OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A new exhibit features a diverse group of artists, a broad variety of styles and marks a milestone for a local business.

The all-media art exhibit will be on display for three months and celebrates the first anniversary of the Chelsea Art Center. Retired educator, Barbara Fife, opened the center last August.

The Celebrating Creativity exhibition will feature artists working in a variety of media including oils, acrylics, watercolors, collage, pencil, woodcuts, photo encaustic, pastels, fused glass, and more. From abstract to realism, the exhibit provides the viewer an opportunity to see the different ways artists express themselves. The artists who are participating in the exhibit are all central Florida-based.

The exhibition will be on display from June 1 through August 30. There will be a gala celebration with artists’ reception on Sunday, June 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the art center which is located at 3305 E. Silver Springs Blvd. The event is FREE, but they ask that you register in advance.

Visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite artist. The People’s Choice Award being presented at the end of the exhibition.

This will be the third art exhibition to be held at the Chelsea Art Center. The first featured the work of photographer John Elliott, the Human Pulse and Walls and Spaces, with many of the images from the artist’s travels from around the globe. A pastels show was the second exhibition to be held at the center.

Sherese Mesko’s “Celia” is among the featured pieces of art at the Celebrating Creativity art exhibit honoring the Chelsea Art Center’s first anniversary. Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today
Newy Fagan’s fused glass Dichroic Draft Horses are part of the artwork that’s on display at the Chelsea Art Center in Ocala as part of the Celebrating Creativity art exhibition that will be on display through Aug. 30. Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today
Catherine Sullivan’s “My Walking Hat” is one of the featured pieces of artwork at the Chelsea Art Center in Ocala. Courtesy: Ben Baugh/352today

“I’m pleased for the turnout for this exhibition,” said Fife. “It gives the artists some exposure, and for a few of the artists, it’s the first time that they’ve been part of an exhibit. It’s so rewarding to me.”

There will be a couple of artists demonstrating their techniques, during the reception.

The Chelsea Art Center has also fostered other art forms including performance and expressive arts by hosting various theater groups and a yoga class that includes an expressive art experience, along with sound healing.

The art center is offering a number of children’s camps and classes during the summer. Nearly 800 students, of all different levels and ages, have participated in classes at the facility and more than 40 instructors have taught at the center in its inaugural year.

For more information about classes, events and programs, call 352-804-1272 or visit their website.