensation, etc.); driver’s license or state ID; Social Security card; spouse or parent’s Social Security number and date of birth.

For Florida residency verification, please bring a copy of your Florida driver’s license and a copy of your Florida vehicle registration or voter’s registration. Students under the age of 24, parent or guardian information is needed.

Additional open house sessions will be held on at the Ocala Campus Friday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Ewers Century Center, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala; and on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse or call 352-746-6721.

The College of Central Florida’s Visual and Performing Arts Department will present an Instrumental Recital on Monday, Nov. 4, at 12:30 p.m. and a Piano and Vocal Recital on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 12:30 p.m. in the Charles R. Dassance Fine Arts Center at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

These recitals will feature piano, vocal and instrumental performances by students who are currently enrolled in CF music classes. Students will perform musical selections ranging from popular to classical to secular.

“CF music students work hard all semester to meet specific performance benchmarks for their level, and performing in front of an audience is a valuable educational experience for them,” said Dr. Allan Danuff, associate vice president of Arts and Sciences. “I hope members of the community can join us in celebrating what they have achieved.”

The doors open to the public approximately 15 minutes before each performance. Call the CF Box Office at 352-873-5810 for more information. Admission is free and no tickets are required.

The College of Central Florida invites recent high school seniors and those looking to advance their career to an open house on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m.-noon.at the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland.

Future students are encouraged to stop by and receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for spring semester, which begins Jan. 8.

To apply for financial aid at the event, please bring these documents: Federal Student Aid ID available at fsaid.ed.org; email address; 2017 W-2 and Federal Income Tax Forms (1040, 1040A or 1040 EZ) of you and/or your parents (if you are a dependent student); 2017 untaxed income (Social Security, disability, workman’s compensation, etc.); driver’s license or state ID; Social Security card; spouse or parent’s Social Security number and date of birth.

For Florida residency verification, please bring a copy of your Florida driver’s license and a copy of your Florida vehicle registration or voter’s registration. Students under the age of 24, parent or guardian information is needed.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse or call 352-658-4077.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, will present the exhibition “Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism Through the French Lens,” Nov. 2, 2019-Jan. 5, 2020.

This extraordinary exhibition, drawn mostly from the collection of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, explores the path to Impressionism through the 19th century in France. The show examines the sometimes complex relationship between French Impressionism of the 1870s and 1880s and the American interpretation of the style in the decades that followed.

More than 65 paintings and works on paper help tell the story of the “new style” of painting that developed at the end of the 19th century — one that emphasized light and atmospheric conditions, rapid or loose brushstrokes, and a focus on brightly colored scenes from everyday life, including both urban and rural settings when artists preferred to paint outdoors and capture the changing effects of light during different times of day and seasons of the year.

“Across the Atlantic” will also feature works by artists whose paintings helped pave the pathway to Impressionism such as members of the Barbizon School including Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Narcisse Diaz de la Peña. Other French painters whose techniques and subjects paralleled those of the Impressionists like Charles-François Daubigny, Leon-Augustin Lhermitte, and Jean-Charles Cazin will also be examined. Many of these artists practiced painting outdoors, en plein air, a new freedom that the commercial availability of tubed paint and portable easels afforded them.

Some of the key artists featured in the exhibition include Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Victor Vignon, Albert Lebourg, among others, who exhibited in the official Impressionist exhibitions in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s. Although familiar and beloved by modern audiences in their own time, the Impressionists were thought of as a rather radical alternative to the traditions of academic painting. The progressive group of artists avoided the official, state-funded Salon in Paris and instead decided to exhibit their works in unconventional displays.

Among the earliest American artists to embrace the style were John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, John Henry Twachtman, Willard Metcalf, Childe Hassam and Frank W. Benson, among others, whose works are included in the exhibition. American collectors and taste-makers were among the first to begin collecting Impressionist paintings.

A host of American artists, many of whom traveled to France around the turn of the century to continue their studies in fine art, embraced the style. Daniel Garber, Edward Redfield, Robert Spencer, Arthur Watson Sparks, Robert Lewis Reid, William Paxton, Chauncey Ryder, Frederick John Mulhaupt and Guy Wiggins, are highlighted.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by Marion Cultural Alliance, Fine Arts for Ocala, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Art Bridges and CAMPUS USA Credit Union.

Opening and Special Events

VIP Opening Reception and Talk
Friday, Nov. 1, 6-8 p.m.

Appleton Director’s Circle members are invited to a VIP reception, followed by a talk at 7 p.m. with exhibition curator Scott Schweigert, Reading Public Museum. RSVP is required. To RSVP or join the museum at the Director’s Circle level, contact Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

Exhibition Talk
Saturday, Nov. 2, 11 a.m.

Exhibition curator Scott Schweigert, Reading Public Museum, will give a free talk about the exhibition. This event is open to the public but does not include entry to the museum.

A Feast Under the Stars, Fundraiser Dinner
Saturday, Nov. 16, 6-9 p.m.

Travel back in time to the world of the Impressionists at this one-of-a-kind fine dining experience under a starry sky at the Appleton. Indulge your senses in the elegance of the scents, flavors and music of the 1890s in this authentically crafted multi-course formal dinner, complete with wine pairings and décor of the era. Black tie or era-inspired dress is encouraged. Tickets are $150 (individual) and $2,500 (table of eight). Tickets available at AppletonMuseum.org.

After Hours Concert Series: Marina Tucker, Imperial String Quartet
Thursday, Dec. 12, 5-8 p.m.

Enjoy a virtuoso string quartet made up of members of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra playing era-appropriate waltzes and other selections from the 1800s. $5 for Appleton members; $15 for nonmembers. Tickets available at: AppletonMuseum.org.

For additional exhibition-related programming and events, visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Owned and operated by 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, will host “Feast Under the Stars,” on Nov. 16, 6-9 p.m.

In combination with the special exhibition “Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism Through the French Lens,” guests are invited to travel back in time to the world of the Impressionists at this one-of-a-kind fine dining experience at the Appleton. They may indulge their senses in the elegance of the scents, flavors and music of the 1890s in this authentically crafted multi-course formal fundraiser dinner, complete with wine pairings and décor of the era. Black tie or era-inspired dress is encouraged.

Funds from ticket sales and those collected during the event will support the museum’s exhibitions and programs.

Tickets are $150 for individual or $2,500 for a table of eight. A full table includes eight tickets to visit the exhibition and a bottle of wine hand-selected by Dave Lewis, Republic National Distributing Company. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and are available at: AppletonMuseum.org.

About the Exhibition

“Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism Through the French Lens” will be on view at the Appleton Museum of Art Nov. 2, 2019-Jan. 5, 2020. This extraordinary exhibition, drawn mostly from the collection of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, explores the path to Impressionism through the 19th century in France. More than 65 paintings and works on paper help tell the story of the “new style” of painting that developed at the end of the 19th century — one that emphasized light and atmospheric conditions, rapid or loose brushstrokes, and a focus on brightly colored scenes from everyday life, including both urban and rural settings when artists preferred to paint outdoors and capture changing effects of light during different times of day and seasons of the year.

The exhibition, events and programming are sponsored in part by Marion Cultural Alliance, Fine Arts for Ocala, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Art Bridges and CAMPUS USA Credit Union. For additional exhibition-related programming and events, visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Owned and operated by 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.