Hand Art Center

10/07/2026

We will be closed for Fall Break on October 8th, 9th, and 10th. We will reopen to the public on Tuesday, October 13th.

10/02/2026

𝗘𝗫𝗛𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧

Be on the lookout for our 37th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, opening on October 15th with a reception at 6-8 pm the same day! This exhibit is on view from October 15th until November 21st.

Carly Gibran, artist behind our recent exhibit “Taking Notice” will be our guest juror this year!

Featured artists from Stetson include Aaleeany Hargrove, Bea Bogstad, Bun Shamsidin, Carol Stein, Chelsea Gonzalez, Christine Glezer, Dakota Williams, Kaylin Brumley, Milo Silva, Natalie Vaughn, Nicky Pickles, Noel Vicente, Raelan Chisolm, Robby Seneca, Robin Mimna, Salma Sofia Belakbir, Shea Rutenber and Winter Stahl.

Artists part of our Deland High School Spotlight include Aaliyah Fitzgerald, Ella Bridges, Iyla Austin, Za’Niya Riley, Alaysia Williams, and Elijah Vasquez.

09/29/2026

Join us on October 6th from 5 - 6 PM for a Curator Talk with Gary Monroe on “Little is Said, but Much is Heard: The Paintings of Oscar Bluemner”.

Little is Said, but Much is Heard: The Paintings of Oscar Bluemner and Harry Sonntag features artworks by Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection and Harry Sonntag (1900-1991) from the Walker Collection of Florida Self-Taught Art.

Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) and Harry Sonntag (1900-1991) shared little public acclaim during their lifetimes, yet both were modernists of uncommon intensity. Each received formal artistic training only to rebel against its constraints. Each painted places deeply personal to them: Sonntag conjured the drifting dreamscapes of Key Largo in the Florida Keys, while Bluemner rendered the charged geometry of the Tri-State area. Both were extraordinary colorists, abstracting their worlds in radically different ways. Bluemner constructed richly hued, near-geometric compositions, whereas Sonntag’s watercolors dissolved into atmospheric reverie—the contrast between the pressures of urban modernity and the languid rhythms of tropical life.

Their lives also bore striking similarities. Both struggled financially, lived with profound dissatisfaction, and died with far less recognition than their work arguably deserved. Sonntag was dubbed “the Hermit Artist of Key Largo,” while Bluemner moved within the high-art circle surrounding Alfred Stieglitz, without the sustained attention granted to many of his contemporaries. Admirers of both artists might argue that each transformed personal discontent into artistic vision.
Bluemner emigrated to the United States after studying painting and architecture in Berlin. Dissatisfied with architecture, he ultimately became a fulltime artist, exploring color and abstraction within urban spaces and the rapidly changing rural scenes of the Northeast. After attending Pratt Institute in New York City, Sonntag likewise altered his initial path. He rejected institutional expectations of what an artist should become and drifted southward toward Key Largo, as though the Florida Keys marked the end of both geography and convention.

09/25/2026

Join us for an Artist Talk with artist, teacher, and Stetson alumna Carly Gibran on October 2nd from 10:30 - 11:30 AM! Cultural credit will be offered. Gibran’s exhibit “Taking Notice” will be up until October 7th, 2026.

The act of noticing is a lost art. This exhibition is a document of what captures my attention in my daily life. Breezeblock compositions on evening walks, natural and created patterns, birds in my garden, and objects found in nature all contribute to my personal visual library. Taking notice of details in my environment is a practice – the natural impulse is to rush, to assume, to zone out and to be distracted. 
Working in porcelain presents challenges that are less present with other clay bodies. It is notoriously fussy, with a material memory that leans toward extreme warping and cracking. Despite these frustrations, porcelain’s brightness and translucency keep me engaged. 

Carly Gibran began working in clay in 1997 and earned a degree in Studio Art and Art History from Stetson University in 2003. She makes functional and sculptural porcelain works that are inspired by the natural world. She has taught ceramics in art centers and schools for 20 years.

09/17/2026

⤷ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐏 ᯓ★

⪼ 𝗡𝗢 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗨𝗦
September 8 – December 5, 2026
Reception: Sept 10, 6-8 pm
Gallery Talk: TBA

Raw, exquisite and evocative. Unconventional yet deeply relatable. Arranged by incarcerated Stetson students who are enrolled in the Community Education Project, NO ONE HERE BUT US explores the notion of curating the ‘outside from inside’ with artworks from public and private collections.

This exhibits features audio and tactile elements.
-
⪼ 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻 | 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲
September 8 – October 7
Artist Talk: October 2, 10:30 am

𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
The act of noticing is a lost art. This exhibition is a document of what captures my attention in my daily life. Breezeblock compositions on evening walks, natural and created patterns, birds in my garden, and objects found in nature all contribute to my personal visual library. Taking notice of details in my environment is a practice – the natural impulse is to rush, to assume, to zone out and to be distracted. 

Working in porcelain presents challenges that are less present with other clay bodies. It is notoriously fussy, with a material memory that leans toward extreme warping and cracking. Despite these frustrations, porcelain’s brightness and translucency keep me engaged.
-
⪼ 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴
September 8 – December 5
Artist Talk: October 5, 5 pm

Curated by Gary Monroe (Gary Monroe), this exhibit features artworks by Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection and Harry Sonntag (1900-1991) from the Walker Collection of Florida Self-Taught Art.

Exhibit sponsored by the Walker Collection of Florida Self-Taught Art.
-
Photography by Berny Jpg

09/12/2026

Happening today 😄

09/10/2026

Exhibit Reception
Tonight, Sept 10
6-8 pm

09/10/2026

09/04/2026

𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧

The Art of Henna: Roots, Rituals & Radiance
Led by Rajni Gigi Shankar-Brown
September 14 @ 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Hosted by Stetson Asian Studies, Stetson Hand Art Center, and Stetson HeARTs

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore the rich cultural history, symbolism, and artistry of henna with Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown, Professor and the JBD Distinguished Chair of Social Justice Education. Journeying through its cross-cultural roots, participants will learn about henna’s connections to celebration, spirituality, identity, and community while experiencing the meditative art of creating beautiful designs. This hands-on workshop celebrates henna as both an ancient tradition and a living art form that carries stories, connection, and radiance across generations! Please RSVP as space is limited. If you have any questions or need accommodations, please email [email protected]

Experience The Art of Henna: Roots, Rituals & Radiance at the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, a museum located at Stetson University, Deland, Florida