Oh, the places you’ll go!
The Baker Museum
Work your way to the third floor of this museum on the Artis—Naples campus and don’t be surprised if patrons are lying on the floor. Many say it’s the optimal way to study the prisms of light cascading through the mesmerizing “Persian Seaform,” the permanent ceiling installation by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. If you haven’t been to Artis in the last year, go to see the recently donated Chihuly “Red Reeds,” an alfresco installation of 145 6- to 10-foot spike-like blown-glass forms in The Norris Garden.
With a permanent collection of more than 3,500 pieces, many of them representing 20th and 21st century American and Mexican modern movements, plus a 18,000-square-foot expansion in 2020, The Baker is considered the grand dame of Southwest Florida’s arts scene.
See: Ongoing exhibitions include six surrealistic paintings by Belgian artist René Magritte that haven’t been viewed publicly for nearly 50 years, and “Ocean Gleaning,” a collection of wall-mounted artwork created by Pam Longobardi from plastics found in the ocean.
Limited-run exhibits include “Subject Matters” (through March 2) which explores common characteristics, themes and styles of modern and contemporary art. “Baseball Heroes” (through May 15) features a collection of New York Yankees memorabilia, including Baby Ruth’s earliest known game-used bat, Mickey Mantle’s first signed pro contract and Derek Jeter’s jersey from his inaugural season with the team. “Love in All Forms” displays works by impressionist Claude Monet, art deco portrait artist Tamara de Lempicka, and abstract sculptor Henry Moore.
The Baker Museum also celebrates the Sunshine State with “Florida Contemporary 2021-22.” The ninth annual exhibition highlights visual artists Gonzalo Fuenmayor, Akiko Kotani and Noelle Mason (through July 17).
— 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples
239-597-1111, www.artisnaples.org
BIG ARTS Sanibel
The arts are BIG on Sanibel and Captiva and so, too, is the islands’ main arts venue. BIG ARTS unveiled its larger building in early 2020 just as COVID reared its ugly head. Two years later and nearly three times bigger than the previous facility, BIG (as in Barrier Island Group) ARTS’ full season of the arts is appropriately dubbed “Celebration of Community.”
See: The Dunham Gallery hosts several exhibits in 2022. “Creative Ventures,” an annual juried show features one-of-a-kind paintings, photography, drawing, sculpture, fiber and printmaking by national and local artists. Entrants were challenged to work outside their comfort zone by exploring different mediums, styles and ideas for the Jan. 28-March 13 exhibit.
“Wet Paint” (March 18-April 24) features watercolor portraits, landscapes and symbolic abstracts by award-winning artists Kathleen Conover, Cheryl Fausel, and Shah Hadjebi. “Art by the disABLEd” returns April 29-June 5, displaying works created by artists with special abilities from Lee Health’s Arts in Healthcare program. All sales benefit the artists and the Lee Health program.
Do: BIG ARTS also expanded its classroom spaces for instruction (online classes are also available). Channel your inner artist and/or author during one-day and multiweek workshops in painting, colored pencils, pastels, fused glass, photography, portraiture, pine-needling, and “Joy of Writing” sessions. One-day Zentangle workshops combine meditation and a relaxed drawing concept.
— 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel
239-395-0900, www.bigarts.org
Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs
Do and do some more: With more than 50 different four- and five-week classes and multiple sessions offered each quarter at its two locations, the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs is the holy grail for aspiring and practiced artists.
This season’s curriculum covers just about every medium, including stone-carving, coiled basketmaking, wax-to-bronze casting, metalworking, mosaics, stained glass, and even “extreme functional pottery.” The center hosts single-night events (supplies included, BYOB) in glass and pottery arts, abstract painting, raku, mosaics, and offsite glass-blowing. Its syllabus for teens and children is equally impressive with classes in the fine arts, dance and theater.
Some seasoned instructors are so popular, their classes sell out immediately. New classes are continually introduced, including a figure study of everyday people who pose fully clothed — perfect for those who may be a little bashful when confronted with a nude model (hey, it happens). Classes are taught at the Visual Arts Center and the Performing Arts Center; the latter is the venue for in-demand dance classes. Center members save $50 on classes.
