Jean Gaul and Ellen Rantz [Photo: Kaila Jones]

The Gallery at Windsor bid adieu to the vibrantly-colored Michael Craig-Martin “Present Sense” exhibition with a Finissage Closing Reception last Thursday evening, where guests enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres, listened to music by Ella and the Bossa Beat, and wandered about the show one last time.

“This has been one of the most popular exhibitions we’ve had, because the subject matter is something that is ubiquitous to everyone. It’s easily recognizable – that’s his visual language – and the colors are just so joyful. It’s just a happy experience,” said lead docent Linda Stubblefield. “It was a very easy exhibition to talk about, because we got a chance to meet the artist and hear what he had to say.”

She noted that the support materials which were given to visitors greatly enhanced each individual experience. In addition to information about Craig-Martin, Windsor and the Royal Academy of Arts, the brochures featured commentary by the artist about the inspiration behind each of his pieces and the reasons behind their selection for this particular show.

Videos were provided which augmented the printed descriptions. One of those offered visitors an armchair tour of the five sculptures placed about Windsor for the exhibition. A sixth sculpture was on display at the Vero Beach Museum of Art for the show’s duration.

Stubblefield said Windsor had hosted three sold-out sculpture tours, which gave people an opportunity to have lunch at the beautiful clubhouse and view the fascinating gallery exhibition before boarding golf carts for docent-led tours of the sculptures.

“We also had another video that gave an overview of the artist’s oeuvre, over his lifetime, if you will,” said Stubblefield, “so from the early ’70s through present day, where he was talking about his creative process.”

“Present Sense” was the second in a series of three exhibitions curated collaboratively by the Hon. Hilary M. Weston, Windsor co-founder and creative director of the Gallery at Windsor, with London’s Royal Academy of Arts president Christopher Le Brun and artistic director Tim Marlow. The first in the series was last year’s Grayson Perry RA, “Making Meaning.”

For more information, visit windsorflorida.com/gallery.