Pensacola|Featured Event
University Of West Florida Student Artists Explore Identity, Nature And Transformation In Altered St
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT
UWF STUDENT ARTISTS EXPLORE IDENTITY, NATURE AND TRANSFORMATION IN ALTERED STATE EXHIBIT
Inaugural BFA Summer Studio Exhibition opens September 3 – Oct.1 at The 52 World, with public reception September 17
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The University of West Florida Department of Art and Design will present Altered State, a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring work created by student artists in the department’s BFA Summer Studio class. The exhibition will be on view September 3 through October 1 at The 52 World’s Inspire Apartments, part of a master-planned Pensacola community that includes lofts, apartments, townhomes and the Living Art Museum at 8511 Myslak Way.
A public reception will be held Thursday, September 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. The evening will invite visitors, residents and members of the broader Pensacola arts community to meet the artists, view the completed works and celebrate the launch of this summer studio initiative. The reception is free and open to the public however it is necessary to reserve at EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/altered-state-bfa-summer-studio-exhibition-tickets-1998251930315?aff=oddtdtcreator
Altered State brings together works in oil on canvas, clay and other materials that examine identity, emotion, nature and personal transformation. Developed during an intensive summer studio course, the exhibition highlights how emerging artists translate lived experience, observation, memory and material experimentation into cohesive bodies of work. The title points to both the physical transformation of materials and the internal shifts that occur as artists deepen their practice.
“This class gave students the time and structure to move beyond isolated assignments and begin thinking like artists building a sustained practice,” Ransom said. “The work in Altered State shows artists taking risks, responding to one another and allowing their ideas to evolve through material, process and critique.”
Presented through a growing partnership between The Art Gallery(TAG) at UWF and The 52 World, Altered State offers a public platform for emerging artists. TAG Director Stasha Willis shares her enthusiasm for "cultivating relationships, like the partnership with 52 World, that expand student access to creative opportunities and strengthen the region’s growing arts ecosystem." The location of the exhibition extends the students’ work beyond the studio and into an environment designed around art, community and contemporary living.
The exhibition at The 52 World will run September 3rd through October 1st. The exhibition highlights the artistic range of UWF students and the university’s commitment to connecting student artists with audiences across the Gulf Coast community.
Exhibition Details: Altered State: BFA Summer Studio Exhibition will be on view September 3 through October 1 at The 52 World’s Inspire Apartments, 8511 Myslak Way, Pensacola, Florida. A public reception will be held Thursday, September 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The exhibition at The 52 World will run alongside a second UWF exhibition at TAG, on view from August 20 through September 17. Together, the exhibitions highlight the artistic range of UWF students while expanding opportunities for their work to be seen throughout the community.
Participating Artists
Angela Boyce
Jasmin Busbee
Coco Campus
Rhea Candemeres
Caroline Davidson
Cheyra Flowers
Darby Gallagher-Adams
Ashley Gallagher
Cademon Galloway
Tessa Harris
Brianna Ismalej
Ivan Kidder
Evelyn Mosley
Lam Nguyen
Morgan Petersen
Emanuela Serra
Maliya Tilley
Heather Velez
Hannah Whitlock
About Altered State Exhibition: The BFA Summer Studio course offers emerging artists a clear path to deepen their understanding of what it truly means to build a cohesive body of work. Through a dedicated space where daily practice shapes both rhythm and intention, students learn to move steadily toward the development of a BFA portfolio and exit exhibition.
Guided by the mentorship of UWF Art & Design instructor, Marzia Ransom, the BFA Summer Studio students occupied the space, encouraged by openness and honest exchange. The studio became a place of shared thought, critique, and communal experience. Artists worked side by side, their creative practice advancing with each conversation and critique. This exhibition reflects a collective step forward shaped by discipline, curiosity, and collaboration. For more information visit Here:
Altered State Exhibition
September 3–October 1, 2026
The 52 World — Inspire Apartments
8511 Myslak Way
Pensacola, Florida
Opening Reception and Sip & See
September 17, 2026
6pm – 8pm CT
The 52 World: Inspire Apartments
8511 Myslak Way
Pensacola, Florida