News Article

FSW Student Artwork to Appear on Lamar Digital Billboards

May 18, 2015

Three Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) art students will see their work displayed on digital billboards in Lee County this summer thanks to a partnership between the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery and Lamar Advertising.

Gallery Director Jade Dellinger worked with Lamar Advertising to secure donated billboard spots for juried student art pieces. He also organized the FSW Student Billboard Art Show to find the best designs that could be displayed for two weeks in June, and tapped internationally-acclaimed artist Dave Muller as a judge.

Sixty entries were received for the FSW Student Billboard Art Show this spring and winners included:

• Kirsten Pettifor – “Best of Show” with $250 prize and billboard
• Carina Favale and Luis Mederos – “Winners” with $150 prize and billboard
• Angelina Zuniga-Reed, Hannah Anderson, Chris Lacoste, Ranford Campbell – “Honorable Mentions” with $100 prize

“I don’t know of any other example of a juried student art exhibition transpiring in the public realm in this way,” said Dellinger. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for students. While it’s always great for them to show work in galleries, our billboard show has them thinking beyond that context on how their work may impact the broader public.”

“We are very pleased with the partnership that has developed with Florida SouthWestern State College and the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. The Arts@FSW program has done a great job utilizing outdoor advertising. The digital platform is an excellent medium to showcase the tremendously talented students of the FSW arts program,” said Stephen Sanford, Sales Manager at Lamar Advertising.

Over the 2015 spring semester, the gallery purchased Lamar billboard space to promote Muller’s “Everything Sounds Good Right Now,” just as it did to highlight Yoko Ono’s “Imagine Peace” exhibition in January 2014. Not only did these billboards serve as an advertisement for upcoming exhibitions, but they were considered stand-alone pieces of public art created by the gallery’s featured artists.

For more information about the gallery or upcoming events, visit www.RauschenbergGallery.com or call (239) 489-9313. Learn more about Arts@FSW and the exciting things happening at the College by visiting www.fsw.edu/artsfsw.

About The Bob Rauschenberg Gallery:

The Bob Rauschenberg Gallery was founded as The Gallery of Fine Art in 1979 on the Lee County campus of Florida SouthWestern State College/FSW (then Edison Community College).  On June 4, 2004 the Gallery of Fine Art was renamed the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery, to honor and commemorate our long time association and friendship with the artist.  Over more than three decades until his death, the Gallery worked closely with Rauschenberg to present world premiere exhibitions including multiple installations of the ¼ Mile or Two Furlong Piece.  The artist insisted on naming the space the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery (versus the “Robert Rauschenberg Gallery”) as it was consistent with the intimate, informal relationship he maintained with both our local Southwest Florida community and FSW.

About FSW:

Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving more than 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW will debut its intercollegiate athletics program in the fall 2015. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: May 18, 2015