Rwanda 2013 by Katya Neptune

by Katya Neptune

AVON PARK, Fla. – Jan. 10, 2025 – Two exhibitions open in January at the South Florida State College (SFSC) Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) in Avon Park. On view at MOFAC are Katya Neptune’s “Echoes Unveiled” and Mary Seigfreid’s “Whiskers and Tales.” Both exhibitions run now through Monday, March 31. MOFAC exhibits can be viewed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is free.

A free art exhibition opening reception will be held on Thursday, Jan. 16, 12:30-1:30 p.m. at MOFAC, in which artists Neptune and Seigfreid will give brief talks. Refreshments will be served.  

Katya Neptune, “Echoes Unveiled”
Neptune’s “Echoes Unveiled” exhibition runs Jan. 5 through March 31 and can be seen in MOFAC’s main gallery. This exhibition highlights Neptune’s two-decade journey as an interdisciplinary artist and independent curator dedicated to empowering emerging artists. Neptune is the founder of ArtHeart, a South Florida-based organization that, through group exhibitions and collaborative projects, has raised funds and awareness to support orphaned children in Rwanda and Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. The works featured in “Echoes Unveiled” honor the lives of these children and their resilience.

A central theme in Neptune’s advocacy for emerging artists and her personal art practice is her exploration of mental health. Her work is deeply process-oriented, reflective, and introspective. She navigates the complexities of mental health through diverse mediums, including mixed-media sculpture, abstract mapping, photography, painting, digital art, and installation. Each medium is chosen with care — often guided by intuition — to mirror her psychological and emotional states. Through intimate visual narratives, Neptune shares her journey of struggle and healing, fostering conversations about mental health and challenging the stigma surrounding mental illness. The marks and abstract mappings framing the works in
“Echoes Unveiled” bring her internal reflections to life.

Neptune is a Filipina artist of the diaspora (b. 1976, Angeles City, Philippines) now based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Cat image by Mary Seigfreid

by Mary Seigfreid

Mary Seigfreid, “Whiskers and Tales”

Seigfreid’s exhibition, “Whiskers and Tales” runs from Jan. 9 through March 31 and can be seen in the gallery at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts. Through her art, she invites viewers to see the extraordinary within the ordinary. Her playful use of materials often sparks nostalgia, while her attention to detail and humor encourages a closer look at the stories her works tell. The artwork in “Whiskers and Tales” resonate with themes of resourcefulness, relaxation, and the celebration of life’s small moments.

Seigfreid relocated from Cincinnati to Sebring in 1978, forging a deep connection with the local art community that has spanned decades. During that time, she  also developed a distinctive artistic voice celebrated for its whimsical and witty use of repurposed and vintage materials. Seigfreid’s artistic practice is rooted in finding joy and wonder in the natural world, the rhythms and materials of everyday life, and the imaginative possibilities that arise during the process of creation.

MOFAC is located at 600 West College Drive on the SFSC Highlands Campus in Avon Park.