Naples Art Association is looking forward to a Fantastical Season

Summer at Naples Art Association was filled with amazing works created by inspired children and guided by our professional artists during ARTScool. We also had the privilege to feature the private collection of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, and we are thrilled at the prospect of what is still to come!

The upcoming season at Naples Art Association is going through its final touches and is going to be brilliant! We have spent the summer working diligently on how we can best serve and provide the arts and culture that our community is seeking and so deserves. We are adding to the mix of what is offered and refining our current offerings in a fantastic way.

Just one of the features that we will be unveiling is our completely unique two-year Professional Artist Apprenticeship program. Interestingly, the economic impact of art and design exceeds that of sports worldwide. Creative jobs have increased from 10% to 30% of the US economy and Florida ranks number seven in the country for revenue generated by creative industries, generating a whopping 4.68 Billion of economic activity and supporting over 132,000 full-time jobs.

David Coolidge Carousel Ride, 2008
watercolor 21.5 x 29.5 inches Loan from the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples Gift of the Artist, Courtesy of the Harmon-Meek Gallery

The creative economy in Florida is vibrant and growing, presenting opportunities for artists of all types to live, work and thrive, for those who know how. Unfortunately, those who are passionate about creating rarely have the business acumen to succeed on their own. Naples Art Association has identified this significant and unmet need in Collier County Florida. Young adults in high school who are interested in the creative arts as a career path currently have little or no access to art related business classes and visual arts education. This unfortunate gap in education for creative young adults dissuades
many from pursuing their passion and discourages them from entering this field where it is shown to have so much promise.

To inspire more artists to develop their talents and incubate a cultural revolution in Collier County, Naples Art is spearheading this 24-month educational program to specifically meet these needs. This program will result in an informed, motivated, and skilled group of young adults ready to move forward in their careers, converting their passion of being an artist into becoming a successful entrepreneur. If you would like to support these future arts and culture leaders, please contact Executive Director, Aimee Schlehr at aimee.schlehr@naplesart.org for information about sponsoring this ground-breaking program.

In addition to training artists in the art of business, Naples Art Association also prides itself in continuing to offer a sought after array of art instruction for beginners, hobbyists and advanced
practitioners. We offer more than 200 professional studio classes and workshops in painting, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, glass, jewelry, and more for adults and children, all taught by seasoned
instructors. Register for classes at Naplesart.org Our exhibition rooster is making room for some very
interesting and unique opportunities to be featured alongside our most beloved annual exhibitions, including Camera USA® 2020 and Your Choice.

This year, winner Riley Arthur, who submitted Golden Hour at Joe Juniors, part of her extensive  American Diner Series, took the prize at Camera USA® 2019. The exhibition offered an extraordinary collection of brilliant photographs this year, with each consecutive year outshining the last.
The much anticipated Your Choice exhibition is a Southwest Florida favorite. Your Choice is the Naples Art Association annual non-juried exhibition.

It provides an opportunity for local artists to present their work to a large audience with no jury process
requirement. Artists decide which artwork they will exhibit, while gallery viewers attending the reception decide who will receive the awards. Award winners will be determined by a popular vote  conducted during the reception for the exhibition on August 16, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Exhibit runs August 19 through September 25.

Touchable Art
Collaborative among artists at Lighthouse.
Naples, Florida shrink art: plastic, ink

Next is a twist on gallery tradition with Touchable Art: A Multi-Experiential Exhibition, October 4 – 17, 2019. Art is generally considered to be a visual experience, but our appreciation of art does not need to come purely from sight. Touching is a basic instinct and a way to experience objects, gather information and build awareness. Touchable Art exhibition will feature artwork by sighted, visually impaired and blind artists. Shaking off the traditional gallery-goer behavior, visitors are encouraged to use their sense of touch to explore the                                                                                              exhibition.

Our national outdoor shows continue to win the most prestigious awards given to outdoor art shows across the country, with all three of these shows being awarded the prestigious Sunshine Artist’s 200
Best year after year.

24th Annual Naples New Year’s Art Show
January 4 – 5, 2020, from 10 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday on 5th Avenue South. Featuring artists from across the country and overseas. September 8 is the deadline for artists to apply.

41st Annual Naples National Art Show
February 22 – 23, 2020, from 10 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday at Cambier Park & 8th St. South. Featuring artists from across the country and overseas. In addition, we are hosting a Naples National  Evening Concert the evening of the 22, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Cambier Park Band Shell with live music, drinks and food. October 28 is the deadline for artists to apply.

32nd Annual Naples Downtown Art Show
March 21-22, 2020, from 10 am to 6:00 pm Saturday and 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday on 5th Avenue South. Featuring artists from across the country and overseas. December 8 is the deadline for
artists to apply.

Our Grand Finale of the year, a absolute must-not-miss, is our Scene to be Seen event in November that opens NAA’s 66th season and Celebrate the Arts Month. “This truly is the most unique event Naples has to offer. The energy and creative expression this event provides will transport you to the likes of the Met Gala,” said Aimee Schlehr, the Executive Director of the Naples Art Association.

Experience this exclusive night of intense creativity, extreme inspiration and extraordinary vision at the 2019 Scene to be Seen -Runway Art Show, to be held at the Flexjet private airplane hangar, located at the Naples Municipal Airport. This extraordinary event elevates haute couture to spectacular works of art in a classic luxury runway fashion format that includes a not-to-be-missed after-party, a la fashion week! 2019 Scene to be Seen tickets are available through Eventbrite.com and availability is limited.

These are just a few of the incredible list of things to come, we can’t wait to share more in the coming months. Naples Art has been at the forefront of the Arts & Cultural landscape of Naples since 1954. The organization, founded by artists, now serves as a gathering place providing the community with inspiration and opportunity, through production space and the amplification and exhibition of these creative voices to cultivate a lifelong appreciation of art.

Come visit us today. Naples Art Association | 585 Park Street, Naples FL 34102   Naplesart.org   239.262.6517