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The ��������, in partnership with the City of Ocala, will host a special naming ceremony dedicating a Humanities and Social Sciences classroom in memory of Ira Holmes. The event will take place Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Ocala Campus, Building 8, 3001 S.W. College Road.

The beloved professor, who passed away on June 9 at age 90, joined the �������� faculty in 1962. He started the Ira Holmes International Film Series more than 60 years ago to share his lifelong passion with the community. The newly named Ira Holmes Classroom is the location for series film screenings open to �������� students and the community.

Holmes, known for his love of art, travel, lifelong learning and cultural studies, led more than two dozen study tours to Europe. He was one of the first members of the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board, serving more than 40 years and assisting with numerous landmark projects including the Reilly Arts Center and Marion Theatre renovations. Just a few days before his passing, the City of Ocala was preparing a proclamation recognizing Holmes’ years of service.

At the 6 p.m. event, �������� President Dr. Jim Henningsen will deliver dedication remarks, and Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano and Ocala City Manager Pete Lee will present the City of Ocala proclamation. At 6:30 p.m., Ira Holmes International Film Series director Wendy Adams will lead the sharing of memories, and at 7 p.m., the 2024-2025 series will kick off with a screening of “The Seventh Seal.” The 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film was selected by Holmes as “a message of hope for us all.”

RSVP requested at

The �������� Webber Gallery will pay homage to Ocala’s status as the Horse Capital of the World by hosting the “Equine Impressions” exhibition on view Sept. 30-Oct. 31.

Curated by the Florida-based 24 Hands Printmaking Collective, featured artworks in all forms of printmaking will highlight the beauty, spirit and grandeur of horses and the equine world.

The community is invited to an opening reception on Friday, Oct. 4, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The Webber Gallery is located at the �������� Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and admission is free. For more information, visit or call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, announces a new schedule of studio art classes designed to inspire creativity and new skills in artmaking. Beginning this fall, the museum will offer a variety of courses for artists of all ages and skill levels. From abstract painting and clay to options for homeschoolers and early learners, classes are led by experienced artists and seasoned art educators who provide participants with the opportunity to explore their artistic potential in a safe, supportive and inspiring environment.

Upcoming classes for adults include a six-week wheel throwing class on Saturdays, Sept. 28-Nov. 2. For those interested in painting, there are two workshops led by Ocala artists; both workshops meet on two consecutive Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. Lisa Russo will teach sunflower still-life acrylic painting on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, and Heather Dawn Batchelor will teach an abstract painting workshop on Nov. 9 and 16. For full class details and registration, visit .

On Sept. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m., adults 21 and up can take a special Pints and Prints workshop. Led by instructors E. Marie Fielding and Vanessa Zumba-Gonzalez, participants will experiment with three printmaking techniques while enjoying a personal charcuterie box from La Casella and a trio of craft beers. Those enrolled will take home a block print, gel print and dry point etching. Cost is $60 for Appleton members; $85 for nonmembers. Visit to register.

Returning to a once per month schedule, the Museum & Me program for ages 2-5 is offered from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Sept. 3, Oct. 1 and Nov. 5. The Museum Happenings program is designed for independent and homeschool students ages 6-9 to explore the museum. Including an educator-led visit to the galleries and artmaking activity, the program is scheduled for Tuesdays, Sept. 24 and Oct. 29, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Both Museum & Me and Museum Happenings are free for children and Appleton members; included with admission fee for adult nonmembers. Pre-registration is required by visiting .

Multi-week classes for children will focus on developing students’ interest in art while learning new skills and techniques. Art Adventures for ages 5-7 meets from 10:30 a.m.-noon on three consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 5-19. For ages 8-12, the Art Explorations program offers a three-week session in September exploring the wildlife of Florida using a variety of materials. This class is offered on Wednesdays, 3:30-5 p.m., or Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Clay classes for children include a six-week Clay Explorations class for ages 8-12 on Wednesdays, Oct. 2-Nov. 6, and a six-week session in wheel throwing for teens on Saturdays, Sept. 28-Nov. 2. For full class details and registration, visit .

Registration is now open. For inquiries, please contact AppletonEducation@cf.edu.

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 SR 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 .

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, announces a new installation of “Art on the Up and Up,” featural astrophotographs by Phil Rosenberg.

Installed beneath the east and west staircases in the museum lobby, this project series invites Florida artists to create original artworks that are transformed into oversized vinyl graphics, bringing life to otherwise unused spaces. The vibrant images of space by Phil Rosenberg now replace Tyrus Clutter’s permanent collection-inspired images featuring work by artists William Adolphe Bouguereau and Elizabeth Jane Gardner.

