Services
Curatorial
If you are looking for exhibition ideas or need help in organizing an exhibit, Mallory O’Connor has over twenty years experience in organizing and curating a variety of exhibits.
Art Exhibitions
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.
Exhibitions Curated
Natural History Exhibitions
Mallory O’Connor has created exhibitions and installations for the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Florida Park Service. These exhibits included “Orangutan Orphans: Rehabilitating Indonesia’s Red Apes,” a traveling exhibition of photographs by Mike Turco; “Opening the Door to a New World: Mark Catesby in La Florida”; and “The Great Alachua Savannah: A Visual History of Paynes Prairie.” Many of the exhibitions she organized have had an environmental or scientific theme.
Historical Exhibitions
Mallory O’Connor holds an M.A. in American History from Ohio University and has a special interest in exhibits that feature historically significant material. Examples include “Drums and Shadows,” photographs of African-Americans from the Georgia Coastal region taken in the 1930s; “The Golden Age of Syndicated Comic Art,” original drawings of America’s best-loved comic strips; and “Memoirs of a Clown,” drawings and paintings documenting thirty years of circus life by Sarasota artist Bill Ballentine.
In addition to curating exhibits, Mallory has also produced exhibition scripts and interpretive panels, catalogue essays and other support materials that have added scope and content to her exhibits. She also has hands-on knowledge of exhibition design and installation including lighting, placement and display techniques. The difference is in the details!
Writing
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). Mallory will be happy to work with you to create:
- Catalogue essays - (view example)
- Critical essays, reviews and critiques
- Interpretive text for exhibitions and displays
- Cell-phone tours of exhibits
- Magazine feature articles
- Grants
- Public or private collection descriptions/brochures
- Artist statements
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.
Jurying art shows
Mallory O’Connor has frequently been asked to jury art exhibits and art festivals. Her discerning eye and impartial mind-set have made her a popular juror. Artists have been pleased with the thoroughness of her evaluations and the time that she has spent talking to artists about their work.
Transitional Administration
If you have an unexpected change in your organization's leadership--a director falls ill or suddenly resigns for example--John and Mallory are ready to provide temporary administrative oversight (one month to one year) of your organization's programs and facilities until your crisis is resolved. We have years of experience directing art galleries, craft facilities and municipal art centers. Let us help you keep your programs running smoothly while you work through the hiring process. Contract with us individually or as a team. Discounts available for small non-profit organizations.
Public 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. Mallory’s illustrated 50 minute lectures cover a wide variety of art-related topics including:
Florida Series
- “Peceptions of Paradise” How art has helped shape the image of Florida as Eden
- “Liquid Muse: Contemporary Paintings from the St. Johns Region”
- “Billy’s Wonderful Performances” The art and science of William Bartram
- “Bobcats and Egrets and Gators, Oh My!” Artist-naturalists in the Colonial Southeast
- “Before Bartram: Mark Catesby in La Florida”
- “The Art of Hope” WPA murals in Florida
- “Strangers in a Strange Land” Picturing Florida’s history through art.
Indian Art Series
- “Artifact as Art” The beauty and skill of Native American art work
- “Treasures of the Lost Cities” Pre-conquest art of the Southeastern Indians
Other lectures
- “Understanding Modern Art”
- “The Healing Brush” Where art and medicine meet.
If you would like to have an engaging and qualified speaker for your group, Mallory O’Connor will be pleased to share her love and art and history with you.
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
Contact Mallory at oconnormall@bellsouth.net for more information.
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.
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
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
