Otters and the Everglades on display
The Friends of Silver Springs State Park offer two new fine art photography exhibits.
Otter [Photo courtesy of Linda Wilinski]
Noted photographers Linda Wilinski and Jade Cave will have works on display inside the Friends of Silver Springs State Park Welcome Center and Gallery at Silver Springs State Park from May 4 through July 6.
“The new show will feature ‘The Life of Otters’ by art photographer Linda Wilinski, who is an ethical conservation photographer,” according to Marianne Marcoux, a FSSSP volunteer and gallerist.
“Linda, often called the ‘otter whisperer,’ will speak to our membership and the general public on the topic at 3 p.m. on May 17 in the Saupp Center and I will open the gallery an hour before and an hour after her presentation,” Marcoux added.
“The second gallery wall will showcase ‘The Beauty of the Everglades’ by art photographer Jade Cave. Jade is English born and now resides in South Florida. Her work supports and promotes the preservation of fragile ecosystems like our Everglades,” Marcoux noted.
Cave shared via email that she “travels all over Florida to capture its beauty, with hikes in the Everglades, kayaking its canals and walks in its swamps to capture the magic.”
Her collections have been exhibited around the world, including shows in London, Venice, Italy, Vienna, New York and Miami, and her works are part of numerous private collections, including the art collection at the British Consulate in Miami.
She said her new collection shows off the beauty of the Everglades with never-before displayed collectable works — her collection works are limited to only 10 pieces produced worldwide of each image — which she said she does deliberately to highlight the urgent need for conservation. The works on display will be interactive by tapping your phone to the bottom right-hand corner, she noted.
According to her website, Wilinski is an award-winning wildlife photographer focused on the conservation of Florida’s freshwater springs. She is a certified Florida Master Naturalist and Spring Ambassador.
Her works have been on exhibit at Leu Gardens in Winter Park, historic Mount Dora and the Cedar Key Arts Center. She completed a yearlong photo series for the Oakland Nature Preserve and is a board member of Rainbow River Conservation, member of Ichetucknee Alliance and communications advisory member of the Florida Springs Council.
She won first place through a Florida State Parks photo contest and Clyde Butcher picked one of her photographs as the winner of a local wildlife photography contest. She was the winner in two categories through the International Union for Conservation for World Otter Day 2024. Some of her otter photographs were published in IUCN’s “Otters” book. Wilinski works with the International Otter Survival Fund as well as Florida Otter Spotters.
She said her gallery show will be interactive and visitors will be able to learn about the species by scanning QR Codes.
In Addition to Wilinski’s lecture at 3 p.m. on May 17, the Friends group will host a meet and greet for both artists from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 16 in the Friends Welcome Center Gallery. Light refreshments will be served and there will be a drawing of chance for prints. All artwork is for sale, Marcoux noted.
“Profits from sales of my images at this exhibition will be donated to the Friends of Silver Springs State Park and one lucky visitor will get to win one of these valuable limited-edition pieces free of charge at the meet and greet the artist event,” Cave said.
The park is located at 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. A fee of $2 per person is required to enter.
To learn more, go to thefriendsofsilversprings.org and find them on social media and visit jadecaveart.com and lindawphotography.com
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
