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Update Sept. 27:
The �������� has extended its cancellation of all classes and business operations due to Hurricane Ian. The college will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28, through Saturday, Oct. 1, at all sites, including the Ocala Campus, Citrus Campus, Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm.

Scheduled activities also have been cancelled or postponed, including Wednesday’s District Board of Trustees meeting and the Appleton Museum of Art’s Free First Saturday and Hispanic Heritage Festival. The Appleton will reopen Sunday, Oct. 2. Classes and business operations will resume Monday, Oct. 3, weather permitting.

Please continue to monitor the �������� website (www.��������.edu), traditional media and social media for additional updates.

Sept. 26:
The �������� will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Sept. 29.

This closing is for all sites, including the Ocala Campus, Citrus Campus, Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm, as well as online classes. Scheduled activities also have been cancelled, including the �������� District Board of Trustees meeting, which has been postponed until Wednesday, Oct. 5.

We plan to reopen Friday morning for classes and all business operations, weather permitting. Please continue to monitor the �������� website (www.��������.edu), traditional media and social media for additional updates.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to prepare now for this storm.

A limited number of students will be accepted into the �������� Entrepreneurship Academy’s inaugural cohort, which will begin classes in Spring 2023. Interested students should plan to attend one of two information sessions in October: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 5 p.m., at the Ewers Century Center, Room 107, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala, or Wednesday, Oct. 19, 12:30 p.m., at the Ewers Century Center, Room 101.

The �������� Entrepreneurship Academy is an innovative program developed in partnership with Chick-fil-A of Ocala that will give students a new option for training to become business community leaders. �������� students selected for the academy will receive two semesters of instruction in entrepreneurship-focused courses, including Principles of Management, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Opportunities, and Small Business Management, which lead to a Business Entrepreneurship College Credit Certificate. Each course will be complemented with hands-on experiential activities organized by Chick-fil-A of Ocala leadership.

For more information, visit .

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, announces “BLOW UP II: Inflatable Contemporary Art,” on view Oct. 8-Dec. 11, 2022.

The larger-than-life inflatable art will transform the Edith-Marie Appleton Gallery and the museum lobby. This exhibition explores the imaginative and often whimsical ways that artists use air as a tool for creating large-scale sculpture. The eight internationally renowned artists of the supersized inflatable installations translate everyday materials into a wide array of figurative, conceptual and abstract imagery that are rich with meaning.

“BLOW UP II” was organized by Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.

“The first inflatable, invented in 18th-century France, was seemingly pure magic and continues to fascinate,” Lederer said. “Ever-present in our daily lives, the ubiquitous inflatables – from bouncy house to floppy tube men – provide endless amusement, whimsy and a playful sense of lift-off and levitation. Tapping into this idea with humor, scale and surprise, the artworks in “BLOW UP II” harness the power of air and our imaginations to take us on extraordinary journeys, exploring subjects as varied as anime, superheroes, history, politics and even mortality.”

What type of new viewing experiences are created when objects are blown up to an enormous scale? Los Angeles-based artist Jen Stark goes the abstract route, expanding her acclaimed neon rainbow to a massive scale in her first experiment with inflatables. Her vibrant, psychedelic visuals cover an 8-foot-tall cone, transporting the viewer to a dayglow fantasy space. Artist Susan Lee-Chun uses inflatables as a means to make unconscious or intentionally buried perceptions in our social fabric impossible to ignore. Her cheeky sculpture “Untitled (Flamingos only hang by the pool)” enlarges pink flamingos, a common symbol of Miami Beach, to an impossibly large size. Their imposing pink bodies force viewers to consider the pink flamingo with all of its flamboyant symbolism and history.

Regardless of underlying meaning, humor, playfulness and accessibility are key aspects of all of the works featured in “BLOW UP II.” This is especially important to the work of FriendsWithYou, a fine art collaboration of artists Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, who state that the sole purpose of their collective is “spreading the positive message of Magic, Luck and Friendship™.” Their whimsical, adorable anime characters prompt joyful reactions from viewers young and old.

