Exhibitions

Kaleidoscope

For centuries, art has paved the way to connect with our inner self, to universally and inclusively allow us to communicate our feelings and emotions. Arts4All Florida proudly presents Kaleidoscope, an exhibition of works created by Arts4All Florida artists of all abilities, including individuals who may confront physical, social, or emotional challenges.

Kaleidoscope, from The Latin word meaning “observer of beautiful things”, conveys symbols of change and growth. In some cultures around the world, kaleidoscopes are tools for mediation and self-reflection. The Kaleidoscope exhibition is a vehicle for each artist, through his or her unique and creative use of color, patterns, passion, and imagination, to evoke an expression of beauty or a moment meant to inspire, empower, uplift, or heal us.

Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

The Beauty of LIfe - Lora Duguay

Lora Duguay has been creative since childhood, but when her life was affected by Post Polio Syndrome, her hobby became her full time career. Her artistic creativity has been focused on the cultural beauty of indigenous tribes, nature, and iconography. Mediums include oil, colored pencil, scratchboard and photography. Her art has been exhibited in various museums and galleries throughout the United States.

Lora is also a member of Arts4All Florida and has participated in the Artist in Residency Program sharing her artistic knowledge with students who have special needs. It is Lora's desire to not only bring pleasure to the viewers eye, but to evoke emotion, memories and pleasant thoughts.

"The pure pleasure is my relationship with the canvas. The ability to portray and emit my own joy, pain, happiness and sorrow through my art frees me to live a life of peace, serenity and spiritual connectivity, unlike anything I have ever experienced. Art thrills me, heals me and is a gift from the Divine, like none other."

Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

Unity

Arts4All Florida is pleased to present “Unity,” an exhibition that brings artwork by artists with disabilities from across the state of Florida to celebrate at DiversAbilities Arts Festival in Tampa, then into the serene halls of the Franciscan Center of Tampa, and finally, into this virtual exhibition. This exhibition is in itself a unification of artist and audience, introducing talented Floridians with people across the world via creative channels and unique opportunities.

In “Unity,” we celebrate together – sharing the ways unity infuses our creativity, connecting us to ourselves more deeply, tying us to each other in community, and interlacing us within nature. These images of friendship and love between families and friends, of personal alignment and realization, and of immersion in nature draw our attention to the ways our artists with disabilities are integrally connected to themselves, our communities and our world.

Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

Reflections - The Art of Wellbeing

Arts4All Florida, in partnership with the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, proudly presents Reflections: The Art of Wellbeing, an exhibition of works created by Florida artists of all abilities, including individuals who may confront physical, social, or emotional challenges. Reflecting on notions of wellbeing, the artists explore themes of beauty, belonging, tranquility, joy, passion, self-expression, inspiration, and empowerment. We hope you enjoy these works.

When: April 7 through June 18, 2023

Where: Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, 829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL

Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

"Bear on Thin Ice" student exhibition

When: February 24 - March 23, 2023

Where: Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Bear on Thin Ice is a visual art project inspired by the plight of the Polar Bear whose habitat is rapidly disappearing due to climate change. After studying the bear’s habitat and behavior, the class chose to depict a bear trapped on a small ice floe. As the bears’ habitat recedes, they travel longer distances to hunt, burning essential calories. When unable to catch their primary food, seals, they are forced to the cities and their garbage.  Trash does not have the fat content to sustain the bears and as a result they are starving.

The papier-mache bear “Frosty” (on view at the Morean) was made from all recycled materials. His armature was formed with Amazon shipping boxes, his muscles made from wrapped and tied plastic bags, and his skin was made from old newspapers. He is filled with yogurt containers and plastic packaging, and his fur is paper clay from recycled paper and salvaged joint compound. His ice floe came from discarded Styrofoam left in alleys.

It is the hope of the young artists who created this project that we take the steps necessary to save our polar icecaps, our bears, and ultimately, ourselves. 

Northeast High School, class of Angela Shotts.

Teaching artist: Yarrow Reis

Intuitive Abstractions by Cheryl Kinderknecht - 3D virtual exhibition by Arts4All Florida

View the Exhibition: Intuitive Abstractions by Cheryl Kinderknecht. Created by Arts4All Florida. Arts4All Florida is featuring solo exhibitions by member artists with disabilities from its Artist Registry. "Intuitive Abstractions" features mixed media and acrylic paintings by Cheryl Kinderknecht. Kinderknecht is a visually impaired mixed media artist and painter who resides on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Part of a large creative family, artistic expression of one kind or another has always played an essential role in her life journey. Learn more about Cheryl Kinderknecht and view her amazing “Intuitive Abstractions”.

