Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Beneath the surface
An exhibit of photographs on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and programs at the Webber Center Gallery aim to deepen our understanding of caves and their natural wonders.
By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published September 2, 2006
OCALA - An exhibit of photographs and a series of presentations take visitors deep inside the underground world of caves. The cave exhibit runs from Sept. 14 to Oct. 28 at the Webber Center Gallery at the Ocala campus of Central Florida Community College, off State Road 200 in Ocala. The exhibit "Caves, A Fragile Wilderness" seeks to educate and enthrall people with the natural beauty of caves and with the message that, like many other things in our ecosystem, caves are fragile and can be damaged beyond repair by human activity. The exhibit is on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and features 38 color photographs taken by members of the National Speliological Society. The photographs show caves from Alaska to Malaysia, according to the exhibit guide. Central Florida has many caves, including those in Citrus County's tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest. These are dry caves and are often explored. They are not among the caves featured in the Smithsonian exhibit. The Webber Center Gallery will present the following educational programs to complement the caves exhibit. - Opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 15. - Video presentation at 1 p.m. Sept. 23. "Journey into Amazing Caves," a 40-minute video, followed by a lecture "Florida Caves and Karst" by Cara Gentry, a graduate student from the University of Florida Geology Department. - Slide show and lecture 7 p.m. Oct. 5. "Art of the Cave: An Exploration of Cave Painting and Sculpture" by associate professor of humanities Michelle Wirt , who teaches at the Citrus County CFCC campus. The presentation will feature cave art from sites in Europe, China and Central America. The presentations will all be at the Webber Center Gallery at the Ocala CFCC campus and admission is free. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Group tours can be arranged by calling 352 873-5809. Jorge Sanchez covers arts and entertainment in Citrus. Contact him at sanchez@sptimes.com or (352) 860-7313 or toll free at 1-800-333-7505, ext 7313.
[Last modified September 2, 2006, 06:54:48]
Share your thoughts on this story
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor