The UCF School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) and home-building company Mattamy Homes have partnered to present Meridian Parks Art Walk. The Art Walk is a curated collection of artwork by SVAD students showcased at Meridian Parks, a new community housing more than 4,000 families in the Lake Nona area.
The collection showcased at the Art Walk will rotate twice yearly, with a call for artwork sent to SVAD students to include their work. Each student represented in the Art Walk receives compensation for their participation while gaining a real-world professional development opportunity as emerging artists.
“The Meridian Parks Art Walk highlights the talents of our UCF students and provides an opportunity for them to learn skills needed in being a practicing artist, from creation to exhibition,” says Shannon Lindsey, director of the UCF Art Gallery and SVAD lecturer. “It also gives them an opportunity to show their work and make it more accessible to the public and community.”
Artwork may be available for purchase by contacting the student directly. SVAD students showcased at the Art Walk include Kayla Kender, Virginia Haggbloom, Lisamar Barreiro-Marrero, Hané Harnett, Lainie Jones, Zongyang Zou, Kole Moremen, Anthony Grabowski, Danniell Fennell, Sarah Hall, Ifunanya Eke and Nara-Lee Todd. View their artwork and photos from the event below.
The Art Walk was unveiled on Jan. 26, 2023, at the grand opening reception of Meridian Parks. Student work was displayed throughout the Meridian Parks Amenity Center.
At the opening, Shannon Lindsey participated in a Q&A panel with a representative from Mattamy Homes. She spoke to Meridian Parks residents about how to get involved with the arts at UCF and the benefits of this partnership for both students and SVAD as a whole.
“We want to provide opportunities for our students to exhibit their artwork, beyond the UCF campus, with partners like Mattamy Homes and give them the experience to learn about the professional practice of exhibiting their work,” Lindsey said.
SVAD student artists stood next to their pieces to answer questions from residents about their work.