Creating Time To Discover The New Year

Art and time are two undeniably valuable resources. Art enriches our lives. From the quality of our marketing to the intimacy of our living rooms, art brings depth and inspiration. Consider spending some valuable time engaging in art culture.

For the past 60 years, the not-for-profit Naples Art Association has focused their time and resources on promoting and advancing education, interest and participation in the arts. Today that commitment yields rotating exhibitions at The von Liebig Art Center and around the community, many festivals in the downtown area and Mercato, and an extensive educational outreach program reaching children and adults. Without a doubt you will find an art workshop, class, lecture, or event that will bring the enriching value of art creation and appreciation into your life.

February is an important month for the Naples Art Association. Many of our recurring programs continue in February and we enjoy new programming while celebrating 60 years of commitment to art culture and the community. On February 1st, Naples Art Association will host a special Art in the Park where the community is invited to celebrate our 60th anniversary with cake, make and take projects and a special Bark in the Park event.

There will be an ART Connects lecture with Helen Noble on February 4th called 25,000 Seeds ~ Where    Love Grows. A new exciting lecture series called Music and the Arts continues in February.

On February 6th, Dinner with Artists continues with a unique and exclusive dinner featuring the fusion of visual and culinary arts. Sculptor, John Merchant presents a dazzling abstract scupltural style while chef Michael Kang adds a garnish of the hottest new Asian-inspired, French-influenced cuisine at Veranda E at Hotel Escalante. Session 4 workshops and classes begin February 8th.

February culminates with Naples National Art Festival and the Naples National Art Festival Gala.

A Community Celebration

Naples Art Association functions in support of the community and is supported by the community. For that reason, February programming focuses on building community and creating opportunities to engage in art culture in creative and interesting ways. February 1st will be the kind of day where people come together to have fun and imagine, discover, create with each other. Art in the Park is a community favorite. In February, Art in the Park will feature make and take art projects for people with young hearts. Kim Walbert and David Hammel will facilitate the projects with opportunities to paint on paper or make clay vessels.

Collaboration with The Humane Society of Naples makes it exciting and encourages you to Creating Time to Discover A in the New Year bring your four-legged friend. With all the creative juices flowing, our pets might get jealous if they don’t get a chance to be creative. Tell Fido not to worry, a large canvas and non-toxic paints will be available for our furry furever friends to collaborate on an art project of their own.

The Humane Society of Naples will be on hand with their Mobile Adoption Vehicle to find a few furever     homes for dogs and cats that are in need of loyalty and love. Maybe most importantly, this event will be a community celebration reflecting on the 60 years of service by the Naples Art Association to the community of Naples and the 60 years of support the community of Naples has committed in order to make the Naples Art Association what it is today. Both NAA and the Naples community continue to grow and evolve in exciting and important ways. Please, help the NAA celebrate the important 60 year milestone by bringing your friends, family, furry friends, and enthusiasm to February’s special Art in the Park/ Bark in the Park /Community Celebration!

Imagine ! Discover ! Create !

February’s ART Connects lecture is going to be a great discussion with author and skin care activist Helen Noble. Helen is an amazing and dynamic personality. She is passionate about encouraging women everywhere to access their inner beauty and vitality.

To Helen, beauty remains an “unmistakable grace and an interconnectedness of mind, heart, body, and spirit.” The theme of the night is “25,000 Seeds ~ Where Love Grows,” which is also the title of her recent book. The book, 25,000 Seeds ~ Where Love Grows, is an inspired romance that reads like a heart-toheart between friends, covering the many faces of love, nature, food, and relationships.

The book was born out of pictures from Noble’s travels. When reviewing the pictures at hom

e, Noble

realized that they begged to tell their stories. Noble’s elegant writing style gently reminds us not to hold on too tightly to what we think is all-important. Instead, by letting go we discover what really matters.

Expect an interesting and engaging discussion on creativity, romance, and self-discovery.

Music and the Arts, a partnership between NAA and The Naples Jazz Orchestra, is a new opportunity at that provides the chance to engage in face to face

discussions with some of the most important, spirited, and engaging American Jazz Legends alive today.

