Alachua County Public Schools teachers and employees are now featured artists at the Thomas Center Gallery this season.
A new exhibit opened Friday titled “The Artist in All of Us,” which showcases a variety of pieces created by Alachua County art teachers and other employees.
The show is scheduled to run through Nov. 16 and is located in the Thomas Center’s Mezzanine Gallery, located at 302 NE Sixth Ave.
This is the first year the county schools’ staff exhibition was opened up to all employees of the county schools, not just the art teachers, said Debbie Gallagher, an Alachua County Public Schools curriculum specialist.
“We came in with open arms and invited everyone to participate this year,” she said.
The exhibit features about 50 pieces from more than 20 artists including paintings, drawings, collages, sculptures, mosaics, textile works, photographs and furniture, according to a news release.
One of the custodians does graphite sketches that will be featured in the gallery, too, Gallagher said.
The pieces were chosen for the gallery by a committee of city and county officials who reviewed digital submissions of the artwork in the spring and narrowed it down to about 50 entries, Gallagher said.
Diane Brody, a recently retired Alachua County science teacher, will have three oil paintings depicting nature scenes displayed in the exhibit.
“I was passionate about passing on what I knew as a teacher,” Brody said. “Now I’m passionate about painting the environment to remind people how special and fragile it is.”
Brody worked as a teacher in the state of Florida for 24 years and in Alachua County for seven.
“I’m an environmentalist,” she said. “That’s what drives me as an artist.”
A reception for the exhibition will be held Oct. 4 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Historic Thomas Center.
A version of this story ran on page 9 on 9/18/2013 under the headline "Thomas Center features Alachua County Public Schools staff art"
The Thomas Center Mezzanine Gallery displays work created by Alachua County Public Schools staff for the exhibition “The Artist in All of Us.” The show is scheduled to run until Nov. 16.
