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Bridget Akers:

High School Art Instructor, Jefferson County   

My name is Bridget Akers.  I'm originally from Indiana.  I graduated from Purdue University in 1992 with a BA in Art Education and a BA in Fine Arts.  I'm married with four children and I live on the far side of Live Oak Florida.  I teach in Jefferson county and have been teaching art at the elementary school for six years and the high school for three years.  

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Jeff Byers:

High School Art Instructor, Taylor County

Jeff Byers has been teaching Art sense 1999.  The curriculum includes ceramics, sculpture, drawing, digital photography and art history. Prior to teaching art he taught social studies, language arts, math, science and reading for five years.  Also taught CADD at San Jacinto Junior College, Houston Texas. During the summer he provides art camp for 4-H. He is a Global Concrete teacher (teaching from the perspective of real world concepts with real world applications.) His art work has been displayed, juried and placed throughout the United States at museums, high end retailers, galleries, private collections and state fairs.

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Lisa Barden-Thompson:

North Florida Community College Art Instructor, Madison County

Lately, with a full time load as a mother, teacher and artist, I feel pulled in many directions simultaneously. I can feel the constant weight of burdensome stacks of activities that need to be done piling on my shoulders and I find that even the endeavors I want to be engaged in become equally as stressing and if I make time for one then something else falls behind; the stacks of fabric beckoning to be sewn into quilts, the never ending stacks of dishes that need to be washed, the pile of books that I long to read, that relentless and boundless laundry produced by a family of four. I need to clean, I need to cook, I need to research, I need to read, I need to grade, I need to make art, I need to play with my children, I need quality time with my husband, I need some time for quiet, I need more time. Always. This new series of oil paintings depicts the stacks in my life.

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Leon Daniels:

High School Art Instructor, Hamilton County 

I'm a small town country boy off the farm from Jasper Florida. For Ten years I attended the old J.R.E. Lee High School in Jasper and the last two years at Hamilton County High School. In 1975 I received my AA in Art from Georgia Military College Milledgeville Georgia and my BS in Fine Arts from Florida A&M University Tallahassee Florida in 1977. After leaving the military I spent ten years at Stephen Foster State folk Cultural Center as a Museum Guide, Park Ranger and Tour boat Captain. Presently, I'm the Visual Art instructor, (Drawing, Painting, Ceramic and Art Appreciation), and assistant varsity football coach at Hamilton County High School. I went to FAMU with a love for painting, but when I left, the "pencil" was my medium.

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Vaster Fryer:

High School Art Instructor, Suwannee County 

Nature inspires me and my students inspire me. I love to work with paper and recycle things that are easy to obtain, and then turn it into art. I have taken tissue paper, wire, magazine pages, and even newspaper to create this art. My art is usually something that I make for someone else or something that I create as an example for my students. The art you see here is what I create to show my students and to hopefully inspire them to create. 

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Cindy Hiers:

High School Art Instructor, Suwannee County  

I am influenced and inspired by my surroundings. It is because of what I feel, see, hear, discover, or find that starts my journey. I paint on canvases, and on objects. I paint realistically, and abstractly. Sometimes it takes a year to finish a piece, sometimes I have 2 or 3 going at the same time, sometime I add objects, and sometimes my work is an object. I need to make art. All the time. So I do. 

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Lauren Martilli:

North Florida Community College Humanities Instructor, Madison County

Lauren Martilli was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Florida State University in 2004 with a double major in Political Science and Humanities. Lauren earned a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities in 2010 with a focus in Media & Culture. Professor Martilli teaches humanities, film, and art history courses at North Florida Community College and Florida State College in Jacksonville, where she currently resides. After years of studying the arts and extensive travel, Lauren's art is inspired by several modern art movements, specifically Fauvism and Expressionism for their use of color and space. Conceptually, she approaches art from a holistic standpoint embracing social, cultural, and personal experiences. The pieces submitted in this show are inspired by prominent artists and personal exploration in the use of color.

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Ansley Simmons:

North Florida Community College Photography Instructor, Madison County

By examining the discarded artifacts and forgotten places left behind, Ansley Simmons uncovers traces of the people who are no longer here. These places show us the roll and sway of time, the impermanence of things. The viewers are allowed to find context for these objects from their own perspective, and in doing so they reach out and connect to the lost context. Ansley is a photography instructor and owns a wedding & lifestyle portrait business, Ansley Studio, LLC. 

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Donn Smith:

High School Art Instructor, Madison County 

I've felt the need to create art most of my life. My art combines several elements of my life, from my work as a graphic designer to my interest in the meaning of the human condition. I work primarily in a realistic style, but I'm not above using exaggeration to express humor and irony. Over the years, I've toyed with several mediums (and carried on a long love affair with pen & ink), but it wasn't till I was older that I became comfortable with oils. I enjoy the rich, creamy feel of oils and their ability to be blended easily, allowing for subtleties of color. My work reflects my interest in both contemporary and ancient mythology – how our myths lead us through our daily lives. My imagery is derived from mass culture, traditional western art, and half-remembered dreams. 

Donn Smith was born in Valdosta, Georgia. His father was in the Air Force, and the family moved several times during his childhood, eventually returning to north Florida. After receiving a B.S. in visual art from Florida State University, Donn spent twenty years as a graphic designer and now teaches high school art. He lives and works in Madison, Florida. 

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Pam Williams:

High School Art Instructor, Suwannee County 

Although I like many forms of art, I always love it when I can incorporate 2D and 3D forms.  Whether it is a small attachment to a collage or a larger drawing, I like for the observer to be able to look into the art piece and create a story from its contents.  As an art teacher, I tend to dabble in a little bit of everything. This is perfect for me because I can do a little bit of it all and still get the results I want.