Photo by Jessie Ward/University of Florida
Daytona arts leader Gary Libby honored with University of Florida gallery renaming
By Rick de Yampert rick.deyampert@news-jrnl.com
Gary Libby remembers growing up in Fort Myers “where we didn’t have a museum.”
As a student at the
University of Florida in the mid-1960s, he was vacillating between law
and pre-med when he “walked into the brand new art and architecture
complex and the galleries there,” Libby said. “What an eye-opener it was
for me. It was transformational.”
So
much so that Libby said goodbye to law and medicine and pursued a
career in the arts, arts education and arts administration. Now the
University of Florida’s School of Art + Art History is renaming its
Focus Gallery as the Gary R. Libby Gallery.
The honor is “in recognition of the philanthropy and ongoing support” of Libby,” a UF news release said.
“The
announcement was a big surprise,” said Libby, a Daytona Beach resident.
“It’s a wonderful thrill. It makes you feel that everything you’ve done
has been appreciated.”
Read the full article here
Gary has been a real champion of the arts in Florida and a strong advocate for the artwork of our State. By shining a spotlight on the famous artists who completed work in Florida, Gary has added to the National cultural conversation and added true value to the state of Florida's identity within that conversation. Congratulations to Gary on the honor and much praise to UF for the renaming.
Mr Libby wrote one of the definitive books on Florida art and on one of the most important Florida art collections; Celebrating Florida: Works of Art from the Vickers Collection
Enjoy, GL
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