Creating Success

One Artistic Experience at a Time

JESICA GLASS, DANCING NANCY | 2014 JADE RIEDEL WINNER

Art and education go hand in hand. Around the von Liebig Art Center, we are always working to uplift the importance of art education  through our role as advocates for the arts. Together, members of The Naples Art Association embody a force for artistic and creative change.

Members and supporters are able to leverage their time and treasure to make real impact. Every Collier County Public School art teacher is eligible for a complimentary membership.

Classes and workshops extend artistic learning opportunities for youth and adults beyond the school room. Field trips to the art center provide area children with opportunities for observation and critical thinking regarding art. The Jade Riedel Scholarship Competition rewards young college bound artists with money for tuition and books. The Creative Expressions program brings therapeutic art education to youth at David Lawrence Center and people with Alzheimer’s at the von Liebig Art Center. A traveling collection of art by famous artists with strong ties to Naples is currently being assembled and will educate the state of Florida and then the nation on the vibrancy of the Neapolitan artistic community. The list of impact goes on. There is a direct correlation between the amount and quality of support provided by the community to The Naples Art Association and the amount and quality of educational programming that can be offered. The impactful success of The NAA is owed directly to the support of creative and considerate individuals like you and yours.

KRISTEN CAMISA, MEMORY
2014 JADE RIEDEL WINNER

Consider becoming a member or upgrading your membership. The economy has improved and the Naples community is in a unique position to grow in all the right ways. The Naples Art Association has consistently led the push to expand art culture and community in Southwest Florida since 1954. Membership and participation with the NAA leverages your investment in the arts through one of the most long standing and trusted arts organizations in the area.

On February 7th, as the community was preparing for a day in celebration of love on February 14th, The Naples Art Association was honored to host its annual gala For the Love of Art.

The evening was a testament to the power of art, with palpable excitement over the interactive artistic experiences, art demonstrations and art on exhibition. Thanks to the generous support of the community, The Naples Art Association was able to raise a portion of the funds necessary to support educational arts programming into the future.

BERNARD KATZEFF – THE RIDER | NATIONAL ART ENCOUNTER 2013

March at The Naples Art Association focuses on making an educational impact. On March 12th at 6:00 p.m. in the von Liebig Art Center, a group of excited students will celebrate their artistic futures at the Preview Reception and Awards Presentation for 44th Annual Jade Riedel Scholarship Competition. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend in support of these students and their efforts to help beautify and streamline the world through study and careers in the art. In 1971, members of the Naples Art Association initiated a college scholarship program designed to encourage young aspiring artists to follow their dreams of becoming professionals in the visual arts. Now in its 44th year, the Naples Art Association is very proud to continue this legacy thanks to generous community support. In 2015, the Naples
Art Association will award at least $15,000 in merit-based scholarships to Collier County High School juniors and seniors. In addition, Jade Riedel competition participants will have their work professionally displayed at the von Liebig Art Center from March 13 to April 18, 2015. One $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to an accepted student of the Ringling College of Art and a total of over $20,000 in scholarships will be awarded. The scholarship’s namesake, Jade N. Riedel was an exceptional artist and Naples Art Association member who served as the chair of the scholarship exhibition program and was its chief fundraiser for many years. When she passed away in 1997, the Association renamed the scholarship in her memory.

DAVID MAZURE – WHEN I BECOME DEATH | NATIONAL ART ENCOUNTER 2013

Two of the educational prerogatives that drive The Naples Art Association are bringing new art to the area and exhibiting art by local artists. On March 13th at 5:30 p.m., there will be a preview reception for two exhibitions at the von Liebig Art Center: National Art Encounter 2015
and Members’ Gallery: Order/Disorder. National Art Encounter is a biennial visual art exhibition presented by the Naples Art Association. The contest is open to all artists in the United States, and is highly competitive. This program has been a resounding success, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come this season! Members’ Gallery features all-media artwork by current members of the Naples Art Association. A changing panel of qualified jurors, with notable art backgrounds, volunteer to select the works for each exhibit, as well as those pieces winning awards. Following the preview reception this exhibition is on view from March 13th through April 18th. Admission is free of charge during normal gallery hours.

