The Gallery Group at The Art Institute of Jacksonville will host the opening reception for the exhibition of local artist Dustin Harewood’s Recent Portraits on Thursday February 11, 2009 from 5 PM to 7 PM.
The Gallery Group is a focus group of graphic design and interactive media students responsible for curating, installing and advertising exhibitions throughout the school year. Students develop a concept, research artists and curate each exhibition with the intention of further defining the relationship between “fine art” and design.
Dustin Harewood’s large-scale portraits explore the complexity of the common gaze; a gaze that can magnify both expression and vacancy. These never-seen-before works are a shift from the popular abstract paintings that have become a signature of Mr. Harewood.
“For the past six months I have worked on a show of portraits. All information that I have deemed unnecessary has been removed. The result is an isolation and examination of the most important and expressive part of the human body: the head,” said Harewood. “The people I have chosen to draw have all fascinated me at one time or another. Some are well known celebrities while others are local artist, who in my opinion should be considered just as important,” added Harewood.
Harewood is a graduate of North Carolina Central University where he received his Bachelors of Arts in Illustration and Graphic Design. Upon graduation, he continued his education at The University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing. Harewood is currently a Professor of Art at Florida State College of Jacksonville.
The opening reception will include light refreshments and an opportunity for those in attendance to speak with Harewood about his work. The works will be displayed in The Art Institute of Jacksonville Gallery from February 11, 2010 through March 22, 2010. The Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 AM until 8 PM and Saturdays from 9 AM until 4 PM.
For more information on The Art Institute of Jacksonville, please visit www.artinstitutes.edu/jacksonville or contact Kathleen Holland at [email protected].
For more information on Dustin Harewood’s Recent Portraits Exhibition or the Gallery Group, please contact Tonya Lee at [email protected].
The Art Institute of Jacksonville, a branch of the Miami International University of Art & Design, is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals.