FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Public Relations Coordinator, Michelle Weyant, (727) 712-5210 or
HYPERLINK "mailto:lrmapr@spcollege.edu" lrmapr@spcollege.edu

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
to open
Hal Stowers: Coastal Florida Fragilities

Hal Stowers in front of SUN TIME,
his 1999 stainless steel sculpture,
FrankCrum, Clearwater, FL
Photo by B.J. Stowers

Tarpon Springs, FL (Tuesday, June 15, 2010) – The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will open a special exhibition, Hal Stowers: Coastal Florida Fragilities on Sunday, August 1, 2010.

Hal Stowers: Coastal Florida Fragilities is a forty year retrospective which includes fifty eight pieces showcasing Stowers’ ability to work in a variety of media. Included in the exhibition are: pen and ink drawings; oil and acrylic paintings; watercolors; monotypes; hand-pulled lithographs; copper plate etchings; stainless steel sculptures and a video presentation.

The book, HAL STOWERS & The Art of LIFE BLENDING®, authored by wife B.J. Stowers will be available for purchase in Isabelle’s Museum Store.

Stowers, a resident of Crystal Beach, FL, is an artist and environmentalist who has a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture with an emphasis on Regional and Urban Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a Distinguished Landscape Architecture Alumnus of the University of Florida and he was elected a full member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1994.

Over the past forty years Stowers has documented the beauty, changes and challenges affecting Florida’s Gulf Coast, and he has used his art to draw attention to the fragility of coastal areas while encouraging activist preservation of these natural resources. Stowers has been recognized for his environmental efforts during the: American Bicentennial (1976); 50^th Anniversary of the Florida State Park System (1985); Pinellas County 75^th Diamond Jubilee (1987); Year of the Gulf of Mexico at Florida’s State Capitol (1993).

In a 1978 column St. Petersburg Times writer, Christina Cosdon, wrote “His love and concern for these fast-disappearing ecosystems have inspired him to capture them on canvas and paper. These works are a record of what may someday soon be a precious scenario of the way it was…”

The exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, August 29, 2010.

Related Events___________________________________________________

GALLERY TALK
“Soliloquies to Disappearing Fragilities: A Gallery Experience with Hal Stowers”
Sun., Aug. 1, 15, and 22, 2010 at 3 p.m., (North Gallery)
Hal Stowers, joined by wife and creative partner B. J. Stowers, will discuss his current exhibition of Florida coastal landscapes; his career as a landscape architect; his life as a preservationist; and the life-guiding concept he and B.J. created known as LIFE BLENDING®. The event is free with an admission donation.

SUMMER BLAST FUN-RAISER
Sat., Aug. 7, from 8-10 p.m., (Museum)
The community is invited to celebrate the arts and view the LRMA summer exhibitions while supporting the museum’s educational programs. The events include sunset on the Terrace; a beer and wine cash bar; an interactive drum circle led by Steve Turner of Giving Tree Music; steel drum music provided by John Shaw; and a 50/50 opportunity. The cost is $10 per person.

ARTISTS MARKET
Sat., Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sun., Aug.15, from 1-5 p.m.
Over twenty local artists using a wide variety of media will display and sell their artwork in support of the museum and Isabelle’s Museum Store. Artists Market will be held in the cool surroundings of LRMA’s award-winning building designed by area architect Ed Hoffman, Jr. Refreshments will be available for purchase through Banquet Masters. The cost of the event is free.

SUNSET TRACE: A LIFE BLENDING® Experience with Hal Stowers
Thurs., Aug. 26, at 6:30 p.m., (Honeymoon Island State Park)
To enrich the exhibition Coastal Florida Fragilities and to celebrate the Florida State Parks’ 75^th anniversary, Hal Stowers will guide guests on a personal journey through one of the most beautiful and natural parks in Florida. The cost is $8 per vehicle and reservations are required: 727-712-5226.

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is located just west of U.S. Highway 19 at 600 Klosterman Road, on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Museum hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Friday and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and free to children and students with ID. On Sundays, admission is a suggested donation of $5 (but visitors may pay what they can and enjoy the museum) and free docent tours are offered at 2 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and major holidays. Isabelle’s Museum Store is open during regular business hours. Please call ahead for information or directions (727) 712-5762.

Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.spcollege.edu/museum" www.spcollege.edu/museum for information on LRMA programs, events, exhibitions and the museum store.

Images available upon request from Public Relations Coordinator, Michelle Weyant, (727) 712-5210 or HYPERLINK "mailto:lrmapr@spcollege.edu" lrmapr@spcollege.edu