UF’s University Galleries will open its newest exhibit, “Alpha,” today featuring pieces by artist Tony Stallard.
Stallard, a world-renowned artist from England, has worked as an artist for 25 years. He has studied at several schools, including the Wimbledon School of Art, and his work has been featured in various countries across the world, including Finland, Ireland, Canada and Japan.
Stallard said he specializes in public artwork.
“It is the notion of being able to make art in any situation and in any place within practical parameters beyond the confines of a gallery space,” he said. “Art is out in the public domain to be experienced directly by the public.”
“Alpha” will focus on fusing science and art to establish a creative connection between the two, he said. The collection is mainly crafted from bronze, steel and neon light, common materials for Stallard’s pieces.
“Both science and art has its roots in terms of creative energies,” he said. “(The exhibit) will be a window into the creative mind and how it emerges.”
The exhibit will feature a collaborative piece between Stallard and Nicole Horenstein, an associate professor in the UF Department of Chemistry. The piece will feature chemistry equations, drawings and thoughts on a chalk surface, showcasing the relationship between chemistry and creativity.
“Science is a creative discovery process and can be closely allied with art,” Horenstein said.
Stallard started his partnership with UF when he was selected to create a public artwork for the campus’ new chemistry building, said Alexis Schuman, a third-year museum studies graduate student and a graduate assistant at University Galleries. “Fullerene,” which will go up in November, is a stainless-steel fullerene molecule.
“UF has a long history of public art,” Schuman said. “We knew an exhibit on the creative process behind these works would be an interesting avenue to explore.”
University Galleries is a facility of the School of Art and Art History in the UF College of the Arts.
The three galleries it consists of — the University Gallery, the Gary R. Libby Gallery and the Grinter Gallery — are used not only for academic purposes but also for providing the greater UF and Gainesville community with an innovative visual arts experience.
“Alpha” will run until Dec. 6. The exhibit is held in the Gary R. Libby Gallery, which is located adjacent to the Fine Arts Building C.
Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend the gallery’s opening reception today at 5 p.m.
