Summer Is Alive at Artis—Naples

Andrey Boreyko, Sharon and Timothy Ubben
Music Director Naples Philharmonic. Photo courtesy Artis—Naples

The days are growing warmer in Naples, and some of our friends have already begun their treks northward to cooler climes, but there is no shortage of opportunities to enjoy the visual and performing arts at Artis—Naples. Summertime offers numerous highlights, including the Naples Philharmonic’s final Masterworks performance under the baton of Andrey Boreyko as music director, the Artis—Naples debut of Limón Dance Company and a range of exhibitions at The Baker Museum.

“This season has indeed been a memorable one, marked by a sense of Esprit de Corps, our season theme,” says Artis—Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen. “It was both inspiring and gratifying to fully reopen the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus last fall, welcoming patrons back to safely enjoy the arts together. That spirit of togetherness continues even as the season draws to a close—most notably as we look back on the last eight years under Andrey Boreyko’s inspiring artistic leadership of our organization and his final performance with the Naples Philharmonic as music director.”

May begins with a momentous occasion: Boreyko’s final performances conducting the Naples Philharmonic as music director on May 5 and 6. It is a powerful final program, featuring Rachmaninoff ’s electrifying Piano Concerto No. 2 performed by piano star Yulianna Avdeeva, the 2010 International Chopin Competition’s First Prize winner. The program concludes with Polish composer Mieczysław Karłowicz’s sumptuously romantic “Rebirth” Symphony.

Dancers- Mark Willis and Logan Frances Kruger (foreground) with fellow members of the Limón Dance Company. Photo Credit Andrea Mohin /The New York Times

May also brings the Artis—Naples debut of the world-famous Limón Dance Company on May 17. Joined by the Naples Philharmonic, the consummate dancers of the acclaimed company present There Is a Time, a reconstruction of founding choreographer José Limón’s inspiring original work. And one of the surest signs of springtime at Artis—Naples is Community Day. On May 21, the community is invited to explore Artis—Naples with an array of artistic adventures, ranging from free admission to The Baker Museum and several performances by the Naples Philharmonic youth ensembles to a wide variety of hands-on art activities. Finally, with Memorial Day on the horizon, Associate Conductor Radu Paponiu and the Naples Philharmonic present Patriotic Pops on May 26 and 27, an annual star-spangled salute to the grand music of America and to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

The Baker Museum is also bustling well into the summer, brimming with new discoveries for art lovers. Baseball Heroes: Works from the Jay H. Baker Collection and Love in All Forms: Selections from the Art Collection of Patty and Jay Baker are on view
through May 15, and these two indelible exhibitions will long be remembered.

With four other major exhibitions on view well into July—including Florida Contemporary 2021-22; Pam Longobardi: Ocean Gleaning; Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group and Invisible Thread—The Baker Museum is a wonderful choice for a warm summer afternoon. And on June 25, two new exhibitions open on the museum’s third floor: True Likeness, which presents contemporary portraits from diverse artists from around the United States in a variety of media, providing a snapshot of who we are as a country, and Recent Acquisitions: 2019 – Present, showcasing more than 50 works that have been added to the museum’s permanent collection since 2019.

Visit artisnaples.org for additional details on all programming, and on Artis—Naples COVID-19 safety protocols.