NFC Public Art Projects

If you take a walk across the North Florida College campus in Madison, Fla. you will find public art works that add color, beauty, and creativity spanning back to 2009 when the NFC Public Art Program began. The goal of public art is to enhance campus by contributing to cultural enrichment, diverse ideas and talents. Each year the art department invites a visiting artist to lead workshops with students in order to expose them to new ideas and methods and then the artist designs and creates a permanent piece for the NFC public art collection.

Sea Turtle Public Art2010 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | SEA TURTLE

North Florida College art students received first-hand experience in building a metal sculpture from the ground up while working with professional sculptor Brad Cooley Jr. of the Lamont, Fla. based business Bronze by Cooley which specializes in life size and monumental sculptures. Cooley, an NFC alumnus, donated his time and labor to the student project and said he was glad to be on campus sharing his talent and knowledge with students.

Cooley worked with the NFC Art Club and NFC art instructor Lisa Thompson to collect recycled pieces of metal, creating the sculpture design – a sea turtle – and welding the base and interior structure of the sculpture into place. In addition, local artist, Bob Copper, finished off the sculpture with a naturalistic airbrush technique giving texture and life to the color of the Loggerhead shell and fins.

The sculpture is permanently located near NFC’s Marshall Hamilton Library (Bldg. 4) – a prime location for students and campus visitors alike to enjoy the piece of art.

Hardee Center Art Wall2011 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | THE WILD WITHIN US & MARSHALL'S MEMORY GARDEN

North Florida College Art Club members created a mosaic mural at NFC’s Hardee Center for the Arts. The students not only learned mural creation and mosaic techniques, but worked closely with professional artist Linda Hall of Tallahassee. Hall teaches Environmental Art at Florida State University and lent her expertise in environmental themed art and mural creation to the project.

The Hardee Center mural features a mosaic nighttime forest scene. Artist Marshall Norris of Greenville, Fla. also created a variety of metal sculpture flowers to add as landscape art; making a creative path leading up to the mural.

Forrest Totems2012 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | METAL FOREST TOTEMS

In 2012 NFC Art Instructor Mark Dickson helped students fabricate and install a public sculpture on the NFC campus entitled “Forest Totems.” Dickson led many hands-on learning sessions to keep students involved with the project from start to finish.

The metal sculpture is permanently located near NFC’s Van H. Priest Auditorium; a prime location for students and campus visitors alike to enjoy the work. Much of the recycled materials used in the sculpture project and learning sessions was donated by local business Madison Scrap Metal.

Koi Pond Table2013 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | TERRAZZO KOI POND TABLE

One of the latest additions to NFC’s impressive public art collection is a six-foot mosaic terrazzo table created by Tallahassee artist Ira Hill. Featuring vibrant colors and a koi pond theme, the table has been placed at an outdoor study and gathering area for students near NFC’s Marshall W. Hamilton Library. The piece can function as a table or as a sitting area for students and campus visitors.

The table is constructed of terrazzo, a decorative concrete made of cement, sand and glass, using 100% recycled glass. Hill spent around 60 hours making the table and started with the simple process of sorting and crushing the glass. The process then included creating the specific design, creating molds and polishing the terrazzo stone to highlight the glass aggregate. Terrazzo has a long history in building and is often associated with Art Deco Design.

Radio Telescope2013 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | RADIO TELESCOPE

This piece located outside the Morris G. Steen Jr. Science Learning Center creatively combines art and science. NFC Art Instructor Mark Dickson created the metal sculpture as a base for NFC’s functioning radio telescope and NFC Science Instructor Dr. Guenter Maresch played a key role in developing this unique project. This project was a great collaboration between the NFC Art Department and NFC Science Department.

Trumpet Wall2014 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | THE TRUMPETING FLOWER

The newest addition to NFC’s impressive public art collection is a vibrant mural by Janae Easton of Tallahassee, FL. The mural entitled "The Trumpeting Flower" is located on the east wall of the Developmental Education/Mathematics Classroom in Building 6.

Indian Totem2015 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | TO RISE ABOVE

Jeremy Colbert's totem sculpture references Native American stories about rebirth. Colbert researched the historical and cultural significance of our area and included traditional Seminole symbolism and imagery in the sculpture. The result is a visually dynamic and important piece with cultural and historical ties adding depth and artistry to our campus. The totem is located behind building 11 and building 12.

Nautilis Chandelier

2016 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | THE NAUTILUS CHANDELIER

The Nautilus Chandelier was created by local artist Phil Gleason, depicting the mesmerizing science behind the nautilus shape. The chandelier was created using metal sculpting techniques and hangs on permanent display in the NFC Morris G. Steen Science Center.

Robin Rogers Mural2017 PUBLIC ART INSTALLMENT | NATURE MURAL

The latest installation was created by local artist Robin Rogers, depicting the natural beauty of North Florida wild life. The mural is created using ceramic methods and hangs on permanent display at the NFC Student Center.