Rosenberg’s astrophotographs are composites of images taken from his personal observatory using a large 36 cm Rowe Ackerman Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) and a Canon EOS Ra camera. Rosenberg has been an avid stargazer since childhood. His Marion County home is unique for its domed observatory, where he actively observes and photographs the wonders of the night sky. Along with his watercolorist wife, Charlotte, he has donated 34 computerized, robotic telescopes to elementary and middle schools. Additionally, they have provided large observatory-class telescopes to the �������� and Broward College, encouraging students to share in his passion for astronomy.

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program.

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 SR 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

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, presents “Wall: Five Decades of Contemporary Art.”

On view now in the second-floor galleries, “Wall” is an inventive survey of artwork from the permanent collection featuring 30 works by 28 artists, created over a 53-year timespan (1964-2017) anchored in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibition’s namesake, “Wall,” is a nod to Robert Indiana’s large-scale industrial print that is on display. “Wall” is also a reminder that, although ubiquitous and seemingly mundane, walls have multiple sides that represent many things. They construct spaces that literally function but also symbolize the ideas of “inside vs. outside” and “free vs. confined.” Across three gallery spaces, the Appleton curatorial team juxtaposed the works to create dynamic groupings that illustrate how artists push the limits of medium, line, form, texture and color to communicate with audiences.

“The exhibition showcases newly acquired gifts to the collection alongside visitor favorites,” noted Appleton Director Jason Steuber. “We invite everyone to come spend time with these world-class works that grace the gallery walls. Masterpieces by Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Janet Fish, Alison Saar, Robert Indiana and more than 20 other artists await you.”

Born in the 19th and 20th centuries, the artists included in “Wall” hail from Belarus, Canada, Cuba, France, Greece, Spain, Ukraine and United States, embracing a wide range of media and techniques. Their embrace of previous epochs, art movements and styles is clear, yet simultaneously, they each disrupt and challenge these inherited traditions to distinguish themselves.

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month as part of the Free First Saturday program.

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 SR 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

The Ira Holmes International Film Series at the �������� returns in September with a full season of 12 films from across the globe – plus special events including a preseason anime cosplay event, a family-friendly Sunday matinee, a live filmmaker Q&A and two unique collaborations with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. The season kickoff’s evening screening of “The Seventh Seal” will be a memorial event to honor the series founder and beloved professor Ira Holmes, who passed away June 9 at age 90.

“Before his passing, Ira requested this film as a message of hope for us all,” said series director and �������� professor Wendy Adams. “We’ll start by sharing our favorite memories of Ira before watching this classic film that ushered in a new era of art-house cinema in the U.S. around the time Ira became enamored with the medium as a young man.”

“The Seventh Seal,” a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film, tells the tale of an exhausted medieval knight who encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess. Directed by Ingmar Bergman, the exploration of life, death and faith was one of the benchmark foreign imports that launched America’s art-house heyday of the 1950s. Screenings will be held at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art and 7 p.m. at the �������� Ocala Campus, Building 8, Room 110, 3001 S.W. College Road.

Series Schedule:

Sept. 20 – “Belle” anime preseason event at 8 p.m. at the Marion Theatre – cosplay welcome!

Oct. 8 – “The Seventh Seal” – evening screening includes memorial reception honoring Ira Holmes

Oct. 22 – “Psycho” – evening screening starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Marion Theatre includes film talk by Ocala Symphony Orchestra Music Director Matthew Wardell

Nov. 12 – “Long Flat Balls”

Nov. 26 – “Close to Vermeer” – evening screening includes film talk with Arts in Health Ocala Metro Executive Director Patricia Tomlinson

Jan. 19 – “The Red Balloon” and “A Cat in Paris” family-friendly matinee double feature at 1 p.m. at the Marion Theatre

Feb. 11 – “Hit the Road”

Feb. 25 – “Some Kind of Heaven”

March 11 – “My Donkey, My Lover & I”

March 25 – “Following the Ninth ” – 7 p.m. evening screening at the Marion Theatre includes film series member exclusive meet and greet with director Kerry Candaele at 6 p.m., facilitated by Ocala Symphony Orchestra Music Director Matt Wardell

March 26 – “A League of Their Own” – 2 p.m. screening at �������� follows 12:30 p.m. film talk with Kerry Candaele, whose 1987 documentary preceded the 1992 feature film

All films will be shown Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, and at 7 p.m. at the ��������, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110, unless otherwise noted. 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 ��������.edu/FilmSeries.