DUNEDIN — An opening reception will kick off a dynamic series of summer exhibitions on Friday, May 29, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin.
The summer exhibition lineup will bring together nationally and internationally recognized artists alongside regional voices, exploring themes of perception, materiality, identity, community, and the future. All exhibitions will be on view through Aug. 16; with “Pressing On: Printmaking at the Dunedin Fine Art Center” remaining on view through Aug. 23.
Following is an overview of DFAC’s summer exhibitions:
underseers: Jason Lazarus
In “underseers,” artist Jason Lazarus challenges traditional notions of seeing and recording the everyday. Described by the artist as “both journal and journalism,” the exhibition turns away from dominant visual narratives and toward more intimate, reflective modes of perception.
Featuring sculpture, concrete photography, and object-based archives, the work deliberately withholds imagery, inviting viewers to reconsider how vision is constructed. As part of the exhibition’s programming, Lazarus will present a public reading of their new essay, “Listening for Monuments,” centered on a growing collection of used doorstops included in the exhibition.
Lazarus is an artist exploring vision and visibility whose work includes a range of fluid methodologies: photography, found and appropriated images, text-as-image, photo-derived sculptures made individually and collaboratively with the public, live archives, film, video, LED light images, and public submission repositories among others. This expanded practice seeks new approaches of inquiry, embodiment, and bearing witness through both individual and collective research.
Materiality: Jim Gigurtsis and Mike Cannata
Materiality brings together the work of Jim Gigurtsis and Mike Cannata, two artists deeply invested in the physical qualities of their materials.
Gigurtsis’ oil paintings embrace painterly deconstruction, exploring themes of alienation and vulnerability, while Cannata’s ceramics push the boundaries of surface and form through expressive, layered glazes. Across both practices, representation and abstraction blur, encouraging viewers to linger in moments of ambiguity where process and image become inseparable.
Gigurtsis is an internationally known figurative artist currently residing in Seminole.
“I paint figures that resist being fully known,” Gigurtsis states on his website. “The human form as a site of psychological inquiry — alluding to the hidden interior of each individual through distortion, deconstruction, and the accidents of paint. I don’t want to paint illustrations of what suffering and vulnerability look like. I want to paint what it feels like to live with them.”
Cannata is currently a long-term artist in residence at the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg. He is a multimedia artist who works in large-scale painting, sculpture, installation, and ceramics. He has been working primarily in ceramics over the past 10 years, creating larger-than-life sculptures and utilizing oozing and expanding glaze concoctions. Cannata creates narrative through his gestural and emotive paintings and sculptures.
“I make my art with an attitude of spontaneity and play,” Cannata explains on his website. “My work is a depiction of experience, a depiction of a time … a place … a strong emotion … Materials speak boisterously and also in whispers yet they don’t make a sound. Viscosity, texture and surface give materials voice; making art to me is a dialogue between myself and the material.”
Call for Artists: Futurology
DFAC invites artists to imagine what lies ahead in “Futurology,” a call for work exploring visions of the future — from hopeful to uncertain to dystopian.
Guest judged by John Byrd, the exhibition will award cash prizes. Artists are encouraged to think boldly and speculate freely, offering personal interpretations of what the future may hold.
Out of Many, Still Many
Created in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial, “Out of Many, Still Many” highlights regional figurative painters capturing quiet, everyday moments across diverse cultures and identities.
The exhibition reflects a “salad bowl” vision of the nation — celebrating difference while emphasizing shared humanity. Through painting, these intimate scenes are elevated as essential threads in the broader American narrative.
Pressing On: Printmaking at the Dunedin Fine Art Center
On view through Aug. 23, “Pressing On” celebrates the vibrant printmaking community at DFAC, bringing together current students, faculty, alumni, and former instructors.
Spanning a wide range of techniques and approaches, the exhibition highlights the studio’s role as both a technical resource and a collaborative hub. As one of the only publicly accessible etching presses in the region, DFAC fosters a unique environment where artists of all levels can learn, experiment, and grow together.
About the Dunedin Fine Art Center
The Dunedin Fine Art Center is a leading cultural institution dedicated to enriching lives through art. Offering exhibitions, studio classes, workshops, and community programs, DFAC serves as a creative hub for artists and audiences of all ages and experience levels.
The center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DFAC offers free parking, including wheelchair-accessible spaces. Elevators, accessible seating, and other accommodations ensure every visitor can fully enjoy the experience. For information, visit www.dfac.org.