Panama City Center for the Arts Opens Two New Exhibitions for the Month of August
The Center for the Arts will host its monthly opening reception to welcome two new exhibitions in its galleries featuring local artists. Willie Morris has a collection of graphite works for his exhibition titled See. Experience. Imagine. on display in the Main Gallery. Noah Beich will be featured in the Miller Gallery.
Internationally renowned artist Willie Morris’s journey is a testament to the power of creativity, passion, and perseverance. Raised in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, Willie’s early life was shaped by the diverse environments he called home. His path to success took flight in 1992 when he earned a full-ride Track and Field scholarship to Mississippi Valley State University. But his passion for art would soon outshine the track.
Willie’s art isn’t just a personal expression; it’s a universal dialogue. His collection captures moments that resonate with all of us, reflecting our shared human experience. “I challenged myself to produce at least two pieces every month that truly touch the heart of those who see them,” said Morris. “These works invite viewers to pause, reflect, and connect—to see the world through my creative eyes.”
Through all his roles—educator, artist, designer—Willie Morris continues to inspire, innovate, and remind us that art is more than what we see; it’s how we experience the world around us.
Noah Beich was born to a Russian immigrant mother and American father. Growing up Muslim provided Noah access to a different world, one that existed within and outside of suburban white America. “As I matured, I became increasingly self-aware of the privileges my whiteness afforded me,” said Beich. “That realization launched me into a flurry of discovering all the other privileges I benefit from without being aware. This has led me to a slightly corny but still true guiding sentiment ‘With great privilege comes great accountability.’
In these past two years, Noah’s work has become far more “entertaining” or more accurately escapist, translating to far more purely abstract work rather than primarily figurative work with abstract elements, which was my previous methodology.
“On two ends I feel there is didacticism and escapism/entertainment, there’s protein and candy, there’s representational and abstract,” said Beich. “My work has spanned across many parts of this web and I seek to continue pushing how I can effectively communicate in plain terms, not some highfalutin ways.”
Exhibitions will be on display from August 1 through August 30. The Center for the Arts is open to the public Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
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