THE AMERICAN COLLECTION, continuing This exhibition has been at the OMA for years, and it will be for many more. But what if it weren't? Some of the names of artists in the collection are recognizable from those long-ago humanities classes – Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams, Dennis Oppenheim. Still, few people can readily conjure the spectacular color contrasts of Frank Weston Benson's "Lily Pond" or the confluence of emotion contained in DeScott Evans' "At the Kitchen Window" or any of the other paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures therein. It's high time to reacquaint yourself with the Americans at the hometown museum. (continues; 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Orlando Museum of Art; 407-896-4231; www.omart.org; $5-$8)
CURRENT WORKS, through Oct. 15 For the acronym-lovers in the house: OVAL teams up with CFWS, ALOC and WCAF for a GS. For all others: Orlando Visual Artists' League teams up with Central Florida Watercolor Society, Artists' League of Orange County and Women's Caucus for Art Florida to present a group showing. (11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; OVAL on Orange; 407-648-1819; www.ovalorlando.org; free)
30/30, through Oct. 23 Yeah, we know her voice is annoying, and that laugh is worse than nails on a chalkboard, but what does Fran Drescher have to do with Maitland Art Center's 30/30 exhibit? Nothing. Which is another way of saying that we never know what the art will look like from this annual challenge. (9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Monday-Wednesday, noon-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Maitland Art Center; 407-539-2181; free)
DISCONNECTED SYNAPSES: AN EXHIBITION OF VISUAL MISFIRES, through Oct. 23 Although the name makes it sound like it's full of "bloopers," Keith Theriot's exhibit much more somberly juxtaposes painted portraits of recently deceased friends with earlier paintings, collages and photographs. (opening reception 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Oct. 1; Gallery Q; 407-228-8272; free)
M.C. ESCHER: RHYTHM OF ILLUSION, through Oct. 30 Think you've had your fill of impossible figures and stairways to nowhere after numerous visits to Deck the Walls in the mall? It's a safe bet that you haven't seen much of anything that M.C. Escher created. This exhibit of more than 80 lithographs and drawings by the Dutch master of the graphic arts bookends works from his early and late career. The mall will still be there. (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Orlando Museum of Art; 407-896-4231; www.omart.org; $5-$8;)
BLOOD AND HONEY, through Dec. 11 Most folks don't know much about the Serb-Croat War, the Bosnian War, the Kosovo War or any of the bloody conflicts that exploded in Yugoslavia during the '90s. Since there wasn't any oil to be had in the area, there wasn't much of anything reported. All that's needed is about 10 minutes in Ron Haviv's exhibit to get up to speed. (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Monday and Wednesday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday; Southeast Museum of Photography; 386-254-3080; www.smponline.org; free)
CROSSINGS, through Dec. 11 Make a run for photojournalist Alex Webb's document of the U.S./Mexico border and the throngs of people who try to make it across. (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Southeast Museum of Photography; www.smponline.org; 386-254-3080; free)
DON SONDAG: INTIMATE PORTRAITS, through Jan. 8 Can't get enough of your neighbors? You might be able to spot a few of them in his local artist's portraits of Orlando citizens and community leaders. (8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Orlando City Hall Mayor's Gallery; 407-246-4279; www.cityoforlando.net/arts/public.htm; free)
RIGOBERTO TORRES, through Jan. 15 Life-sized sculptures inspired by people from the Bronx neighborhood where the artist grew up. (8 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Monday-Wednesday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; The Terrace Gallery at Orlando City Hall; 407-246-4279; www.cityoforlando.net/arts/public.htm; free)
ORLANDO REMEMBERED, Sept. 29-Oct. 2 To justify holding on to that blue aluminum Orlando Renegades coin from a junior high collection or that moth-eaten Genitorturers T-shirt that's been rotting away in the back of the closet, tell yourself it's part of the master plan to amass an art collection. This exhibit has two missions. One portion will feature things relating to professional and semi-professional sports in Orlando. The other will display items "that help tell the story of Orlando's role in the national music scene." This could mean a lot of boy-band memorabilia. So feel free to invade those personal storehouses and make a donation. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday; Orange County Regional History Center; 407-836-8500; www.thehistorycenter.org; $3.50-$7)
