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Current Exhibition

The Gadsden Arts Center & Museum is hosting three exhibitions centered on art as a catalyst for conversations about social change. In response to the social ills of the world, artists Mark Messersmith and Carrie Ann Baade have created bodies of work that challenge humanity’s impact, and relationship with, the environmental, sociological, economic, and social climate. In stark contrast to many contemporary artists who have distanced themselves from traditional, representational painting, Messersmith and Baade create richly detailed oil paintings that incorporate traditional techniques, iconography, and symbolism rooted in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque painting.  MFA and BFA Students of Messersmith and Baade attending Florida State University are also exhibiting their own interpretations of art as social commentary in the Zoe Golloway Gallery. 

Carrie Ann Baade

A Foreshadowing of Events

September 28–December 15, 2018
Munroe Family Community Gallery

HELL MOUTH, 2017 by CARRIE ANN BAADE

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Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

View the Exhibition Catalog

With essays by Angie L. Barry, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections. 

Or click here to download a PDF of the exhibition catalog.

Carrie Ann Baade creates imaginative, surrealist meta-narratives detailing her view of the apocalyptic climate the world has adopted due to religious and sexist dynamics. The exhibition, A Foreshadowing of Events, explores mortality through allegories of memento mori and vanitas. Baade’s work uses stories commenting on fears, desires, and introspections. In her original approach, she employs surrealistic collages made of images of people, angels, fire, and animals she has collected for the past decade by cutting them from the reproductions of historical masterpieces. In her “dialogue” with old masters, Baade executes her paintings using old techniques, imitating, subverting, and distorting material reality to pay her tribute and articulate her own vision. This exhibition has given Baade the freedom to experiment in working on a larger scale, and an opportunity to share a number of her works in a gallery space near her work and home.

Carrie Ann Baade was awarded the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Fellowship in 2010, the Delaware Division of the Arts Fellowship for Established Artist in 2005, and was nominated for the prestigious United States Artist Fellowship in 2006 and the Joan Mitchell Grant in 2012. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions: the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, the Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia, Billy Shire Fine Arts in Los Angeles, the Ningbo Art Museum in China, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Florida, and the Galeria Stara in Lublin, Poland.

Past Events

Opening Reception

View Photos on Flickr

Art as Action: A Panel Discussion

A panel discussion considering the impact of art in facilitating thought, discussion, and action regarding social issues, and the specific impact of Mark Messersmith’s art to create awareness of challenges facing Florida’s environment and native cultures. Panel was moderated by Gadsden Arts Curator Angie Barry and include exhibiting artist Mark Messersmith, Viki Wylder of the Museum of Fine Arts FSU, and Janet Bowman from The Nature Conservancy. Included with the price of admission and open to the public, Sara May Love Gallery, 1st floor.
View photos on Flickr. 

Artists Talks

Saturday October 20, 10:30am & 11:30am

In depth Gallery Talk with Mark Messersmith (10:30am): Included with the price of admission and open to the public, Bates Community Room, 2nd floor.
In depth Gallery Talk with Carrie Ann Baade (11:30am): Included with the price of admission and open to the public, Bates Community Room, 2nd floor.

Arts Career Night

Thursday November 8, 4-8pm

College students and emerging art and museum professionals are invited to Arts Career Night at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum from 4-8pm. From 4-7pm, sign up to have your portfolio, CV, and/or resume reviewed by a local arts professional, and then join us for a panel discussion at 7pm focusing on careers in the arts and museums. The galleries and ArtZone will be open throughout the night to view the Art as Social Commentary exhibitions and create your own artwork.