Art and Our Environment

May – December 2026

Zoe Golloway Gallery

This exhibition brings together the work of five distinguished Florida artists,
Beth Appleton, Mark Messersmith, Bob Bischoff, Jesse Aaron, and Bessie Harvey, whose work illuminates our evolving relationship with the natural world. Beth Appleton (b. 1949) creates intricate cut-paper assemblages shaped by a lifetime of observing Florida’s shifting landscapes. Mark Messersmith (b. 1955) is known for his vibrant, layered paintings that merge wildlife, lush vegetation, and human impact into dramatic narratives, often extending beyond the canvas with sculptural frames. Bob Bischoff (1950-2023) became known for creating large, public stained-glass installations with his wife Jo Ann Bischoff. Together, these artists’ work forms a compelling exploration of the beauty, fragility, and resilience of the natural world, inviting viewers to reflect on the connections between art, place, and the environment.

Image: Beth Appleton, Floridala: Two Score, paper collage, 2008, 18 x 18 in

Generations
A Solo Exhibition by Julie Torres

May 15 – July 11, 2026

Sara May Love Gallery, Sarah K. Newberry Gallery

From Tallahassee to the Metropolitan Museum of Art—Julie Miller Torres proves that art can be for everyone, even if you’ve never stepped into a gallery before.

Julie Miller Torres creates work that blends everyday materials with powerful ideas, turning familiar techniques like crochet and weaving into bold, eye-catching pieces. Her art explores themes of freedom and empowerment in ways that are easy to connect with, transforming legal texts and big civic ideas into striking visual stories through her signature “woven screenprints” and “paper quilts.” One of her most recognized works, Super Diva, is a portrait of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and is part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

A Tallahassee native and Maclay School graduate, Torres now lives and works in Atlanta. Her path bridges both art and law—she holds degrees from the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Today, her work appears in major collections including Delta Airlines, the Ritz-Carlton, SCAD, and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

Image: Julie Miller Torres, Dear Harriet, 2023, woven screenprint with cut fabric

Relics and Dreams: Jan Austin-Hicken

June 20 – September 5, 2026

Munroe Family Community Gallery

Jan Austin-Hicken presents an exhibition of assemblages, collages, original hats, and jewelry, reflecting a lifelong devotion to making. Born in Greensboro, NC, and based in Tallahassee since the 1980s, Austin-Hicken draws on decades of collected materials, incorporating handmade papers, treasured fabric remnants, and found objects from her own closets and travels. With a compulsion to create, Austin-Hicken embraces the artistic life she always dreamed of, offering viewers a vibrant, intimate look into her world of material imagination.

Image: Jan Austin-Hicken, Red Series #4, 2025, assemblage, 12 x 12 inches

38^th Annual Art in Gadsden Juried Exhibition

July 24 – September 5, 2026

Sara May Love Gallery, Sarah K. Newberry Gallery, Munroe Family Community Gallery

The Art in Gadsden Juried Exhibition is an annual tradition that began more than three decades ago to promote the work of our region’s artists and bring fine art to families in Gadsden County. Artists living within 200 miles of Quincy, Florida, or former Gadsden County residents, are invited to apply to participate in the 38th Art in Gadsden. This exhibition draws visitors and patrons from across the region each year, showcasing art by the area’s top artists. New and returning, established and emerging artists are welcome to apply.

Applications open: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Applications close: Friday, May 15, 2026, 5PM EST

Image: D. Arthur McBride, Against All Odds, 2023, oil on linen

Joel Thornton

September 12 – December 12, 2026

Munroe Family Community Gallery

Joel Thornton, a Tallahassee-based artist, brings together a vibrant body of work shaped by many years of dedicated practice and ongoing artistic study. Born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Thornton discovered his love of painting in his youth, guided by his mother, who inspired him to create and cultivated his passion for the arts. After setting aside painting to build a career and raise a family, Thornton rediscovered his passion for painting. His paintings span portraits of both iconic figures and people from his everyday life, animals, and vibrant landscapes, all unified by his expressive use of color, attention to form, and deep interest in storytelling.

Image: Joel Thornton, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 2022, oil, 20 x 24 inches

America’s Everglades: Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher

September 25 – December 12, 2026

Sara May Love Gallery

This exhibition presents the most acclaimed body of work by Clyde Butcher, one of America’s foremost landscape photographers, and a leading voice for environmental conservation in Florida. Butcher’s highest accolades include the National Medal of Arts in 2022, the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government, and Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognition in 1998, the highest honor given to an artist by the State of Florida.

Through his monumental images of the Florida Everglades, Butcher captures the quiet beauty, mystery, and resilience of one of the nation’s most treasured natural landscapes. His photographs reveal the delicate balance of life within this vast wilderness, inspiring viewers to reflect on the importance of preservation and the enduring relationship between humanity and nature. Butcher’s work is a testament to the spirit of wild Florida.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the Mosaic Company. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the Mosaic Company. Support for this program is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, celebrating NEA America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes.

Image: Clyde Butcher, Clam Shell Orchid, 2003, silver gelatin fiber-based photograph