See: The center’s exhibit schedule is also packed with plenty of artistic inspiration sans an admission fee. Members display their works during the annual exhibit (Feb. 4-24). The center celebrates Fashion Week with a high-fashion show March 4-24, features the work of Batik Guild artists from Naples to the United Kingdom (March 9-April 28) and offers “Rock the Casbah” (April 1-28) showcasing art by students and faculty at Stone Sculpture Studio.
— Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Road
Performing Arts Center
10150 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs
239-495-8989, www.artcenterbonita.org
Naples Art
Do: Want to draw monsters and dragons, fairies, gnomes and their homes? Sorry, adults need not apply. Naples Art offers kid-centric classes featuring fantastical themes as well as introductory courses in clay, painting and head/face proportions for youngsters. There are also plenty of multiweek classes for older artists, including drawing, painting, portraiture, paint pouring and pottery wheel throwing as well as sessions delving into color theory and classes for painters interested in mastering Monet and emulating Vermeer. Members receive a $50 discount
See: “Keith Haring: Radiant Vision” (through Feb. 6) offers an introspective look at the international 1980s artist pop and his iconic look.
— 585 Park St., Naples
239-262-6517, www.naplesart.org
Alliance for the Arts
See: The alliance offers year-round exhibitions and full arts immersion beginning right outside. The 25-foot “Caloosahatchee Water Wall” by artist Michael Singer was installed last summer along Fort Myers’ McGregor Boulevard as part of the Alliance ArtPark. Inside, art lovers will find “Challenging Stereotype,” a member exhibit celebrating individuality, and the two-woman “State of Being” (both through Jan. 29), featuring abstract pieces by Carol Coates centered on issues of perception/choice and works and sculptures by Alice Kiderman blending realism and abstraction. All 65,758 square miles of the Sunshine State are represented the 36th annual all-Florida exhibit, a juried show covering the gamut of mediums from drawing and painting to metalsmithing, glass, textiles, digital media, video, and printmaking. Admission to alliance shows is free.
Do: For budding and experienced artists, the alliance offers one-day and two-week classes throughout the year. Courses cover the basics of drawing, acrylic, oil and watercolor painting as well as alcohol ink, collage and mixed media, larger-than-life watercolors, and monthly “happy little” paintings a la beloved Bob Ross.
— 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers
239-939-2787, www.artinlee.org
Visual Arts Center
Do: The downtown Punta Gorda center
offers classes, art socials, open studios for
members and children’s programs exploring everything from D-to-P — drawing and
pottery, with glass, jewelry, painting and photography in between. VAC members get a discount.
See: The center also hosts the 13th biennial National Art Exhibition, one of the country’s most prestigious juried shows for two-dimensional art, opening Feb. 18 and on display through April 16. There is no admission fee. Guided docent tours are available on select days.
— 210 Maud St., Punta Gorda
941-639-8810, www.visualartcenter.org
Marco Island Center for the Arts
Do: The center offers an impressive array of two- and four-day classes, including more than two dozen dedicated to clay alone, among them: naked raku, totemic sculpture, a hand-building boot camp, and throwing (you’ll take home goblets, a teapot or birdhouse with the latter). In addition to painting, drawing, stone sculpting and pastels, the organization offers specialty classes in alcohol ink painting, mosaics, stained glass jewelry, and paper quilling, plus themed single-day watercolor workshops for those wanting to master palm trees, seascapes, golf courses, and more. There are also monthly online oil painting classes.
See: Exhibits in La Petite Galerie include the four-woman “Florida: Paradise Found” (through March 1) show and panel discussions with local artists Emily James, Phyllis Pransky, Jo-Ann Sanborn, and Rachel Pierce, who are known for capturing the landscape and people with paint. The center also hosts its members show March 7-April 5.
— 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island
239-394-4221, www.marcoislandart.org
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