Panama City Center For The Arts Unveils Ancient Worlds To Local Wonders

PANAMA CITY, FL – August 14th, 2025 – The Center for the Arts will open the month of September with two new exhibitions. Students and faculty from the Greece Study Abroad Program at Gulf Coast State College showcase ceramic works and photography in the Miller Gallery. Local artist Michelle Hardman will be featured in the Spotlight Gallery. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, September 5th from 5 pm to 7pm. 

“Greeking Out”, featured in the Mary Ola Miller Memorial Gallery, is an exhibition showcasing artwork created by students and faculty from the Greece Study Abroad Program at Gulf Coast State College. Featuring ceramics and photography, the exhibition offers a vibrant exploration of Greece’s artistic heritage, cultural landscape, and the personal insights gained through immersive travel. 

After completing intensive two-week introductory courses in ceramics and photography in the U.S., students traveled to Greece, visiting historic sites such as Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, Pella, Thessaloniki, and the island of Skopelos. Upon returning to Panama City, they created works inspired by their experiences abroad. These pieces reflect creative growth, technical development, and individual perspectives shaped by travel – offering viewers a glimpse into each student’s unique journey. The exhibition stands as a testament to the transformative power of art, travel, and education. 

Featured artists include students Blythe Dillenkoffer, Takashi Kato, Taylor Ouzts, Alberto Spirgatis, and Izzy Talkington, alongside faculty artists Pavel Amromin and Tammy Marinuzzi.

Michele Hardman, a native of Orleans, Indiana now residing in Panama City Beach, Florida, loves to dabble in multiple mediums from abstract acrylic paint pours to jewelry making and photography. “This style just feels like it fits my free-spirited, gypsy-hippie-type personality,” says Hardman. She uses the ‘drips’, or ‘skins’, that run off the edges of the canvas and repurpose them into her line of jewelry. Hardman has recently launched a brand new line titled “The Florida Collection”, inspired by the many tranquil shades of blues in the Coastal waters, along with the vibrant yellows and oranges of the stunning sunsets. 

Hardman is also a freelance writer for a few magazines since 2016, and has published one small book, with a couple others in progress. “With both my artistic nature and my unending entrepreneurial spirit, I’m always looking for new styles of art to experiment with and explore,” says Hardman. Her works are featured in the Spotlight Gallery for the month of September.

Willie Morris’s See. Experience. Imagine. continues on display in the Main Gallery through September 13th. “Greeking Out” and Michelle Hardman’s exhibition will be on display through September 27th. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, September 5th from 5 pm to 7 pm. 

The Center for the Arts is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Friday, 10 am to 7 pm.