Art as Social Commentary presents three thought provoking exhibitions of art intended to drive social change, with work by internationally exhibiting artists Mark Messersmith and Carrie Ann Baade, and work by six of their students from Florida State University.

Mark Messersmith: When No One is Watching features Messersmith’s new Anxiety Series, in which he combines painting and sculpture to explore the tension between wildlife that still exists in Florida, and the intrusive human presence that continues to destroy it. His vibrant style is inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, Southern folk art, and medieval manuscripts.  Messersmith has shown extensively in the Southeastern United States, Canada, Italy and France. He has recently had solo museum exhibitions at the Huntsville Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Frost Art Museum, and Art Museum of Southeast Texas.

Carrie Ann Baade: A Foreshadowing of Events presents her painted collage-like narratives that comment on various aspects of present day society. Dubbed a “Pop Surrealist” by contemporary art critics, Baade is a classically trained painter whose work has been featured in over one hundred exhibitions in ten countries. This exhibition of Baade’s work includes four new paintings created for this show, in which she explores mortality through allegories of memento mori and vanitas. Through her narrative paintings, Baade presents human fears, desires, and introspections, incorporating images of people, angels, fire, and animals she has collected by cutting them from the reproductions of historical masterpieces.

The third exhibition presents work by Toni Ardizzone, Elton Burgest, Kelly Hanning, Brian Holcombe, Caroline Manuel, and Michelle Wilcox, who study with Carrie Ann Baade and Mark Messersmith at Florida State University. They also explore art as social commentary, using their art as a platform for social change.

Art as Social Commentary exhibitions remain on view Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10am – 5pm, through December 15, 2018. Suggested exhibition admission is $5 (museum members and children admitted free), with guided tours available for any group by reservation (850) 627-5023. Additional programs include the Art as Action Panel Discussion on October 6, and an artists’ talk with Messersmith and Baade on October 20.