The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
August 25, 2021
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Two stunning art exhibits are on display at Pensacola State College.
“Dream State,” an exhibit by Mobile artist Lauren Woods, right, is on display in the Charles W. Lamar Studio housed in the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts.
The PSC Art Faculty Exhibition is on display in the Gallery of the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts.
A reception featuring Woods and PSC art faculty will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26.
Woods also will present an Artist Lecture at 3 p.m. Thursday in Room 1513 of the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts. All events are free and open to the public.
PSC faculty members whose work is exhibited are Micah Cain, Anna Cavnar, Todd Duren, Mark Francis, Mark Hopkins, Julie McGrath, Jason Pinckard, Kristen Regan, Jimmy Rhea, Christopher White and Visual Arts Department head Alaina Plowdrey.
Woods, an assistant professor of art at Auburn University, is an artist who explores “concepts of mythic time.” Her paintings, according to her biography, “combine fabricated and observed reality with mutable narratives, much like what happens when we are in a dream state.”
Plowdrey and Woods attended graduate school together at the New York Academy of Art.
“Her work was equally mythical back then but has evolved and matured in a brilliant way,” Plowdrey said. “Her balance of historical narrative, psychological underpinnings and representation of her professional ballet career within the work offers the viewer an immersive experience with the art.”
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Woods is a former classical ballet dancer who uses dancers occasionally in her artwork. An example is in the painting “The Breakup,” left, which is part of the PSC exhibit.
“If you look at the history of dancers, they started off as royalty,” Woods said. “But as they became more female-dominated, their portrayals were degraded.”
She said there is a central theme to her work.
“Basically, I’m trying to understand myself through the creation of personal mythology,” Woods said. “There’s this mythic time of creation and discovery that is outside of the capitalist node of existence.”
The faculty exhibition showcases the expertise and variety of PSC instructors.
“You can tell a lot about a person by their creative expression,” Plowdrey said. “We have an amazingly talented, diverse and passionate group of individuals in the Visual Arts Department, and it shows within their artwork.”
She also praised Pinckard, PSC Gallery Coordinator, for the arrangement of the exhibition.
“His installation gives each faculty member meaningful presence for their work,” Plowdrey explained. “Proper installation of artwork is a delicate dance and he did a phenomenal job.”
Graphic Design program coordinator Mark Hopkins said it important for the College to feature faculty members.
“And it’s important that the work be good,” he said. “I’ve been here for 21 years, and I teach certain things about quality, about studying, about performing and learning new things. This is a way for us to reach people, which is important for potential students and recruiting.”
Lauren Woods’ exhibit “Dream State” is on display through Friday, Dec. 10. The PSC Art Faculty Exhibit runs through Friday, Nov. 12.
— Troy Moon
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Human Resources representative is former sailor who served
in Iraq, Micronesia, Japan and, for some reason, Romania
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Sorry, it just kind of threw us off. We weren’t expecting a U.S. Naval presence in Romania. But Aaron Ryan was there. In fact, the former Navy corpsman and petty officer first class served in a lot of far-flung places across the globe, from Micronesia to Thailand to battle-scarred Iraq.
Ryan, a Pensacola State College alumnus, is now a PSC Human Resources Department representative. In fact, he’s the face you see at the reception area when you walk into HR.
We have to ask. What was the U.S. Navy doing in Romania?
“It was to build a missile defense system," Ryan said of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Deveselu, Romania, which is home to Naval Support Facility Deveselu. “I was there to establish the first medical department and offer treatment to the people stationed there.”
Pensacola was one of his last duty stations.
“I liked it so much I decided to stay here," Ryan said. “It’s a really nice environment.”
Ryan served in the Navy from 2004 to 2018. But even before he left the Navy, he had started taking classes at PSC, enrolling in the Business and Management Program, with an emphasis on Human Resources.
He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree – Human Resources, from PSC in 2018. While a student, he was in the work study program and worked in various offices, including Career Technical Education. He became a Kelly Services employee in October 2020. In July 2021 he was officially hired by the College as a HR representative.
“He has the right foundation to grow into an HR professional," said Tammy Henderson, PSC Human Resources director. “He earned a bachelor’s degree here and the College and has worked in three different departments which will give him a good perspective on PSC.”
Another plus for Ryan.
“He’s a veteran," Henderson said.
Ryan is married, meeting his wife, Ai, in Japan when he was stationed there.
His hobbies include gardening – mostly herbs and a few vegetables – and cooking.
“We were kind of locked down for a whole year so there was an explosion of cooking skills," he said. “I make a killer Cuban sandwich.”
— Troy Moon
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Calling all Pirates! PSC Party at Blue Wahoos game on Sept. 7 |
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It’s going to be a shindig! How can it not be with Wahoos, Shuckers and Pirates in the midst of the festivities?
Pensacola State College Alumni & Athletic Night at the Blue Wahoos is Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola. PSC alumni, boosters, staff, faculty and students are invited to attend the Wahoos’ baseball game against the Biloxi Shuckers.
PSC folks will enjoy the game – and some great food from local restaurants – from the Winn Dixie Party Deck down the right field line.
Tickets are $24 and include game admission and access to the party deck and plenty of great food and beverages. Game time is 6:35 p.m. but the Party Deck will open at 6 p.m. Come with an appetite. The theme for the game is “Taste of Pensacola” and the food will be features from well-known local restaurants.
PSC President Ed Meadows will throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. Meadows was on leave for a couple days and unavailable for comment. Sources say he’s working on his slider in preparation for the game.
“Throwing the first pitch is something he does every year," said Hailey Lotz, director of PSC Alumni Association and Booster Club Operations. She added that Meadows will be interviewed on Blue Wahoos radio at some point of the game to promote PSC.
“It’s great visibility for the College," Lotz said. “And it should be a great night with a lot of special moments.”
Even though Meadows has been throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at least once each season, this is the first PSC Party at a Blue Wahoos’ game since 2013, Lotz said.
“A lot of people talked about how fun that event was," Lotz said. “This seemed like a perfect year to do it again. It’s a great way to bring our alumni and boosters together. We’d love to see a great turnout from the College. We have a lot of new faces and this is a great way to get together and have some fun.”
— Troy Moon
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Confused about financial aid? The Title III: Pirate PATH to Success team and the Office of Financial Aid are offering the program, “Understanding Your Financial Aid” to students from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 26, in Building 5, Room 509, on the Pensacola Campus.
Free to-go lunches are available to student attendees if they RSVP in advance to Brenna Wright at 850-484-2082 or bmwright@pensacolastate.edu.
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Learn how you can support students like Esther:
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