Artist Jean Blackburn returns to Bay Preserve

October 2, 2024 | Osprey

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is delighted to host artist Jean Blackburn and her latest exhibit, Helping When We Can.Featuring a collection of her recent works, Helping When We Can, highlights the close relationships between humans and the animals around us. A certified Master Naturalist, Jean works regularly with wildlife rehabilitators and notes that sometimes creatures in need come to her and her husband on their own looking for assistance. Blackburn’s 14-acre property in the Old Miakka Community provides a varied landscape for native species and offers ample opportunities for her to observe wildlife living without human interference.

Join Conservation Foundation at their Bay Preserve headquarters for the exhibit opening reception on Wednesday, October 9, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served and the artist will be onsite to answer questions about her work. Select pieces will be available for sale with Blackburn generously donating one hundred percent of the proceeds to Conservation Foundation to protect Southwest Florida’s land and water.

Registration for the opening reception is required. For more information and to RSVP, visit conservationfoundation.com/events. Following the reception, the exhibit will be on display October 10 through January 7, and may be viewed Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Call Conservation Foundation’s office at 941-918-2100 with questions and for holiday hours.

A third generation Florida native, Jean was born and grew up on Anna Maria Island. She received a BA Degree from the University of Florida, an AS degree in Biological Parks Technology from State College of FL, Gainesville and an MFA from the University of Oregon where she was awarded a two-year graduate teaching fellowship. She taught fine arts at State College of Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, and New College of Florida and is a certified Master Gardener and Master Naturalist through the University of Florida. Jean previously served on governing boards of Sarasota’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Council, Sea to Shore Alliance and The Friends of Myakka River State Park. Together with her husband, she now splits her time between a small farm in Old Miakka and a cottage in the Village of Longboat Key.