Artis—Naples: In the Galleries and Beyond

As Southwest Florida’s home for the visual and performing arts, Artis—Naples offers a multidisciplinary array of experiences throughout the season, with January serving as a particularly vivid example of that breadth of programming. This month, the visual arts take the spotlight as two new exhibitions opening January 10th highlight old and new treasures in The Baker Museum.

There & Here: New Perspectives of the Permanent Collection and The Passion of Collecting: Stories in Glass and Ceramics from the Sibrack Collection both showcase an extensive selection of modern and contemporary works the accredited museum has collected over its 25-year history.

While There & Here features some treasures seldom seen, what’s unique about this exhibition is the way it is being presented, explained Dianne Brás-Feliciano, the museum’s curator of modern art. Tasked by Museum Director and Chief Curator Courtney McNeil to find a new way to tell the story of the works in the collection and the artists who created them, Brás-Feliciano developed a collaborative, community-based curatorial project that enlisted a panel to review the art and shape a unifying theme. After viewing the selected works, the panel chose migration. “It’s very timely,” Brás-Feliciano said. “Everyone has some kind of migration story, so I think a lot of people are going to enjoy it and feel welcome.”

The Passion of Collecting offers both a learning experience and a sweeping display of contemporary glass and ceramics. The exhibition—curated by McNeil—features 74 works collected and donated by Dr. Laurence and Rita Sibrack. “They assembled a collection that reflected their tastes and their 2025-26 Season experiences, representing the very best of what has been created in contemporary glass and ceramics over the past several decades,” McNeil said, adding that the exhibition extends The Baker Museum’s story of studio glass beyond its four large-scale Chihuly installations and “gives a fuller representation of the range, diversity and dynamism of this art movement.”

Several other exhibitions continue this month. sonia louise davis: to reverberate tenderly creates a multisensory environment exploring the artist’s improvisational approach to line, rhythm and sonic space. Florida Contemporary 2025-26 presents four notable Florida based artists whose work highlights diverse approaches to personal, local and global themes. Tamara de Lempicka examines the Art Deco artist’s cool elegance and bold sense of fashion and design, tracing the distinctive style that propelled her to the center of early 20th-century café society. Additional ongoing installations include Magritte: Reflections of Another World, the Outdoor Sculpture Trail featuring 15 outdoor works and more.

Beyond the galleries, January offers a full slate of performances. The Naples Philharmonic presents two programs under the direction of Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley, beginning January 8-9 with the world premiere of African Queens for Soprano and Orchestra with soprano Karen Slack alongside Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and later on January 23-24 with a program that pairs Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with his Eroica Symphony. Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly adds to the month with a set of concerts featuring Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez January 13-17. The Cleveland Orchestra returns January 25 for a special performance of Verdi’s Requiem, and Broadway’s & Juliet closes out the month with a full run starting January 27.

FEATURED PHOTO- Outdoor Sculpture Trail
Manolo Valdès (Spanish, b. 1942). Dama III, 2003. Bronze, 167 x 128 x 126 in. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. Gift of Patty and Jay Baker, Bob and Terry Edwards and Bruce and Cynthia Sherman, 2012.3. Photo: RoseBudz Productions.