ART AND CRAFTERS SHOW, Sept. 30-Nov. 7 No need to explain this, right? (6 p.m. at Osceola Center for the Arts; 407-846-6257; www.ocfta.com; $7)
CUBA UNDER CASTRO, Sept. 30-Jan. 2 UCF director of Latin American Studies Dr. Luis Martinez-Fernandez contributes items from his personal collection of Cuban memorabilia, including maps, documents and pins and bracelets from the 26th of July revolutionary movement. (No word on whether Fidel's cigar clipper or beard trimmer made it into the show.) This is the first multilingual exhibit (Spanish and English) hosted by the history center. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday; Orange County Regional History Center; 407-836-8500; www.thehistorycenter.org; $3.50-$7)
WINTER PARK AUTUMN ART FESTIVAL, Oct. 8 and 9 This outdoor gathering is one of the biggest and best art festivals in the country, rivaled locally only by the springtime Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. The distinction of this fall affair is that it is limited to Florida artists from all over the state who are not limited to working in sculpture, paintings, drawings or jewelry – anything goes. Typically, there's music and lots of food (we'll be at the arepa stand) to satisfy all of the senses. (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Central Park, Park Avenue, Winter Park; 407-644-8281; www.winterparkartfestival.com; free)
FISH CAMPS: CATCHING A GLIMPSE OF A VANISHING HABITAT, Oct. 11-Nov. 4 Artist and Crealdé instructor Tom Sadler, along with MJ Gandee, documents part of Florida's fading history; namely, the fishing camp. Back when we had all of our teeth, there used to be fish camps up and down Colonial Drive – now you'll only find them out in the boonies. Yes, COMMA Gallery is now officially "The Boonies" – at least until Nov. 4. (11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; COMMA Gallery; 407-376-1400; www.wcafl.org/calendar.htm; free)
WINDOWS AND WONDERS: TIFFANY FROM THE MORSE VAULTS, Oct. 11-Aug. 1, 2007 Not to belittle this collection of works by master glassman Louis Comfort Tiffany – the most comprehensive in existence – but sometimes the museum's exhibits sound like they are part of one big show titled Windows, Windows and More Windows: Tiffany Windows With a Side of Windows. Now, we love our Morse Museum but we secretly wish Tiffany would have, for once, stopped with the windows already and designed a few flagpoles, toasters or hacky-sacks. Actually, this exhibition does reflect many deviations from the Tiffany norm. (9:30 a.m-4 p.m Thursday-Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Sunday; Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art; 407-645-5311; www.morsemuseum.org; $3)
THE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL, Oct. 14-March 12 Landscape paintings by Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Albert Bierstadt and Asher B. Durand, as well as other notables. It's like being outside, except with air conditioning. (10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Tuesday and Wednes-day, noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday; Mennello Museum of American Folk Art; 407-246-4278; www.mennellomuseum.org; $4)
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON: AMERICAN ARTIST & NATURALIST, Oct. 14-Jan. 1 Satisfy that bird fix at this exhibit of original Audubon letters, rare books, personal items and 60 large hand-colored engravings printed for The Birds of America. (10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, noon-4:30 pm Sunday; Mennello Museum of American Folk Art; 407-246-4278; www.mennellomuseum.org; $4)
KEVIN HARAN: TRANSPARENCIES, Oct. 20-Dec. 9 It's hard not to be impressed with UCF art faculty member Kevin Haran's works. In some older pieces, his meticulously carved lines draw one's attention into the dark corners of his paintings, which are usually composed of mutant amorphic organisms. But this stuff is all new. (9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday-Wednesday; UCF Art Gallery; 407-823-3161; www.art.ucf.edu; free)
ADDITION & ABSTRACTION: MARTHA LENT AND MARTHA JO MAHONEY, Nov. 11-Dec. 18 Two local Marthas exhibit abstract paintings, printmaking and collages. (9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday-Wednesday, noon-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Maitland Arts Center; 407-539-2181; free)
FESTIVAL OF THE MASTERS and "WHERE ART MEETS THE SOUL" FOLK ART FESTIVAL, Nov. 11-13 Two distinctly different art festivals take place at at the same time but in different corners of the park. The 30th annual Festival of the Masters features 200 artists honored at other national festivals, along with music and children's activities. The Folk Art Festival surrounds the House of Blues with works by 45 local and national folk artists, with a silent auction to benefit the International House of Blues Foundation. (9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday; Downtown Disney; 407-934-2583; www.wdwinfo.com/downtown/FestivalMasters/festival_masters.htm; free)
