"TESTBED" 2024 Faculty Artist in Residence and Exhibition (TAG at the University of West Florida)

The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents “TESTBED” 2024 Faculty Artist in Residence and Exhibition featuring UWF Department of Art and Design faculty members Marzia Ransom, Jason Pinckard and John Dougherty. Artwork will be displayed at TAG, in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Building 82, on the Pensacola campus.

The TAG Artist-in-Residence program uses the gallery as an experimental space to facilitate artistic research that promotes dialogue and collaboration with students, staff and the local community. The exhibition’s studio format gives the Northwest Florida community a unique experience to meet and talk with artists, gaining insights into their creative process. Open studio hours take place from July 9 to August 1, Tuesdays 12 to 2 p.m., Wednesdays 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays 2 to 4 p.m. An opening reception will be held in TAG on Thursday, Aug. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Following the open studio hours and reception, visitors can view completed works during the exhibition dates from Aug. 22 to Sept. 26. A closing reception will be held in TAG on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  

The title of this exhibition takes inspiration from the exploratory nature of the artistic process. A testbed is a platform for discovery, where ideas can be investigated and theories applied. From the exhibition title wall to the artist-in-residence studios and the artwork produced, the TESTBED exhibition is meant to be a learning experience for the students and artists alike.

Marzia Ransom is an Italian artist working and living in the United States. She earned her MFA at MassArt Boston in 2010 after receiving her BFA at the University of West Florida in 2008. Marzia’s areas of specialization regarding her art practice include large-scale “epic” oil paintings, wet process photography and installations. Marzia’s work and incorporation of religious iconography has been highlighted in various exhibitions and installations, including the commission of a permanent piece by The Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria, VA, the first Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

John Dougherty is a designer, visual artist and educator from Pensacola, Florida. He studied Studio Art as an undergraduate at the University of West Florida, and in 2014 completed his MFA in Visual Studies through the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. John is one half of CAN DO Design Co. with his wife Mia McCann. CAN DO focuses on identity, branding and packaging design for consumer goods. John has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally, including New York, Portland and Helsinki. 

Jason Pinckard is an artist currently residing in Pensacola, Florida. In 2014 he graduated with a BFA in Studio Art from The University of West Florida. In 2019 he graduated with an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the University of South Florida. He has taught courses at the University of South Florida, the University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas County Community College, Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida. He has exhibited in numerous online and national exhibitions and will participate in his first international exhibition at the Biennale de la Photographie de Mulhouse in Mulhouse, France this September.

TAG at UWF seeks to challenge, stimulate and engage students and the greater public through direct interaction with works of modern and contemporary art.

TAG is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and observes all UWF closures and holidays. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit uwf.edu/tag.