The Arts Are In Bloom at Artis – Naples

Spring is in full swing at Artis—Naples in April, and the arts are blossoming throughout the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus. From a new iteration of a community favorite exhibition at The Baker Museum to numerous dynamic performances by the Naples Philharmonic, this month is brimming with performing and visual arts programming that promises to surprise and delight audiences of all ages.

Mean Girls 6 – Pictured (L-R):
English Bernhardt (Cady Heron),
Jasmine Rogers (Gretchen Wieners),
Nadina Hassan (Regina George), and
Morgan Ashley Bryant (Karen Smith)
© 2022 Jenny Anderson

The Baker Museum has brought an incredible array of exhibitions to its galleries this season,
and April is certainly no exception. Earlier this year, the museum welcomed Love Stories from
the National Portrait Gallery, London to Naples, a groundbreaking exhibition presenting some of the world’s greatest masterpieces in portraiture to examine ideas of love. April is the final full month for patrons to view these historic works before the exhibition closes on May 7. And though parting is such a sweet sorrow, that sadness is alleviated in part by three exhibitions featuring noteworthy treasures from much closer to home: the ongoing Naples Collects 2022-23 and Florida Contemporary  2022-23 exhibitions as well as the opening of Three Degrees of Separation: Artistic Connections in the Permanent Collection on April 1. In conjunction with this exhibition, which offers glimpses of how artistic ideas were exchanged in the early and mid 20th century, The Baker Museum also presents “American Style”:  Modern Mexican Artists in the United States, an exhibition lecture by curator Mark Castro, Ph.D., from the Dallas Museum of Art on April 13.

Hera Hyesang Park

As warmer weather returns this month, the Naples Philharmonic also heats things up in Hayes Hall and Daniels Pavilion with a full slew of exciting programming. Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly returns April 4-8 to lead the orchestra’s final Pops subscription program of the season with Troupe Vertigo Latin Extravaganza, featuring Naples’ favorite spellbinding cirque troupe. Later in the month, the orchestra is joined by guest conductor Christian Reif and soprano Hera Hyesang Park to perform Mahler’s enchanting Symphony No. 4 on April 13 and 15, and Park joins musicians of the Naples Philharmonic on April 16 to perform works by Respighi and Zemlinsky on the Wang Chamber Music series. Additional Naples Philharmonic highlights this month include a performance with Miami City Ballet on April 26 as well as a performance of Mozart’s dark comedy Don Giovanni with Gulfshore Opera on April 30 in Hayes Hall.

Miami City Ballet Dancers: Cameron Catazaro and Ashley Knox in Afternoon of a Faun © Gary James

April’s performing arts highlights extend well beyond the orchestral realm. For patrons needing a dose of the best medicine, Broadway’s hilarious hit musical Mean Girls makes a stop in Naples
on April 18-23, and The Price Is Right Live brings America’s beloved interactive game show to Hayes Hall’s stage, giving audience members a chance to “come on down” to win on April 10.

Featured Photo:  Naples Collects Swanzy: Mary Swanzy (Irish, 1882-1978). Futuristic Study with Skyscrapers and Propellers, n.d. Oil on canvas. Jeri L. Wolfson Collection.