The second annual Crossroads of Art and Science residency will be presented at the art galleries of the Bower School of Music & The Arts. The presentation will be “Michael Massaro: The Vanishing,” and it will be on display from Feb. 11 to March 17.
On the first day of the exhibition, an artist talk will be held at 5 p.m. at the opening reception. Every year, an artist is given the opportunity to work closely with the science faculty at FGCU’s Vester Marine and Environmental Science Research Station.
Michael Massaro, this year’s artist, will be working with James Douglass, an assistant professor in marine sciences. Massaro and Douglass have been working together over several months, focusing on the role seagrass plays in the ecology of Southwest Florida — thus allowing Massaro to create a large steel sculpture representation of seagrass, which was placed in the FGCU Arts Complex Courtyard.
Art students — under the instruction of Patricia Fay, ceramics professor — have been working with science students to create ceramic interpretations of the organisms that live in seagrass, which will be added to the steel sculpture.
In the FGCU ArtLab Gallery, Massaro will be also creating a large site-specific sculpture that follow the same theme of the exploration of issues surrounding marine ecology of Southwest Florida. An oversized bamboo fishing net and an installation using handmade paper formed from seagrass that has washed up on local beaches will both be included in the sculpture, among many other things.
This project and exhibition are sponsored in part by Alice and Dean Fjelstul; the State of Florida; the Department of State; Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; WGCU Public Media; and the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel.
The ArtLab Gallery is located at the west side of the Library building on FGCU’s main campus at 10501 FGCU Blvd. S. Parking is available in Lot 7 for gallery visitors. Parking passes are available at the information booth at the university’s main entrance.
Regular viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. The ArtLab will be closed for spring break: March 7 to 11.