After Hurricane Michael, artist Paula Rotschafer, spent hours in front of her easel pouring her heart out into watercolor landscapes showing the devastation of Hurricane Michael. The resulting artwork will be showing at the Panama City Center for the Arts from September 27–October 19.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

Processing her feelings through art has been a coping mechanism for all of Paula’s life. Born in the Nebraska panhandle, Paula grew up in extremely rural ranching communities for all her life, but she had strong role models and mentors to inspire her.

Her paternal grandmother was a dedicated oil painter, and her maternal grandmother was an accomplished painter who was a founding member of a small art gallery. Her father minored in art, and her mother was a grade school teacher, so she received a lot of encouragement and guidance as she honed her creative side.

Paula and her husband were relocated to Travis Air Force base in California after the storm, so much to her disappointment, she won’t be here in person to talk to people and hear stories from survivors. Instead, the Center for the Arts will have a guest book in the gallery where visitors can leave Paula a message.

“I was an awkward, eccentric, imaginative child who didn’t excel in sports, so art was always just my ‘thing,” she said. One of her aunts’ gave Paula a sketchbook and few lessons on perspective and proportion, and she’s been drawing ever since.

“As a child, I frequently made silly drawings and cartoons that made people laugh, and I absolutely adored being able to create something that could have any sort of emotional impact on another person.”

She majored in Professional Art at Doane College and later received a Masters’ in Art History in Lincoln Nebraska. Now, as a military spouse, she is grateful to have her creative skills to fall back on as it is often hard to secure steady, full-time work.

Mark your calendars for our next main gallery exhibition, featuring the work of this year’s Bay Annual and F/Stop winner, ChristonAnderson Art!

The exhibition will open on October 4, with a free reception from 5–8pm. Wear what you want and bring who you want to meet Christon and be the first to see the exhibition.

The exhibition will show from October 4–30.

Local artists reflect on a year since Hurricane Michael.

Opening Reception: October 11, 5:00- 7:00 p.m.

The Visual & Performing Arts Division of Gulf Coast State College presents Michael – a group exhibition featuring work by local artists; Christon Anderson, Sarah Burris, Heather Clements, John "JD" Daniel, Jayson Kretzer, Tammy Marinuzzi, Heather Parker, Margaret Webster, and Mandy Yourick.

The exhibit marks a one-year anniversary of Hurricane Michael. Each artist offers a unique reflection on the storm and its aftermath, from the mundane “new normal” of the recovery to questions about the changing planet around us. The works in the exhibit are wide-ranging and span across many media. There is drawing, painting, embroidery, collage, assemblage, ceramics, video, and installation. There is sadness, loss, resilience and hope.

The exhibit will run from October 11 to November 8, with an opening reception on the evening of October 11, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The work will be on display in the Amelia Center Gallery (Room 112). Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please contact Pavel Amromin at pamromin@gulfcoast.edu, 850-872-3886.

Prepare your haunted stories, poems, spoken word, or book excerpts for our October Writer's Gallery!

Come to the Center for the Arts for Bay County's favorite open-mic night for writers from 6pm-7:30pm on the second Thursday of every other month. Doors open at 5:30pm.

Come to share your work or listen to the creative writers of Bay County share theirs! Everyone is welcome to speak or listen!

MORE ABOUT OCTOBER'S THEME
Your work can be about any kind of haunting. It can be about being haunted by love/old friendships or a more traditional ghost story. Whatever haunted means to you, whatever is haunting you, we want to hear about it.

And if you want to get in for free, you have to wear a halloween costume. Otherwise, you have to pay $5 at the door.

TOPICS:

October 17: Haunted
December 12: Winter
February 13: Love
April 9: Spring

Come to the main entrance dressed in in theme-appropriate attire to get in for free:

October 17: Halloween costume
December 12: Ugly (or pretty) Holiday sweater or shirt
February 13: Red or pink clothing or hearts
April 9: Flowers/Floral

OTHERWISE, you have to pay $5 at the door.

As always, it will be a perfect night for kicking back, getting inspired, and having fun listening to the works of some really creative people in our community.

We suggest the audience be 18+ years in age, but if you'd like to bring your child, we do caution that it is an open mic night, and while we have restrictions against hate speech and overly explicit language, we cannot control what it read, so a parental advisory is in place.

