oconnorartLLC - Mallory O'Connor Services

Exhibition Development

As director of the City of Gainesville Thomas Center Galleries (1984-1995) and Santa Fe College Art Gallery (1995-2002) she oversaw or personally organized more than 150 exhibitions. Topics ranged from shows by contemporary artists (“Made in Gainesville,” paintings, prints and photographs by 20 Gainesville artists; “Katharine T. Carter: Recent Paintings” the Neo-Geo works of New York artist KTC) to exhibits that emphasized social issues (“Expatriates: Paintings by Fifteen Young Latin American Artists”; “Loss, Memory and Identity: Picturing the Holocaust,” paintings by new York artist Diana Kurz; “Looking Back/Looking Ahead: Florida Artists Respond to AIDS”) to exhibits by local art organizations and shows of children’s art.

Books and Articles

At a loss for words? Mallory can help. The author of two books as well as numerous magazine articles, critical essays and newspaper stories, Mallory has abundant writing experience. Her books, Florida’s American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region, co-authored with author/photographer Gary Monroe and Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast, were published by the University Press of Florida. She was also a feature writer for Business to Business Magazine, a Tallahassee –based periodical (1983-84) and did post-graduate work in Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida (1982-83).

Artist Career Development

Professionally produced support materials are essential to the success of artistic endeavors. Whether you need a beautifully organized exhibition or help with your individual artist’s career, Mallory can offer years of experience and professional know-how

Lectures

With twenty-five years of teaching and lecturing experience, Mallory O’Connor is a popular and polished speaker. Her illustrated lectures have received statewide acclaim and her audiences have ranged from scholarly societies to community organizations to residents of retirement communities. Recruited by the Florida Humanities Council for their Road Scholars speakers program, Mallory has presented talks at museums and libraries, nature centers and teacher’s workshops.

A Professor of Art History Emerita at Santa Fe College, Gainesville, and current President of oconnorartLLC, Mallory O’Connor has spent the past forty years teaching, lecturing and writing about art. Trained as an artist, an art historian and a journalist, Mallory has also worked as a gallery curator, exhibit designer and grant writer. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, a Masters in American History and a Master of Fine Arts in Art History from Ohio University. She has taught art history at the university of Florida and at Santa Fe College and is the recipient of numerous fellowships including three individual scholars grants from the Florida Humanities Council. Her curatorial experience includes temporary and traveling exhibitions, research and documentation, and promotional and programming materials. Her multiple accomplishments and her network of professional contacts support the range of services that she can offer. The links listed to the right provide a more detailed documentation of her credentials and accomplishments.

Statement Resume - PDF Download

Statement

Art, Culture and Nature are the three pillars of my world. I was lucky enough to grow up embedded in the natural world of Northern California where I lived until I moved to Mexico in 1964. As a child growing up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range, I loved to explore the fields and forests and the floodplains of the American River. But I was always intrigued with art and I constantly drew pictures of the marvelous things that I found in the natural world. Also, California was a great melting pot of cultures—Greek, Italian, Asian, Hispanic, East European and African American people lived and worked in close proximity in California’s Central Valley. My interest in art, culture and nature was implanted in my psyche and have been my guiding forces ever since. A Florida resident since 1969, I have come to love and delight in what this beautiful state has to offer and have become well acquainted with Florida’s unique artistic and cultural heritage as well as it’s exotic and fascinating environment.

It’s not surprising, then, that my career has been spent as an artist, art historian and writer with a special focus on nature and multicultural subjects. My art work reflected my fascination with natural science and my books—Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast (University Press of Florida, 1995) and Florida’s American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region” (UPF, 2009) explored the world of the pre-Columbian Southeast and the cultural history of the St. Johns River region.

