The Thirty Second Annual Emerald Coast National Juried Fine Art Exhibition

Mattie Kelly Art Center Galleries at Northwest Florida State College presents the Thirty-Second Annual Emerald Coast National (ECN) Juried Fine Art Exhibition! This year's Emerald Coast National includes work by eighteen artists. Artists represented in the 2024 ECN tend to be either emerging artists or established teaching art faculty nationwide. The Emerald Coast National began regionally, and this year's show includes several Florida artists. This year's guest judge was Sarah Knobel, Professor of Art and Art History Department, Co-Chair of Digital Media and Film, St. Lawrence University. With 117 artists applying and over 300 artworks to choose from, the judge saw many strong pieces across a range of styles and media. Eventually, a theme came through to her that we coalesced into the exhibition MKAC Galleries is presenting. ECN has evolved into a mighty national show that fosters the development of educators and learners, and furthermore provides opportunity and support to artists both financially and scholastically, as well as through vital engagement opportunities. We hope to honor both the history and the future of arts and invite you to attend the opening event.  
 
Pareidolia
Dana Donaty
Holzhauer Gallery

We are also opening the solo exhibition Pareidolia, a solo show of selections of the artist Dana Donaty 's large-scale, maximalist paintings from 2000- 2020. Donaty is an accomplished multi-national artist with over fifteen public art installations and numerous exhibitions. She earned her Master of Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In Pareidolia, Donaty paints larger-than-life human figures imposed upon a playground full of tiny fantastical creatures. The narrative speaks to the paradoxes of freedom and equality in an out-of-scale, sometimes absurd, and occasionally magical world.
 
Daytime Programming:
September 5, 2024

Teaching Demos by Dana Donaty in the Marie Snow Greene Fine Arts Building 120, Niceville Campus

Opening:     
Thursday, September 5, 6–8 pm 
Enjoy food, music, chalk art, awards, a live DJ, and contemporary art!
Awards Ceremony Music by DJ Spinzy @spinzy850

MKAC Galleries programming and events are free and open to the public.

Exhibition Dates:
ECN 32: September 5-December 12, 2024. Pareidolia runs until Feb 3, 2025

MKAC Galleries Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
90 minutes before most Mainstage and Sprint Theater Performances

To stay alert to upcoming events at MKAC Galleries, please subscribe to artgalleries@NWFSC.edu.