Class Act

During a field trip in the fall of 2024 to The Factory, students from Blake High School toured the exhibition Breaking Barriers: Nature in Focus at the Wild Space Gallery and the interactive installations at FloridaRAMA. They then created artworks in response to their experiences, guided by their teachers, Linda Galgani, Molly Dressel, and Caitlin Clay. Art students from Megan Hoffman’s art class at Clearwater High School collaborated with undergraduate mentors from Eckerd College’s Environmental Studies program and Wild Space Gallery to create artwork in response to current environmental challenges in the Gulf region. 

Forty students submitted works that include painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and ceramics, along with written artist statements. They exhibit knowledge and concern for Florida’s ecosystems and wildlife and address big themes-the human impact on the environment and climate change, the aftermath of recent hurricanes, the treatment and protection of animals-as well as more intimate on their relationships to their own environments. 

Class Act encourages the awareness of, and participation in, the mission of protection and conservation of Florida’s precious natural environment among young people, who are vital to the future of our beautiful state.