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The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, welcomes back one of Ocala’s best holiday traditions. On view Nov. 4-Jan. 7, “A Dickens Christmas: The Urban Family’s Holiday Exhibition” features themed trees and much more from the collection of Ocala cardiologist Dr. Paul Urban, his wife, Joyce, and daughters, Katie, Kristie, Kassie and Karlie.

In addition to ornately decorated trees, see the architecture, customs and history of Victorian England come alive in the popular miniature Dickens Village, alongside an extensive collection of nutcrackers from all around the world and much more. The display is different every year.

Adorning the second floor of the museum are trees decorated by community groups and organizations. Participants include Bridge to Hope, CAMPUS USA Credit Union, Hands Up Communications, Hiers-Baxley/Highland Memorial Park, Jack and Jill of America, and Urban Counseling. Outside, the museum’s majestic oaks will shine again with twinkling lights. Additional large-scale decorations will deck the grounds with holiday cheer.

“The fall and winter holidays have a way of bringing the community together, said Appleton Director Jason Steuber. “There’s no better way to spend time with family and friends than visiting the Appleton from November to January to enjoy festive holiday displays and world-class art.”

On Saturday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the annual Holiday Community Day event offers free admission sponsored by the Urban Family. Visit the permanent collection and special exhibitions including “A Dickens Christmas” and “Skylines to Hemlines: Art Deco Design from the Permanent Collection,” make holiday crafts in the Artspace, and have your photo taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. From 10 a.m.-noon, enjoy Face Painting by Tonya. All activities are free. Food trucks will be onsite throughout the day. Visit for more details.

If you’re searching for the perfect holiday gift, an Appleton Museum of Art membership is truly the gift that gives all year. A variety of membership levels are offered to fit the needs of every individual, couple or family. Visit for membership details. We also invite you to visit the Appleton Store any time with no admission fee to find unique gifts for all ages including artist-made jewelry, art books and activities for adults and children, holiday greeting cards, home décor, fine glassware and more.

About the Urban Family Collection

Joyce Urban’s love of Christmas began when she was a child in the city of Philadelphia. Every year, she would go see the elaborate decorations at the department stores that were set up along the path she walked as she went to see Santa. This wonder of Christmas has stayed with her through the years. She began publicly displaying her collection in 1989 because she wanted to provide a place for children of all ages to experience the holiday magic she enjoyed as a child. Over the years, her Christmas Tour has raised money for many local charities including Harvest International, Interfaith, Pilot Club, Women’s Pregnancy Center and the Counseling Resource Center, where she once worked as a counselor. In 2012, Joyce opened Urban Counseling where she continues her legacy of helping others.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the ��������, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit

 

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, will host a Master Class workshop in figure drawing, led by visiting artist Anthony Ackrill. The Master Class series of workshops is designed for adults who wish to advance their skills, or try their hand at something a little more challenging.

Ackrill’s three-part figure drawing workshop is scheduled on Saturdays, Nov. 4, 11 and 18 from 1-4 p.m. ��The artist will teach participants how to establish a solid rendition of the model and train the brain, eyes and hand to work together to see and record more, with greater accuracy.

The Gainesville-based artist trained as a student at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy for five years before becoming an instructor there, teaching anatomy, figure painting and figure drawing. In his own work, Ackrill’s figure paintings are realistic and literal. Those who have visited the Appleton might recognize “Reaper,” a visitor-favorite painted by Ackrill.

The workshop is $210 for Appleton members; $245 for nonmembers. Advance registration is required; registrations are being accepted at AppletonMuseum.org. Email questions to AppletonEducation@cf.edu.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the ��������, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit

The �������� Ira Holmes International Film Series will feature “Utama” on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

In the arid Bolivian highlands, a couple has been living a tranquil life for years. While he takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, she keeps house and walks for miles with the other local women to fetch precious water. When an uncommonly long drought threatens everything, they know, Virginio and Sisa must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move in with family members in the city. The 2022 film from Bolivia and Uruguay is 87 minutes and is not rated.