KATHLEEN MADDEN – MOON VESSEL | NATIONAL ART ENCOUNTER 2013

Educational art opportunities for children are extremely important. Thinking about and creating art fosters the critical and creative thinking
skills that are necessary to problem solve and innovate in today’s ever-changing career environment. That said, educational art opportunities are also critical for adults and older folks. They keep us sharp and allow us rare access to meet and be social while challenging and improving our own skills, conceptions and acuity. There are always lots of great classes and workshops going on at the von Liebig Art Center: over 100 different offerings throughout the year. Call or visit NaplesArt.org for information about what is coming up.

Beyond classes and workshops, The Art Connects Lecture Series is designed to support the artist in each of us as we continue down our creative paths, through easily consumable bite-sized lectures. Art influences in the most literal ways from coloring the world and filling it with painting, design and sculpture, to much more subtle ways such as the creativity involved in solving life’s challenges. Art Connects is a series designed to ignite your imagination and help you discover the world from new angles.

Dr Carol Damian

There are two Art Connects lectures in March and they both happen to be free thanks to generous funding provided by the Florida Humanities Council and in part  by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. On March 13th at 4:00 p.m. in the von Liebig Art Center, Dr. Carol Damian will discuss Women Artists – A Brief and Neglected History. Dr. Damian is Professor of Art History in the School of Art and Art History and the Past Director and Chief Curator of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. She is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and received her Master of Arts degree in Pre-Columbian Art and her Ph.D. in Latin American History from the University of Miami. Then, on March 26th at 5:30 p.m. Gary Monroe will discuss Florida Self-Taught Renegade Artists. Introducing people to the world of Outsider art, this vivid PowerPoint-assisted lecture focuses on art that has been created by uninitiated artists who are distinguished by their idiosyncrasies and wild visions. Their works fly in the face of traditional
art-making and is guaranteed to shake long-standing foundations. In recent years Outsider art has been coopted into the museum culture, thereby altering our views about the nature of art and aesthetics. In this presentation, Mr. Monroe introduces twelve remarkable self-taught
Florida artists, while exposing the ideas which led to their renegade creations. Both lectures promise to be fun, intimate and informative.

Art in the Park will not be on the first Saturday in March.

Repeat: Art in the Park will not be on the first Saturday in March. Rather, Art in the Park will be held on March 21st alongside the Downtown Naples Festival of the Arts. But, what am I doing mentioning Art in the Park, Naples’ oldest outdoor art festival, in an article themed on education? The reality is that Art in the Park and other outdoor art festivals bring art and artistic experiences to tens of thousands of residents and guests in Southwest Florida and that is nothing to shake a ruler at. For artists, festivals allow for professional development by showcasing the best in artwork and booths from all over the country. For art enthusiasts and those attending just to browse, festivals provide the opportunity to engage with a staggering variety of styles and mediums. So, join your community and The Naples Art Association on March 21st for Art in the Park and on March 21st and 22nd for Downtown Naples Festival of the Arts. We hope you might learn a thing or two while you are enjoying amazing weather, browsing and shopping the best in fine art from around the country and right here in our community.

AN INVITATION TO CONNECT

Come see why The Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center has been voted one of the best galleries in Naples with more local art for sale by a wider variety of local artists than anywhere else in Naples. There are many ways to engage in creativity offered by NAA: enjoy one day workshops and art fusion events, take a class with a master instructor or find the perfect gift in our one of a kind gift shop.

Admission is free and opens the door to a greater participation in arts and our community. Tour the galleries, shop, take a class or volunteer.
The Naples Art Association works to support your creative evolution. Visit Naplesart.org for information on upcoming events and schedule of
classes and workshops.