Marco Island Academy Students Present Florida Mystique Art Show

Under the direction of fine arts and humanities instructor Rob Eder, students at Marco Island Academy (MIA) presented a student art show titled Florida Mystique on Wednesday, March 20 in the school’s upper lobby.

"All of the student artwork was based on an ongoing assignment to capture the essence of Florida,” Eder said, "which is why the presentation is called “Florida Mystique.”

Most of the photography work is presented as it was shot by the students. 

"The majority of photo manipulation for the artwork was compositional,” Eder said. "Students used the Photoshop crop tool to make sure that the photos had the proper rule of thirds proportions. Some photos were adjusted for lighting and color saturation.”

The artwork was printed on the school’s professional printer.

“We purchased our Epson P9000 professional printer last August using grant funds from the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts,” Eder said.

Members of MIA's Rays Squadron Forever Now Endowment Cabinet Members attended the show, along with guests from the Sunrise Rotary and Keller Williams Realty.

The MIA Culinary Club prepared Hors d’ oeuvres for the art show. Judging by the half-empty serving trays, the club’s efforts were most appreciated.

Altogether there were 14 original digital photographs on display from Eder’s photography classes. There was also a digitally painted picture created by students in Blocks One and Two Creative Photography classes and one digitally “painted” picture from a student in his drawing class.

"Every year I say that the student work is the best work yet,” Eder said. “I'm proud and pleased to say that is still true.”

Eder was also proud of the confidence his students showed at the art show.

"Usually, before a public event we are a little nervous,” Eder said, "but I felt that this group of pictures was so strong, I knew that the work would be well received by the public. From the comments that I’ve heard, it definitely was."

The 15 pictures from this show plus 10 more will be on exhibit and for sale during the whole month of April, with an opening reception on Tuesday, April 9 at the Marco Island Center for the Arts from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.