FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 8, 2026
From: Dunedin Fine Art Center
Contact: Cassy Combs @ cassy@dfac.org or 727.298.DFAC, x245
DUNEDIN, FL — October 8, 2026 — The Dunedin Fine Art Center (DFAC) invites the community to join artist and educator Deon Blackwell for Coffee & Conversation on Thursday, October 15, from noon to 1 p.m. at DFAC. Sponsored by DFAC’s Sterling Society, the program offers an opportunity to hear directly from an artist about his creative process, influences, and work.
Coffee & Conversation brings artists and art enthusiasts together for an informal discussion over coffee. DFAC Curatorial Director Danny Olda will lead a Q&A with Blackwell, exploring his artistic journey, his approach to ceramics, and the ideas and techniques behind his work.
Following the conversation, guests will be invited to view Blackwell’s sculpture Not Worth My Weight in Salt, currently featured in DFAC’s exhibition The Only Lasting Truth. The sculpture offers a unique opportunity to witness the effects of time and material transformation firsthand. The work is slowly and progressively crumbling from the inside out through a process known as subflorescence and crystallization pressure, in which salt crystals form within the material and exert pressure that contributes to its deterioration.
Blackwell was born in Pensacola, Florida, and studied Music Performance and Studio Art at Delta State University in Mississippi. He earned his MFA in Studio Art from the University of South Florida in 2007, focusing on sculpture with ceramics as his primary medium.
His clay studio practice encompasses a wide range of ceramic processes, including Raku, extrusion building, experimental glazing, kiln building, and various decal, luster, and casting techniques. His work has been exhibited nationally in solo exhibitions and is held in private collections. He has also lectured on his unconventional ceramic processes at several institutions.
In addition to his studio practice, Blackwell has taught at the University of South Florida and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. He currently serves as Adult Education Director at the Dunedin Fine Art Center and maintains a studio practice in Temple Terrace, Florida.
Admission is $5, with free admission for DFAC members. Coffee will be generously provided by Lane’s Lemonade. Guests are encouraged to save their seat or RSVP in advance.
Coffee & Conversation with Deon Blackwell
Thursday, October 15, 2026
12:00–1:00 p.m.
Dunedin Fine Art Center
Admission: $5; free for DFAC members
Sponsored by: DFAC’s Sterling Society
Coffee provided by: Lane’s Lemonade
For more information or to RSVP, visit DFAC.org.
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