Screenings begin at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., and at 7 p.m. at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Films at the Ocala Campus are free and open to the public. Films at the Appleton are free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. Films may contain mature content.

 

For more details, visit

The �������� Communications Department will host a reading with award-winning poet and memoirist Brian Turner. A book signing and Q&A session will follow the reading, which begins at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18, in Building 8 at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

Turner is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently��“The Wild Delight of Wild Things”��(2023),��“The Goodbye World Poem”��(2023), and��“The Dead Peasant’s Handbook”��(2023), all forthcoming with Alice James Books. The trilogy traverses the landscape of loss, sitting quietly in the grief of afterwards before allowing oneself to gravitate again toward delight and wonder.

His other collections include��“Here, Bullet”��(2005), winner of the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times “Editor’s Choice” selection, the 2006 PEN Center USA “Best in the West” award, and the 2007 Poets Prize; and��“Phantom Noise”��(2010). He is also the author of the memoir��“My Life as a Foreign Country,”��which made Powell’s Best Nonfiction of 2014 list.

His poems and essays have been published in��The New York Times,��The Guardian,��National Geographic and��Harper’s, among other journals. He was featured in the documentary film��“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience,” which was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Debra Vazquez Memorial Poetry Series honors CF English and creative writing professor Debra Vazquez, who died as a result of domestic violence in 2004. Funds for this event are provided by the Debra A. Vazquez Endowed Chair in Poetry.

For additional information, contact CF Senior Professor Sandra Cooper, 352-873-5800, ext. 1361. To learn more about CF, visit .

The Appleton Museum of Art, ��������, presents “Skylines to Hemlines: Art Deco Design from the Permanent Collection,” on view Oct. 14, 2023-Jan. 14, 2024.

Curated and displayed for the first time ever from the Appleton’s impressive permanent collection of Art Deco objects, “Skylines to Hemlines” offers an introductory overview to early 20th century art, architecture, design, fashion, jewelry, paintings, prints and photographs created in the interwar period.

Art Deco, or French Arts Décoratifs, influenced everything from high fashion to everyday household objects. Museum visitors can expect to see a broad selection of art and objects that represent the movement, from its beginnings in France to its influences across the world. On view will be vintage garments and accessories, including designers Cartier and Schiaparelli, and Art Deco textiles from Japan; a large variety of objects made by Chase, one of the preeminent producers of American Art Deco metal objects, such as clocks, radios and doorstops; and vintage posters, photographs and other ephemera. Also included in the exhibition are two visitor-favorite sculptures by Romanian artist Demétre Haralamb Chiparus, who is considered one of the quintessential sculptors of the bold design movement.

“We are pleased to showcase this incredible selection of works from our Art Deco holdings,” said Appleton Director Jason Steuber. “We know that visitors will be delighted and inspired by the striking design that feels both modern and timeless.”

Regular admission fees apply to visit. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month for the Free First Saturday program.

Special Events

Appleton Directors Circle members are invited on Thursday, Oct. 12, for “A Toast to Art Deco” opening reception. From 5:30-7:30 p.m., guests will enjoy a 1920s themed reception with champagne, hors d’oeuvres and the captivating sounds of Miranda Madison. RSVP is required to Colleen Harper, harperc@cf.edu, or 352-291-4455, ext. 1831.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the ��������, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit

The �������� Ira Holmes International Film Series will feature “Long Flat Balls: Broken Promises” on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

To win back the love of his life, a charming car mechanic and a gang of soccer-mad friends embark on a madcap journey to the lawless East Bloc to correct a mistake of his past, risking life and prison in an ingenious booze smuggling scheme. It’s been 14 years and Petter has not kept his promise to marry Laila. Petter wants to get married. The problem is that he can’t. The 2022 Norwegian comedy is 103 minutes and is not rated.

Screenings begin at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., and at 7 p.m. at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Films at the Ocala Campus are free and open to the public. Films at the Appleton are free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. Films may contain mature content.

For more details, visit