Recently, the company of UCF Conservatory Theatre's dance concert, TranscenDance, was approached by United Arts of Central Florida and the Red Chair Project to participate in a photography exhibit teaming up professional photographers with dance companies to capture images of the dancers in rehearsal with their iconic red chair for publication in a book to raise funds and awareness for arts organizations in the Central Florida area. Kyra Belan, a photographer from Southern Florida, came and worked with the dancers and choreographers to capture images of TranscenDance.
The Red Chair Project is a community service designed to increase participation in the Central Florida arts and cultural community. As a collaborative effort involving arts and cultural organizations from Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties, Red Chair Project is the definitive branding campaign to promote the region’s cultural assets. A nonprofit service, the Red Chair Project strives to increase participation by providing methods to increase ticket sales, increase arts education opportunities and promote arts and cultural philanthropy.
Artist, author, mythologist, and art historian, Dr. Kyra Belan graduated from Arizona State University with a B.F.A. in fine arts, and from Florida State University with an M.F.A. in visual arts. Her Ed. D. from Florida International University, is in higher education and art history. Dr. Belan has had over 45 solo art exhibitions and has participated in over 80 group art exhibitions. She has received numerous awards, including Whoʼs Who in American Art, 2008-9; the Florida Achievement Award in the Arts, Women's Caucus for Art Florida Chapter, 2007-8; the Southeastern Art Conference Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award, University of Arkansas at Little Rock 2005; Broward County's Women's Hall of Fame, Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, 1994; and the Individual Artist Fellowship, Florida Arts Council, 1982. Her artworks are found in numerous public and private collections. Currently Dr. Belan is an artist (painting, drawing, installation, photography) and is working on her latest book, Sacred Ladies in America and a re-release of The Virgin in Art.
