Crisp-Ellert Art Museum to host Arc photography exhibition

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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (10/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Dr. William Abare, President of Flagler College, and Kathy Jackson, Executive Director of The Arc of the St. Johns, are pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of photographs by men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The exhibition will be on view December 6-7 at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum at Flagler College, with an opening reception during the Holiday Art Walk on December 6, 2013 from 5 to 9 p.m.

The extraordinary exhibit, "Unaffected Vision: Free to See Beautiful," is the culmination of a 2011 grant through the Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert Visual Art Appreciation and Visual Art Education Fund, awarded by the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.

"It is wonderful to be able to exhibit the works of these talented individuals," said Julie Dickover, Director of the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum. "We are thrilled to be able to further promote this special collaboration between Flagler College students and the staff and participating members of The Arc of the St. Johns."

At the beginning, this special project, "Through Our Own Eyes", focused on 12 individuals from the Arts Program at The Arc of the St. Johns. Funding from the grant was used to purchase cameras for each of the participating individuals, for field trips, and processing and framing works included in the exhibition. In 2012, artist Thomas Carey was awarded with an individual artist grant from the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida in order for him to continue his education and love of photographic art.

Members of the student photography club at Flagler College acted as mentors in the early stages of the project. Flagler College student Sarah Williamson worked with The Arc's director of Adult Education & Training Mary Williamson, to direct the project and assist the participating individuals in developing this beautiful body of work.

In order to recognize the significance of the project and the accomplishments of the artists involved, Sylvi Herrick, Arc Board Member and Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Art and Design at Flagler College, has curated the exhibition in collaboration with the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum.

"The partnerships here are representative of the community's respect and recognition for the inclusion of individuals with IDD in every way possible," said The Arc's Kathy Jackson, who applauded the individuals, staff members, and volunteers for making the project happen.

For further information about the exhibition please contact Julie Dickover at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum at 904-826- 8530 or crispellert@flagler.edu or Neal Benson, Director of Marketing and Development, The Arc, 904-824-7249 or nbenson@arcsj.org.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.