November 30th Marks the Date for the FGCU 8th Annual Pottery Sale, Empty Bowls Soup Lunch and Senior Project Exhibition

A triple-header of art is being offered at the Arts Complex at Florida Gulf Coast University. Beginning at noon and on going til 7:00pm on Friday, November 30th the courtyard of the Arts Complex will open to pottery and art enthusiasts, holiday gift buyers, and community supporters. The courtyard will be decked out in our holiday finest, music will fill the air and Santa and Mrs. Claus will make an appearance from 4:30 to 5:30 to hear wishes.

Our event begins with the 8th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale coordinated with our partner organization, The United Arts Council of Collier County. For seven years, the FGCU Art Program has partnered with the UAC to produce an annual Holiday Pottery Sale on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. Featuring potters from the Southwest Florida region as well as FGCU faculty, staff and students, the Holiday Pottery Sale provides visitors with a wonderful opportunity to purchase handmade pottery while also benefiting the UAC’s art education programs in Immokalee. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go towards the purchase of art supplies and equipment, and contribute to funding for teachers in after-school programs. This year’s sale will feature pottery by Rinny Ryan, Barbara Haring, Annabelle Johnson, Angela Aradia, alumni student Haley Paula, faculty member Patricia Fay, plus the work of current students in ceramics and sculpture.

This year we are very pleased to offer an additional event to be held during the Holiday Pottery Sale. Empty Bowls is an extraordinary national phenomenon that unites potters, students, restaurants, and food banks to address the needs of the hungry in our local communities. The formula for fundraising is simple and sincere – potters and students make bowls, area restaurants donate soup and bread, and hunger assistance organizations provide education. For a $15.00 donation, visitors to the event will pick out the bowl they like best and fill it with the soup of their choice. After enjoying a “soup kitchen” style meal, the bowl is washed and taken home for use with the knowledge of having assisted needy members of your immediate communities. 100% of the proceeds will be given to Interfaith Caregivers in Estero, and everyone benefits.

The culminating event of the day will be the opening reception for our Senior Project Exhibitions. At the end of their studies, each Art major must complete a senior project in which s/he successfully plans, creates, and executes a body of work that is conceptually strong and technically proficient. The result of these projects are presented in a campus exhibition open to the university community and general public. This semester, Art major Harmony Rio offers a video installation entitled Harmony in Red which examines the relationship between the consumption of landscape and the objectification of the reclining Venus. Her work will be on view in our Printmaking Studio Gallery. Paul Sapito will be exhibiting his collection of work entitled Sovereignty, a digital and watercolor illustration series featuring characters and creatures designed for a fantasy role-playing game.

For information about the Senior Project Exhibitions, please contact Anica Sturdivant at 590-7199. For further information on the pottery sale or the Empty Bowls project, please contact ceramics professor Patricia J. Fay at 590-7229.

Directions to the Florida Gulf Coast University Arts Complex:
From the north (via I-75)
Take I-75 South to Exit 128, Alico Rd. Go east (left) on Alico Rd. for half a mile. Go south (right) on Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy for two miles. Turn left at the stoplight at the main FGCU entrance. After entering campus, follow signs for the “Holiday Pottery Sale/Arts Complex”.

From the south (via I-75)
Take I-75 North to Exit 123, Corkscrew Road . Go east (right) on Corkscrew Road for half a mile. Turn north (left) on Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy ; go three miles to FGCU entrance. Turn right at the stoplight. After entering campus, follow signs for the “Holiday Pottery Sale/Arts Complex”.