An art exhibit at Gulf Coast State College is open to the public, letting the community explore the art world, meet the artist, and learn more about each piece in the exhibit. This exhibition was a vibrant Friday evening in Panama City, where local residents and students gathered to learn and get inspired. 

The Art Exhibit

“The Heretical Body” Art Exhibit of Carrie Ann Baade’s artworks is available to view from February 27 through April 3 at the Amelia Center Gallery (AC112). The gallery talk is a part of the event, allowing the visitors to learn more about each piece, the artistic approach, and to ask any questions directly from the artist. The visitors had an opportunity to learn stories behind the creation of several artists’ favorite pieces, learning the creative process from start to finish. 

The Art Exhibit featuring Carrie Ann Baade was a beautiful event that brought in a large crowd eager to learn more about the art pieces in Amelia Center Gallery (AC 112). 

The Creative Process

As described by the artist, the art pieces are carefully planned, starting with collages. All the collage visual elements get rearranged repeatedly to create a desired composition and then committed to the paint. The planning sometimes just flows, and happens pretty quickly, and sometimes it takes months. 

Several works in the exhibition originated from dreams. Dreams gave an initial idea that was built on to create complex visual narratives with different symbols being brought into the composition. All art pieces have deeper meaning. 

Other pieces came from personal life events or from conversations with close friends, finding inspiration in everything. 

The artist shared that with some art pieces that related to the government,  she did not want to present only one, certain perspective. She wanted to share a more diverse look or opposite sides presented in a piece. That is something the artist took inspiration from the work of an Italian artist.

This event opened an opportunity for the student to learn outside of a traditional educational setting and offers cultural enrichment to all visitors. The Artist Talk lasted approximately 25 to 30 minutes, with an opportunity to ask questions before and after the presentation. 

Arts and Cultural Events

This exhibition is one of many public events hosted at Gulf Coast State College throughout the academic year. Anyone interested in attending

“The Heretical Body” remains open to the public through April 3, giving an opportunity for more community members to experience Baade’s symbol-rich art pieces. Gallery hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Friday.