Mixed Media with Pensacola State College
Date Posted: Sep 19, 2023
Pensacola State College combines performing and visual arts for a New Orleans-inspired Foo Foo Fest event
Music and art are always better together, and Pensacola State College is bringing both to Foo Foo Fest’s 10th anniversary celebration.
“Being an educational institution, we’re excited any time we can do something across multiple disciplines and bring in more than one department,” said Debbie Douma, dean of grants and federal programs at Pensacola State College. “We haven’t done something like this before, but we’re really thrilled to get the opportunity for Foo Foo Fest because performing arts and visual arts can complement each other very well.”
The college’s performing arts and visual arts departments will harmonize for Rhythm & Canvas, a multi-day event that will feature both artwork and musical performances from two artists from The Big Easy.
On display throughout the entire run of Foo Foo Fest in the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts will be the work of artist Scott Andresen, an assistant professor at Louisiana State University School of Art. Andresen received his NFA from Yale University, and he has more than 50 group and solo exhibitions to his name. He has also attended residencies at both Socrates Sculpture Park and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. As a collage and mixed media artist, Andresen often explores the themes of repair, hovering between two-dimensional abstraction and physical representation. “It’s something everyone can relate to,” noted Chelsea Weaver, gallery coordinator for Pensacola State College’s Visual Arts Department. “Whether it’s repairing the body or a personal relationship or the environment, it’s a universal theme that’s easily relatable.”
In addition to the art exhibition, Andresen will also be giving a visiting artist lecture on November 7, which will be followed by a reception. “In addition to seeing finished products on display, attendees can learn about his creative process, how he goes about developing his body of work, his inspirations, and why he selects the materials he selects,” Weaver added. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to better understand his work, and adding to it is that it’s completely free and open to the public.”
Rounding out Rhythm & Canvas are two performances being put on by Adonis Rose. A Grammy-winning artist, composer, educator, musician and producer, Rose is from New Orleans and has recorded more than 50 records over two decades. He’s performed with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Eric Benet, Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard, Marcus Roberts, Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, and Dee De Bridgewater.
Rose has performed on some of the biggest stages in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, and Olympia in Paris. During each performance—both of which will take place on November 8—Rose and his orchestra will be performing a tribute to Prince. “We’re excited to be bringing an artist of this caliber to Pensacola,” said Ken Phillips, head of the Performing Arts Department at Pensacola State College. “We’re able to do so because of the funding provided by Foo Foo Fest. The grant we received from them lets us provide something to the community that we don’t have the financial resources to provide without that kind of help.”