'Reflections of Wonder': Former Harrison Arts principal's photographic art on displayed

LAKELAND – Ever since Craig Collins was a child, he’s been fascinated by the arts.

Not just an art, but all of the arts – particularly music and photography.

Collins, former principal of Harrison School for the Arts and past-president of the Arts Schools Network, has served in school administration at the K-12 and post-secondary levels for more than 32 years.

Some of Collins’ love for the arts will be on display in the aptly named “Reflections of Wonder,” a collection of his travel photos available for purchase from Feb. 1 to 27 at Mitchell’s Coffee House in downtown Lakeland.

In the coffee shop, Collins said he’ll have 20 of some of his best digital photographic scenes on display. He said although many of his snapshots involve landscapes and nature scenes, they also involve what he called the marvel of “man’s aptitude to collectively harness creative capacities observed in the aesthetic architecture and patterns of cityscapes.”

Collins, who lives in Lakeland, said his photographic exhibit is more than just a collection of travel photos; they’re what he calls “portraits of inspiration.”

The majority of Collins’ photos were taken from 2017 through 2023. The locales include areas as close as Circle B Bar Reserve nature park in Lakeland, to places such as Iceland, Spain and Greece. Among those places, he said he’d find inspiration for photos in the aesthetics, nature and humanity he encountered.

He said two of his favorite photos are “And Then There Was Light,” a metal print of Antelope Canyon, Arizona taken in 2019; and “Gone Fishin',” a print of Alveiro Lagoon, snapped in Portugal in 2023.

Collins said photography has allowed him to merge two of his passions: art and travel.

“There’s just so much connectivity to joy and creativity,” he said. “To be able to see the world and capture with my eye and put into print has been immensely gratifying. The whole point of art is to create and share with others.

It was Collins’ visionary adeptness that drew Shery Ross, art curator for Mitchell’s for the past 2½ years, to show his works.

Each month, Ross installs a new art exhibit supporting local artists, rotated between various media. In the summer, the photographs of Daryl Ward, executive director of the Polk Arts Alliance and past principal at Harrison School for the Arts, were shown.

Ross said photography is on display about three times per year and she wanted to display Collins’ photos because of her love for his “vision,” particularly in shots of canyons and rivers.

“He has a great eye for color and seeing the larger picture. He uses color and composition to create overall beautiful images,” she said. “It’s really very lovely. I love his vision. I’ve been to many of the places he’s showing. He really captures the spirt of the places – it gives you that wonder that you have when you go to a different country.”

Collins served as principal of the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts for 11 years and has a background in music. He was drum major of the University of Florida Gator Band from 1980 to 1982 and he is an alum of Florida Blue Key Honorary Leadership Fraternity.

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Ward, principal at Harrison for six years, has known Collins for 19 years and said as a fellow photographer, Collins’ background in music brings a fresh approach to his photography, particularly in its details. He said Collins is “keenly aware” of light and shadow interplay regarding photo compositions.

“Dr. Collins’ photographs evoke a strong sense of place. He approaches a scene with a visual ‘idea’ in mind for the photo and works diligently to execute that artistic vision in his works,” said Ward, who has done photography as a serious hobby since he was in high school.

As for future photo projects, Collins said in April he will have a photo exhibit at the Lake Eva Gallery in Haines City and in September a shared photography exhibit of Portugal with Andy Glogower and Ward in the Bartow Art Center. He also plans photo excursions to Northwest Florida, Italy, England and Norway.

“I am intentional to capture perspectives that will help me remember the scenes as I experienced them while at the same time allow those viewing my photography to join in the experience. In this, I find much gratification,” he said.

If you go

WHAT: Craig Collins photo exhibit: “Reflections of Wonder”

WHEN: Opening reception 6 to 8:30 p.m., Feb. 2; exhibit open during shop hours Feb. 1 to 27

WHERE: Mitchell’s Coffee House, 235 N. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland

COST: Free

INFO: www.mitchellscoffee.com; 863-680-2944

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Former Harrison Arts principal's photographic art on display downtown