Have you ever dreamed of talking music theory with Freddy Cole, asking Bob Stone what inspires him, or talking to Mark Pettey about the Harlem Renaissance? Music and the Arts puts you together with artists in a relaxed and comfortable discussion format that include hors d’oeuvres inspired by the favorite recipes of Jazz greats, beverages, and an informal running theme: how the visual arts inspired the careers of these master Jazz musicians. In February, Music and the Arts will feature Freddy Cole, Bob Stone and other fantastic Jazz musicians discussing the arts at The

von Liebig Art Center.

Tickets for these events must be purchased in advance. Proceeds benefit art and music scholarship programs provided by each organization. For more information or to buy tickets visit NaplesArt.org. Dinner with Artists combines visual and culinary arts into unique evenings to remember.

On February 6th, Michael Kang and John Merchant will mix their ingredients to deliver striking abstract sculptures paired with the best in non-traditional Chinese-French cuisine.

By pairing visual arts and gourmet cuisine the artists create a masterful multi-dimensional culinary experience that is unconventional to both the palate and the eye. Veranda E at The Escalante will host the event. They offer the ultimate culinary experience and are the only fine dining restaurant in Naples with their own on-premises sustainable organic garden.

Tickets for this exclusive event are $75.00. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit

NaplesArt.org.

Session 4 workshops and classes offer a great opportunity to hone your fine art skills, meet people with similar interests or try a new hobby. The Naples Art Association organizes a variety of art classes led by Master Artists and other experts. These classes are wonderful for learning a new technique, meeting Master Artists and having fun with other artists, both novice and advanced. Dan Jensen, who has attended classes presented by The Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center for years, said it well, “You can’t go out and play golf every day.”

Dan started out with Naples Art Association as an accomplished fur

niture artist who hadn’t touched

brush to canvas in almost 25 years. In 2009, Dan began taking painting classes with the Naples Art

Association at The von Liebig Art Center. He made it a priority to paint every day. Now, he is an

accomplished oil painter. Dan was recently elected into The Arts Club of Chicago, an elite group of 53

artists where Pablo Picasso scored his first one-man show. Dan partially credits the Naples Art

Association for his success, “It’s been a great experience. The facility is great and the class sizes work.

” Whether you are a beginner or already an accomplished artist, you will

find classes and instructors at NAA’s The von Liebig Art Center that will be valuable and engaging. Dan says, “Even Tiger Woods needs a swing coach.” For more information on upcoming classes and workshops, please visit NaplesArt.org.

Heralding the Next 60 Years

On February 20th, come celebrate with fellow art supporters, 60 years of history, education and impact the NAA provides to the residents and guests of Collier County. Our annual Naples National Art Festival Gala will be held at the Naples Beach Club. The evening will be a night to remember.

Come experience incredible talent and live art demonstrations during the evening. New this year will be a silent auction as well as a live auction to include a trip. You won’t want to miss this night in the tropics.

The Naples National Art Festival Gala is a glamorous celebration of all that Naples Art Association has accomplished in the past 60 years and everything that will be accomplished in the next 60 years. Attendance assures a wonderful evening celebrating with like-minded people and shows your support for Naples art culture. Tickets are available. For more information visit NaplesArt.org or call Chelsea at 239.262.6517 ext.100.

Just two days later, February 22nd marks the start of Naples National Art Festival, counted among the community’s premiere, must–see events. The festival gathers more than 260 artists and awards $5,000 in cash. Naples National Art Festival is held in scenic Cambier Park and along 8th Street South. Naples Art Association’s most prestigious display of fine art from around the world draws crowds in excess of 20,000.

An Invitation To Connect

Come and enjoy high quality art, engaging personalities of the artists and the festive atmosphere. To facilitate parking and for convenience, a free shuttle is available to festival attendees during festival hours. 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, enjoy the second largest art resource library in Southwest Florida, take a class with a master instructor or find the perfect gift in our one of a kind gift shop. Visit Naplesart.org for information on upcoming events and schedule of classes and workshops. The Naples Art Association is built from the resources and passion of our community to serve the members of our community. Come be a part of the art: Imagine! Discover! Create!