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A SPEAKER
Writers, poets, and spoken word artists are all welcome to sign up for an 8-minute open mic slot by calling in (850-640-3670), emailing (info@pccenterforthearts.com), or coming in-person to the Center for the Arts.

Our motto is "Write Hard. Speak Easy." So don't sweat it! Do your hard work when you're writing and take it easy in front of the mic. It's not meant to be scary. It's supposed to be fun!

HISTORY ON THE "WRITER'S GALLERY"
The Writer’s Gallery was started by Lee Baker, of Northstar Church, as a poetry night at Rocky Shore Coffee Co. in 2010, but when Nick Mays began volunteering for the church, Lee asked Nick to take it over. It was renamed the Writer’s Gallery and became the longest-running, consecutive open mic night for writers in Bay County. In the almost three years that the Writer’s Gallery ran, it moved around, first to the Purple Grape and then to Amavida, but when Nick moved to Pensacola, the project lost its leader, and eventually stopped running.

Local publishing group, The Syndicate, has been talking about relaunching the Writer's Gallery for a while now, so when the Center for the Arts was planning to expand its programming, it seemed like the perfect fit. Once Nick gave his blessing, we were excited to bring the open-mic night back! Hopefully you all are, too!

The learning environment is fun and stress-free while offering diversity, insight, and wisdom.

Fee:  $92

Amelia Center for the Arts, 10:00a.m.

Amelia Center for the Arts, 10:00a.m.

Lecture and demo by Chicago potter Lou Pierozzi.

Lecture: October 25, 11:00a.m.- noon, AC128

Demo: October 25, 1:00p.m.- 4:00p.m., AC127

If you are confused on how to use a Smartphone or digital camera, this course will show you the way. Students will learn the elements and principles of art, design and how to utilize these topics to make an incredible photo. Through in-class and out-of-class assignments, location challenges (field trips), and in-class critiques you are guaranteed to leave this course a new photographer.

-Experience Level: None needed

-Supplies Needed: Smartphone and/or Digital camera (Point and shoot or DSLR)

Fee:  $79

Amelia Center Theatre

November 1-3 & 8-10

Tickets: www.gulfcoast.edu/arts

In this 5 week class we’ll cover:

1. The exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) and the creative effects each of these settings yield:

-Aperture>depth of field, bokeh

-Shutter speed>motion blur and flicker

-ISO>Noise, color

 2. Lenses and use scenarios (background compression, distortion, constant and variable aperture, full frame/crop).

- Basic types of lenses

- Camera movement and stabilizing gear and tricks

 3. Composition - angles and rule of thirds.

 4. Lighting - three point lighting and diffusion.

 5. Basic audio options (lav, shotgun and uses) as well as some editing (one handed editing, cuts, tempo).

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Historic Downtown Panama City is the canvas for the sixth annual international projection art festival, Public Eye Soar. From November 8 and 9, the streets of Panama City come alive with light, sound and art. Featuring live performances, hands-on activities, short films, art and photography from across the globe, Public Eye Soar is a unique opportunity to see art on a whole new scale.  Northwest Florida’s largest outdoor art exhibit spotlights the work of more than 150 artists from across the country as well as from places such as South Africa, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium, and India. Interactive and hands-on activities include a larger-than-life pinball game,  shadow puppets, and perennial favorite – sand art. Enjoy live art demonstrations and musical performances. This event is free for the whole family, handicap accessible, pet friendly and surrounded by ample parking and fantastic restaurants and bars.  Because the festival is held at night on the streets of PC - flashlights and folding chairs are recommended.  The Public Eye Soar mission is to share art of all forms in unexpected places to delight, surprise, educate and inspire our community.

Make better photos with the camera you always have with you!  This workshop will give you tips on seeing creative composition and good light, exposure, how to get the highest quality image, settings to tweak and those to avoid, along with apps for quick editing and sharing. We’ll discuss the strengths and limitations of a phone camera for portraits/people shots, close-ups, action, and low light. Open to all ages!

Did you know you can create a photo book directly from Adobe Lightroom? In time for holiday gift giving, this is a three-part workshop that you will come away from with a finished book ready to order from Blurb.com.