In addition to painting, teaching and writing, some of my most successful work has been as an exhibition curator and designer. Starting in 1984, I served as director of Gainesville’s Thomas Center Gallery for ten years and then as director of the Santa Fe College Art Gallery for another five years. During that time I organized more than 150 exhibits and also designed exhibitions for the Florida Park Service and the Florida Museum of Natural History. I also served as a consultant for numerous additional projects for individuals and organizations..

I have a lifetime of experience in the world of art that I’d love to share with you. Whether you need assistance in designing or organizing an exhibit, developing an art collection, writing about art, producing promotional or programming materials, jurying an art show or finding a speaker for an event, I can guarantee you the highest quality of professional service at a surprisingly modest cost. Take a look at the services listed on this website and let me hear how I can help you meet your goals.

For more information on Art Exhibitions,
visit Mallory's Services Page.

For more information on Natural History Exhibitions,
visit Mallory's Services Page.

For more information on Historical Exhibitions,
visit Mallory's Services Page.

Florida's American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region

A magnificent celebration of the history, culture and environment of the St. Johns River region
by Mallory McCane O’Connor
and Gary Monroe

With an introduction by Bill Belleville

The mighty St. Johns River flows from its headwaters near Lake Okeechobee north through central Florida to Jacksonville. Its watershed includes three major tributaries—the Econlochatchee, the Wekiva, and the Ocklawaha—along with the Orange Creek Basin, and covers an area nearly the size of New Hampshire. Stretching from just west of Vero Beach to north of Jacksonville, and well into the center of the state, the river and its tributaries have been part of the cultural landscape of the peninsula for thousands of years. From the Native Americans who first settled along its banks to the French, Spanish, British, and American settlers who followed, it has been a source of food, water, transportation, industry, agriculture, and recreation.

In 1998 the St. Johns was declared an American Heritage River, the only one in Florida and one of only fourteen in the country to be so designated. It is also on the American Rivers’ list of “Most Endangered Rivers.” Beautiful, historic, mysterious, and romantic, artists have been drawn to this watery maze for centuries. For the past decade, Mallory O'Connor and Gary Monroe have been searching for and collecting paintings, sketches, sculpture, photographs, and material culture from the region.

Looking in antique shops and art galleries, nineteenth-century periodicals and twentieth-century fish camps, the authors found literally thousands of images of the river. They selected the best two hundred for this volume, some from the fine art tradition as represented by Thomas Moran and Martin Johnson Heade; others by self-taught visionaries. The result is a broad survey that captures and celebrates the beauty, power, and impact of this unique and vulnerable landscape. River of Lakes author Bill Belleville’s lyrical introduction sets the stage for an epic journey into the wild heart of primordial Florida.

Mallory M. O’Connor is professor emerita of art history at Santa Fe College, the past director of the Santa Fe College Art Gallery, and the former visual arts coordinator for the Thomas Center Gallery in Gainesville. She is the author of Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast.

Gary Monroe, professor of fine arts and photography at Daytona State College, is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Silver Springs: The Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozert and The Highwaymen Murals: Al Black's Concrete Dreams.

“Indispensable for anyone seeking to explore Florida beyond the brochures.”—Herbert L. Hiller, author of Highway A1A: Florida at the Edge

“If you are looking for an elegant way to navigate up the Saint Johns River without leaving your armchair, allow me to recommend spending time with this book. It is beautifully illustrated and a wonderful read.”—John Delaney, President, University of North Florida

“Florida’s American Heritage River is more than a history of the great St. Johns River. It chronicles the stories and art of creative people both known and unknown who were inspired by the natural beauty of this unique subtropical river and who left to us their vision of paradise.”

—Clay Henderson, environmental policy attorney, Holland & Knight, LLP

University Press of Florida
15 NW 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32603
(352) 392-1351
Order at www.upf.com
ISBN 978-0-8130- 352-5
200 color plates
$44.95

For Immediate Release
Contact: Stephanie Williams
(352) 392-1351 x 243
SW@upf.com

oconnorartLLC was founded in 2010 to make available, to a larger audience, the creative talents and art of Mallory and John O’Connor.