Artists participating in “BLOW UP II” include Nicole Banowetz (Denver, Colorado), Sharon Engelstein (Houston, Texas), FriendsWithYou (Los Angeles, California), Joshua Harker (Dexter, Michigan), Susan Lee-Chun (Miami, Florida), Matt Ritchie (San Francisco, California), Lizabeth Rossof (Denver, Colorado) and Jen Stark (Los Angeles, California).

“With even the smallest works towering at over 8 feet, the renowned artists manipulate technology and air in breathtaking ways that overwhelm one’s senses while drawing you in to enjoy and learn,” said Jason Steuber, director of the Appleton Museum.

Special Events

Director’s Circle Reception
On Oct. 15, 5-7 p.m., Appleton Director’s Circle members are invited for an in-gallery meet-and-greet with Miami-based artist Susan Lee-Chun. There will be a complimentary bar and light hors d’oeuvres. RSVP is required to Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

Free Admission Days
See “BLOW UP II” with no admission fee on Arthur I. Appleton’s Birthday Weekend (Oct. 14-16), Free First Saturdays (Nov. 5 and Dec. 3) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the ��������, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on State Road 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit

Motivational speaker Dr. Michael A. Cadore Sr. will deliver an inspirational message at the �������� on Monday, Sept. 26. The public is invited to this free event from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the �������� Webber Center, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala.

Cadore, a former NFL recruit, law enforcement officer and city councilman, says his life motto is, “If you don’t serve your community now, don’t expect your community to serve you later.”

Now the executive director of community engagement for external affairs at Eastern Florida State College, Cadore has served his community for more than three decades through education, public safety, civic engagement and mentoring. He was honored with EFSC’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from Eastern Kentucky University.

Light refreshments and event giveaways will be provided. The lecture is funded by the Mr. and Mrs. Seymour B. Robinson Memorial Endowed Chair.

For more information, visit

This 1 to 10-billion scale model of the solar system is being permanently installed along a 2,000-foot path across the �������� Ocala Campus. It is a replica of the display located in front of the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the public is invited to an opening reception from 10:30 am.-12:30 p.m. at Building 20, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the 13 stanchions that represent planets from the sun all the way to the dwarf planet Pluto.

“It has been a long time coming, but we can finally say that the Voyage project is placed on the Ocala Campus,” said Brian Holloway, a �������� student and president of the Kappa Nu Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. “Our goal with this project is to instill enthusiasm and awareness of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) programs while also providing an opportunity for our students and the community to walk a 1 to 10-billion scale model of our solar system. Each of the 13 stanchions contains information pertaining to where you are in the solar system at that point of your walk.”

This model was brought to the �������� for permanent display by the Kappa Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa with assistance from the �������� Foundation in honor of Mrs. Charlotte Rosenberg, Ocala Municipal Art Commission, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Renaissance Printing.

For more information about ��������, visit .

The �������� Ira Holmes International Film Series continues with the award-winning Chilean thriller “Tony Manero” on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

The 2008 film follows a middle-aged criminal who’s obsessed with impersonating John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever” character. His dancing and showbiz aspirations turn dark and lead to theft, crime and even murder set against the backdrop of Chile’s Augusto Pinochet military dictatorship. This film is unrated and contains graphic violence and adult themes.

The film will be shown at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., and at 7 p.m., at the �������� Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Films at the Ocala Campus are free and open to the public. Films at the Appleton are free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. Films may contain mature content.

For more details, visit

The Friday Talks Business Advancement Series, a program of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership and the ��������, will feature Amy Osborne on Sept. 30, presenting “AI, IOT and Other Tech Trends in Business and Beyond.”

“The rapid pace of technology continues to change how we work, live and play,” Osborne said. “Staying ahead of the curve is essential for today’s businesses and tomorrow’s workforce.” She will discuss applications for artificial intelligence and will give attendees a sneak peek into the fascinating growth of new technology and implications for the future.

Attend in person at the �������� Hampton Center, 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, or virtually at Facebook.com/OcalaCEP. The in-person event will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and the presentation will begin at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to andrea@ocalacep.com.

For more information about ��������, visit ��������.edu. For more information about the Ocala CEP, visit ocalacep.com.