If you are not familiar with Lightroom and need help importing your photos and creating a collection, come to the first class on November 14.  If you are already familiar with creating a collection in Lightroom, skip forward to Class 2 (Sat. November 16) and begin building your book. Steve will walk you through choosing the format, designing the layout, sequencing the photos, and adding text. What you need for class:

~A laptop with Adobe Lighroom Classic CC

~Your edited photos  - at least 50 – 100 (the more the better so you can have plenty to work with.)

Thursday, November, 14, 5:30 - 7:30pm (optional prep class)

Saturday, November 16, 2-4pm & Saturday, November 23, 2-5pm

A survey of the wide variety of approaches to contemporary ceramics through the lens of the most accessible vessel- the cup. Juried by Peter Pincus.

Opening Reception: November 15, 5:00- 7:00p.m.

Amelia Center Gallery

Amelia Center Theatre, 7:30p.m.

Free event.

Scholarship donations accepted.

Amelia Center Theatre, 2:30p.m.

Free event.

Scholarship donations accepted.

Prepare your winter-themed stories, poems, spoken word, or book excerpts for our December Writer's Gallery!

Come to the Center for the Arts for Bay County's favorite open-mic night for writers from 6pm-7:30pm on the second Thursday of every other month. Doors open at 5:30pm.

Come to share your work or listen to the creative writers of Bay County share theirs! Everyone is welcome to speak or listen!

MORE ABOUT DECEMBER'S THEME
Use winter as your theme as you craft your short stories, poems, spoken word, or pick your book excerpts. Absolutely anything winter-themed is allowed—from the winter of life to the actual season of winter.

And if you want to get in for free, you have to wear an ugly (or even a pretty) holiday sweater/shirt! Otherwise, you have to pay $5 at the door.

TOPICS:

August 8: School
October 10: Haunted
December 12: Winter
February 13: Love
April 9: Spring

Come to the main entrance dressed in in theme-appropriate attire to get in for free:

August 8: School-pride clothing
October 10: Halloween costume
December 12: Ugly (or pretty) Holiday sweater or shirt
February 13: Red or pink clothing or hearts
April 9: Flowers/Floral

OTHERWISE, you have to pay $5 at the door.

As always, it will be a perfect night for kicking back, getting inspired, and having fun listening to the works of some really creative people in our community.

We suggest the audience be 18+ years in age, but if you'd like to bring your child, we do caution that it is an open mic night, and while we have restrictions against hate speech and overly explicit language, we cannot control what it read, so a parental advisory is in place.

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A SPEAKER
Writers, poets, and spoken word artists are all welcome to sign up for an 8-minute open mic slot by calling in (850-640-3670), emailing (info@pccenterforthearts.com), or coming in-person to the Center for the Arts.

Our motto is "Write Hard. Speak Easy." So don't sweat it! Do your hard work when you're writing and take it easy in front of the mic. It's not meant to be scary. It's supposed to be fun!

HISTORY ON THE "WRITER'S GALLERY"
The Writer’s Gallery was started by Lee Baker, of Northstar Church, as a poetry night at Rocky Shore Coffee Co. in 2010, but when Nick Mays began volunteering for the church, Lee asked Nick to take it over. It was renamed the Writer’s Gallery and became the longest-running, consecutive open mic night for writers in Bay County. In the almost three years that the Writer’s Gallery ran, it moved around, first to the Purple Grape and then to Amavida, but when Nick moved to Pensacola, the project lost its leader, and eventually stopped running.

Local publishing group, The Syndicate, has been talking about relaunching the Writer's Gallery for a while now, so when the Center for the Arts was planning to expand its programming, it seemed like the perfect fit. Once Nick gave his blessing, we were excited to bring the open-mic night back! Hopefully you all are, too!

We’ll review~

~Exposure (shutter speed + aperture + ISO)

~How to achieve sharp focus, working with focus points

~Best settings for movement

~Best settings for creative depth control

~Best settings for indoors/low light situations

~White balance

~When to add in flash

When you register, make sure to write in your top questions in the “additional note box” and we will get it all covered during class!

Sunday, December 15, 2019, 7:00 pm

Proceeds from the concert benefit the Community Food Pantry at Gulf Beach Presbyterian.

General admission $10 at door

Gulf Beach Presbyterian Church 271 S. Arnold Rd (Hwy 79) Panama City Beach, FL 32413

Ticket information: (850) 819-1265 *  www.pinkchurch.org * lizpinkchurch@hotmail.com