Trust & Transformation at the Circus

MoFA’s 2022 exhibition, “Trust & Transformation at the Circus,” asked viewers to “marvel at the feats of wonder and expand their understanding of the circus as a space in which athleticism and ambition, daring and dedication, and precarity and persistence unite . . . to inspire awe.”

In turn, Arts4All teaching artist, Raymond Jimenez, and classroom teacher, Marsha Rockhill, challenged students to respond to the multi-media exhibition after sharing MoFA images and videos of circus performers. Jimenez asked the young artists to portray what “circus” meant to them and guided them as they created realistic posters and abstract paintings. Using colored pencil and watercolor, they drew artistic lines and shapes and developed the works with lively color. The students were encouraged to work freely and be as “fantastical, realistic, or abstract” as they wanted. In the end, “the students became ringmasters of their own imaginations,” says Jimenez.

If you would like to view the exhibition, please click here.

Camoflage and Collaboration

"Inspired by the virtual exhibition "Biological Futurism" at the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, the students' work reflects on nature and draws from their own personal experiences and instincts. Through collaboration, they created works that are imbued with each of their own individual personalities and sensibilities, much like in an ecosystem where every life contributes to the whole. Students learned about the artistry in biological life, such as how the octopus can blend, and that the moth uses camouflage to survive. Like them, the students used colors and images to reflect their world, yet still show part of themselves. They have learned to not be afraid to evolve messily if necessary, especially when it comes to art."

To see the entire exhibition, click here.

Exceptional Creativity

Art inspires us. Art connects us. Art is a universal means of expression regardless of who we are or where we come from. Arts4All Florida, in partnership with the University of North Florida, invites Florida artists of all abilities in creating a more inclusive world through the arts. As we say, creativity knows no bounds. Let your inner voice shine. Be Exceptionally Creative!

"Who Me?" by Lora Duguay

Virtual Closing Reception August 26, 2021

University of North Florida, Lufrano Gallery

The virtual exhibition can be seen here.

Voices & Visions

For 40 years Arts4All Florida has served as the leading resource on access and inclusion in the arts! Creating connections to and through accessible arts has left an indelible mark on the landscape of diversity and inclusion throughout Florida.

"Vision in Braille" by Carol Murphy

The Voices & Visions Exhibition demonstrates our growing partnerships and local community impact with one of Florida’s acclaimed galleries, the Alliance for the Arts Lee County. From aspiring artists to accomplished artists of all abilities, this exhibition gives “voice” to our unique and distinctive stories and experiences through the lens of artistic expression.

From high-tech artistic application to mixed media, watercolor, acrylics, and pen and ink, from abstract works to realism and humorous cartoon like pieces, you’ll experience the depth of diverse backgrounds and emotions brought to light through these amazing artists and their works of art.

Please click here to see the prize winning works of art.

The virtual exhibition can be seen here.

Arts4All Florida celebrates its 40th anniversary with the statewide juried exhibition, “Forty 4 Forty.”

Artwork is on exhibit at the Florida State Capitol, 22nd Floor Gallery from January 11 through July 31, 2021.

Please click here to see the program flyer.

Click here to see the 3-D virtual exhibition.

For four decades, Arts4All Florida has provided programs that make it possible for people of all abilities to contribute to the social, cultural, and economic life of Florida. With art instruction, cultural experiences, exhibitions and art shows, online coaching, teacher trainings, and career courses, Arts4All Florida increases artistic expertise, fosters creativity, encourages social skills, imbues confidence, teaches marketable skills, and provides innovative ways of communicating.

Artists featured in this exhibition exemplify the longevity, scope, and impact of Arts4All Florida. The exhibition showcases Arts4All Florida Registry Artists, Teaching Artists, Student Artists, and artists throughout Florida who support the goals and mission of our dynamic organization.

The LaBelle Group on Paper

Throughout history, artists have shared ideas among their circles of artists, writers, and thinkers. Picasso joined fellow creatives at the famous Café Quatre Gats in Barcelona and later at his Paris studio. English artist Vanessa Bell along with her sister, the writer Virginia Woolf, and other writers, poets, and artists formed the Bloomsbury Group. The poet, T. S. Eliot, found camaraderie in literary friendships in London. These clusters of artists produced some of the most inventive art of their time.
Like those who came before them, the LaBelle artists in ESE teacher Augusta Ross’s class engaged in art-making in Hendry County, Florida. They learned how art is connected to historical movements. They explored different media. They practiced techniques of 20th-century luminaries Vanessa Bell, Pablo Picasso, and T.S. Eliot.

Please click here to see the exhibition.

We All Need Each Other

The works displayed here represent creative talents of students of all abilities from across the State of Florida. These young artists answered our call for art that emphasizes essential relationships and that reflects diversity and inclusion. Enjoy these perceptions of aspiring artists. Their work brings into focus our vision to create a world in which arts are universally accessible.

Please click here to see the exhibition.