MOFAC Recognizes SFSC Students for Award-winning Art

AVON PARK, Fla.–April 22, 2016–South Florida State College’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) honored the winners of its “Steam Powered Innovation” juried student art exhibition during a reception on April 21.

The awards ceremony recognized drawings, paintings, sculpture, and a range of other artwork students created during their studies in SFSC’s Art Department. The students’ art is on display in MOFAC’s gallery through April 28.

“This exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for our students to show their art in a professional museum and to receive recognition for their fine work,” said Mollie Doctrow, the museum’s curator.

Missy Simpson walked away with the Max Gooding Best in Show Purchase Award for her pencil drawing titled “Kail.” She received $200 for the imaginary rendering of a zebra-like animal with horns in mid-gallop.

Simpson said the students came up with the show’s title, “Steam Powered Innovation,” to capture the theme of advancements in technology as seen through a Victorian-era viewpoint.

Max Gooding, an alumnus of SFSC’s art department, provided $1,000 for 17 awards to students. Gooding, who went on to earn a degree in landscape architecture at the University of Florida, owns a landscape architecture consultancy, the Max Gooding Company, in Naples.

Leighton Skipper won the Max Gooding Purchase Award of Excellence for his watercolor titled “Me Again.”

The Max Gooding Award of Excellence went to A. Juarez for her color pencil drawing, “My Children.”

Four students received the Max Gooding Purchase Award, a monetary award used to purchase exceptional student art pieces for the SFSC Student Art Collection. The winners were Taylor Webb for her acrylic painting “Toucan;” Alexis Drzewucki, for her illustration titled “Forward Movement;” Dylan Whiteman for his graphic design “Self-portrait;” and Andres Armengol rounded out the winners with his poster “Jacaranda”.

Max Gooding Awards of Merit were presented to E. Georgeanne Paris, photography; Janelle Donglasan, and Whitney Williams, pottery; Angelise Reyes, 2-D design; Liz Carroll, acrylic painting; Molly Haney, drawing; A. Juarez and Jose Lopez, graphic design; Taylor Webb, sculpture; Destinee Ellis, printmaking and Destinee Ellis, printmaking.

Cathy Futral, art professor, presented Outstanding Student Achievement Awards to Missy Simpson and Victoria “Tory” Roman, figure drawing; Leighton Skipper, computer graphics; Alexis Drzewucki, drawing; Ian Mack, pottery.

Members of the Tanglewood Art League were on hand to present their fifth annual scholarship award to A. Juarez, for her outstanding range of drawings. Norma Evans, president of the group of retirees with a passion for art, presented Juarez with a $300 check. “We look forward to getting to know you better as you move forward with her art education,” Evans said.

Max Gooding stood by as Doctrow and Futral presented the awards. “I owe a great deal of my success to three amazing women at SFSC,” said Gooding, who presented Doctrow and Futral with plaques, he said, expressed his appreciation for their dedication to teaching. He gave a third plaque to SFSC employee Mary Wolf, who served as a mother-figure to Gooding when he ran up against hurdles on way to earning his Associate in Arts degree at SFSC.

A $50 SFSC Art Alumni Award went to four students: Missy Simpson, Leighton Skipper, A. Juarez, and Taylor Webb.

This year five students were chosen to receive the MOFAC Docent Award, a $50 award that recognizes outstanding service to the SFSC, its Art Department, and MOFAC. The awards went to Leighton Skipper, Missy Simpson, Liz Carroll, A. Juarez, and Ann Louise Abbott.

SFSC’s art students developed the title of the show, promotional graphics, assisted with matting and framing the artwork, and helped install the pieces, Doctrow said.

The 2016 Student Art Exhibit sponsors are Joe and Suzanne Wright, Charles and Anne Reynolds, and the SFSC Foundation.

The show was juried by Joey Sacco, a local artist, former SFSC adjunct art instructor, and a member of MOFAC’s Advisory Committee.

The exhibition will be on view at SFSC MOFAC through April 28. The museum is open to the public on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m., or by appointment for group tours. Patrons of the Wildstein Center may visit the museum one hour prior to matinee and evening performances. For more information, call Doctrow at 863-784-7240.