Above: A visitor views the Meridian Gallery with print displays. Similar works by artists will be in the the silent auction.
The University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery is marking its 40th anniversary with a special exhibition of works from the university’s permanent collection, culminating on September 23, from 7–10 p.m., with Art on the Boulevard, an the inaugural cocktail party and silent auction fundraiser.
The 40th Anniversary Show, on view through September 23, 2017, showcases the UT Permanent Art Collection. Works from the last 40 years of artmaking at the university by notable alumni and current and former faculty are featured alongside unique works by internationally and nationally renowned contemporary artists—including Judy Chicago, Salvador Dali, Zachari Logan, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker, and Audrey Flack, whose paintings are currently on display at the Tampa Museum of Art in the Photorealism exhibit— that were either created while on campus or donated to the University. An additional display of artist prints in the newly dedicated Meridian Gallery takes visitors on a dazzling tour of contemporary art’s important movements.
During the Art on the Boulevard silent auction guests may bid on original prints produced by visiting artists as well as current and former faculty of the UT Department of Art and Design, such as Harold Nosti, Joyce J. Scott, Joe Testa-Secca, Mickett and Stackhouse, William Villalongo, and Sedrick Huckaby.
Event tickets are $40 for one attendee and $100 for two. Each ticket includes admission to the event and an annual membership to the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery. Two-ticket buyers will receive a special bonus, a 2018 Friends of the Gallery print made by the current UT Department of Art and Design chair, Chris Valle. All tickets must be sold in advance of the event.
Each year at Art on the Boulevard, the university will honor one of the gallery’s foundational supporters. This year’s honoree is Joe Testa-Secca, a prolific artist who over his 30-year tenure at the University, rose to chairman of the division of fine art and was instrumental in the creation of the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery for the display of not only UT student works, but notable contemporary artists for the exploration of the UT and Greater Tampa Bay Communities.
The inaugural Art on the Boulevard event is part of a larger 40th Anniversary Year Challenge Grant. A generous local donor to the Scarfone/Hartley and the University of Tampa has challenged friends and patrons of the gallery to raise $15,000 by the end of 2017, pledging to match dollar for dollar up to $15,000 in this challenge grant. All Art on the Boulevard ticket sales and auction proceeds will go toward this challenge grant and to support the educational programming and exhibitions of the gallery.
“We are very grateful that our anonymous donor chose to invest in the gallery in a way that encourages others to deepen their support,” said Jocelyn Boigenzahn, gallery director, and provides the gallery with an incredible opportunity to broaden our art educational reach into the Tampa Bay Community, as it will help support our exhibitions and help us launch new educational programs, such as our Elementary student Spring Break Art Immersion Camp with VSA Florida and the UT Art Therapy program.”
Generous sponsors for this year`s inaugural Art on the Boulevard event are ART® (Art Recovery Technologies) of Tampa and Orlando, Dick Blick® art materials, Fintech® , PAR, Inc., U.S. Trust®, Dr. William and Karen Dalton, Bruce and Jan Ely, Jack and Kathleen King, and Audrie Ranon.
For more information on tickets, sponsorship, or other ways of supporting the gallery, please contact Jocelyn Boigenzahn, gallery director, (813) 253-6217 or jboigenzahn@ut.edu.
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 8,310 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 65 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.