New art exhibit at FGCU showcases natural art

A new art exhibit at Florida Gulf Coast University is breathing new life into nature. One of the materials used in the display was repurposed from debris Hurricane Irma left behind.

The wheels are already turning in an artist’s mind. Instead of paint to canvas, artist, Ran Adler, with the help of student workers, uses nature to fill the space.

“What I do is I’d like to say that I pick it up off the landscaping pile and give it a new life,” Adler said.

Horsetails are spiraling into a whirlpool and poetry is burned onto the wood. Yet that is only the beginning.

“So we use a type of putty and these thorns stick to the putty and I’m trying to capture, as per Ran’s vision, the sense of birds in a flock flying and it tapers from the top,” said Farrah Alkhadra, a student majoring in art at FGCU.

Thorns on the piece are from the aftermath of Irma.

“Like a rebirth of materials and I love that,” Alkhadra said.

“It all inspires me,” Adler said, “but nature is the teacher.”

The exhibition combines vision, sustainability and education for the next generation of artists. It is a labor of love showcasing natural beauty. A special ticketed concert will take place in the art gallery on Jan. 19.

“We always want to engage students one every level of our exhibitions and for them,” said John Loscuito, the gallery director at FGCU. “It opens up a world of possibilities as far as employment and things they may want to consider in the future.”