EXHIBITION TITLE | Ukombozi: Reclaiming Place and Self |
LOCATION | Gallery221@HCC Dale Mabry | 2nd Floor DLRC |
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE |
January 7 – April 17, 2025 Reception Thursday, January 23, 5-8 p.m. Artist talk begins at 6 p.m. |
EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION |
“Ukombozi: Reclaiming Place and Self” presents recent works by multidisciplinary artist Njeri Kinuthia. Swahili for ‘liberation,’ Ukombozi reflects on the artist’s own experiences growing up in Kenya, combining self-portraiture and culturally significant materials to explore concepts of heritage, identity and the body. Kinuthia’s background in fashion design and her passion for textiles are woven into her artistic practice, which spans painting, drawing, installation and fiber arts. Her work invites audiences to engage with the intricate interplay of tradition, personal history and contemporary discourse, posing urgent questions about self expression and the boundaries imposed on women by their cultural spheres. Njeri Kinuthia is currently working as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. She received a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design from Machakos University, Kenya in 2019 and her MFA in Emerging Media, Studio Art and Design from the University of Central Florida in 2024. |
EXHIBITION TITLE | Common Ground: Selections from the HCC Permanent Collection |
LOCATION | Gallery3@HCC Dale Mabry | 3rd Floor DLRC |
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE | June 26. 2024 – February 27, 2025 |
EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION |
Over the past four decades, HCC’s Permanent Art Collection has fostered strong connections between the college and local arts community. With a heavy emphasis on new acquisitions, this year’s show spotlights the work of 16 artists who have lived, worked or exhibited in the Tampa Bay region. As an ongoing mission to honor the artistic and cultural legacy of Tampa, HCC is accumulating oral history interviews for each artist within the archive—preserving their impact as artists and deepening their context within the community. Exploring an array of subject matter such as identity, geography, relationship, memory and form, Common Ground: Selections from the HCC Permanent Art Collection seeks to explore and showcase Tampa’s vibrant artistic landscape and the artists who have traversed it. Artists include Jenny Carey, Lynn Foskett, Alejandra Gotera, Thomas Kettner Jr., Michael Knapp, Carolyn Kossar, Dominique Labauvie, Jack Leigh, Lisa McCarthy, Ry McCullough, Eric Ondina, Dakota Parkinson, Mimi Schapiro, Roberta Schofield, Georgia Vahue and William Villalongo. |