Ringling College of Art and Design Englewood Art Center Presents “Left Coast Connections”

January 27, 2021 – Sarasota

The Englewood Art Center, a division of Ringling College of Art and Design, presents “Left Coast Connections,” a group exhibition curated by George Zebot, on exhibit now through May 28. This exhibition features the work of 31 artists with connections to the visionary artist and teacher, Dick Oden, who taught at California State University Long Beach. Showings are by appointment only.

For more information, visit ringling.edu/EAC or call 941-474-5548.

George Zebot, a Venice resident and faculty member in the Continuing Studies department at Ringling College of Art and Design, is the curator of the exhibition. He points out that the artists and works selected “are not bound by style or media but by a shared spirit of excellence and esthetic surprise. They are all, in some direct or indirect way influenced by one visionary artist and teacher. Dick Oden was a rare and truly magic man who mentored several of the artists in this exhibition. This show is a tribute to our individual responsibility to listen and learn from our mentors even if doesn’t come to full fruition until years later.” 

Two participating artists have connections to Ringing College. Katy Betz, who is currently an instructor at Ringing College, attended Laguna College of Art and Design where she studied with George Zebot. Former Ringling College instructor Vito Scarola attended California State University Long Beach, and taught at Laguna College of Art and Design and Saddleback College. Everett Peck, a renowned illustrator, comics artist, cartoonist, animator, and the creator of “Duckman,” will also be represented in the exhibit. Peck studied at California State University Long Beach. Work by another renowned artist, Greg Spalenka, will also be represented. Spalenka, who attended Saddleback College and taught at Laguna College of Art and Design, has produced art for such companies as Warner Bros, New Line, Time, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Born in 1936 in Washington, DC, Dick Oden received a BFA from Carnegie Institute of Technology and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. His tenure at California State University Long Beach began in 1961 where he held the title of professor and served as a department head. He founded and developed a program whose many alumni have gained international recognition. Oden was an awarded and recognized artist with a prestigious client list that included the Federal Reserve Bank, the Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry, the National Football League, Capital Records, United States Air Force, and numerous motion picture studios, national magazines and book publishers. One of his specializations was the field of bio-medical art. His extensive and meritorious work for renowned medical institutions such as Stanford University and the University of Southern California received much acclaim and distinguished him as a leader in the field. His services were frequently sought by eminent physicians and surgeons to assist them with judicial and court proceedings. His professional work gained him international recognition for its excellence. 

George Zebot was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and came to the United States at the age of five. He served on the faculty at the University of the West Indies, Chapman University, Saddleback College, was department chair at Laguna College of Art and Design and is professor emeritus at the School of Art at California State University, Long Beach. Zebot was awarded the 1999 Rotary International Grant for University Teachers in Developing Countries. He has a gold medal from the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators with merits from the New York Society of Illustrators and the Art Directors Club of New York. 

This exhibit is sponsored, in part, by the Sarasota County Tourist Development Council.

About the Englewood Art Center
The Englewood Art Center features exhibitions, classes, and special events. In addition to four galleries for exhibitions, the center houses two well-equipped 2D studio classrooms, a pottery studio, a digital media studio, and a lending library. Visit ringling.edu/EAC.

About Ringling College of Art and Design
Since 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College’s rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers.

For more information, please visit ringling.edu.