By Aimee Schlehr
September at Naples Art is all about celebrating local artists with the beloved and completely unique Your Choice 2019 and ARTScool exhibitions, while also gearing up for season.
The Your Choice 2019 exhibition provides an opportunity for 80 exhibiting artists to present their artwork to a large audience with no jury process requirement. Artists and viewers alike decided the winners by casting their vote in a true-to-form election setup overseen by the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office, who named Naples Art as a special precinct for the reception held in August. Each of the artists has delivered an original piece of artwork to Naples Art for the event and were listed as “candidates” on an official ballot. Visit Naples Art to see the exhibition and learn who the winners of the official election were. The exhibition is sponsored by Jean Devine, Moran Wealth Management, The Naples Daily News and Spotlight Magazine.
The Your Choice 2019 exhibition continues through Sept. 25 at Naples Art, 585 Park St., and is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also showing is the ARTScool curated exhibition. This exhibition highlights the extraordinary accomplishments of our young budding artists that attended our annual summer program ARTScool. Our young and adored ARTScool Intern David Paul curated the ARTScool exhibition. He is a long-time participant in the ARTScool program. “I started ARTScool classes when I was 7 years old,” said David Paul. “Once I turned 15, I became an ARTScool intern. When senior year rolled around, I began to think last summer might have been the last time I got to be at Naples Art. Then I remembered the opportunity available to high school students when they graduate which is to become the ARTScool Head Intern and so I went for it.” The ARTScool exhibition is on view now through Sept. 19 at Naples Art.
In October, we host our first in a series of three Dinner with Artists – Oct. 23 at Alexander’s restaurant featuring Chef Alexander himself and internationally recognized artist Marco Bronzini.
Chef Alexander Bernard, founder and owner of Alexander’s Restaurant, has been serving his avid followers from across the globe for more than 25 years. His innovative, farm to table organic dishes reflect his annual California sabbaticals and his traditional European training. The Johnson & Wales graduate is known for menu favorites such phyllo-wrapped fried shrimp, macadamia nut crusted grouper, and seafood risotto with chunks of Maine lobster, scallops and shrimp. Classics such as crispy duck with lingonberries, veal tenderloin and Steak Au Poivre share the page with pasta and vegetarian dishes. A European-style dining room and an award-winning, pet-friendly garden patio accommodate diners for lunch and dinner.
At age 16, Marco Bronzini was introduced to British sculptor John Skeaping, and he went from provincial Beaucaire, his hometown in the South of France, to London, England, the art world center in the mid 1970s. He was accepted with a four-year scholarship to the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1975 and within the next few years he would meet people like the Astors and great art collectors like Paul Mellon.
For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.NaplesArt.org. Dinner with Artists series is sponsored by éBella Magazine, Florida Weekly, Happenings Magazine, Spotlight Magazine, Dragon Horse Ad Agency, 90.1 WGCU, WAVV 101.1, 96.9 WINK FM, FOX News 92.5, and Sunny 106.
Naples Art is having a call for artists for the 53rd Founders Exhibition, a national juried awarded exhibition honoring the founding of the Naples Art Association in 1954. The exhibition will be on view from Dec. 6 – Jan. 9 and is open to all media, subject matter and genres of artwork. Cash awards total $3,500. Enter one or two original artworks. Deadline is Oct. 7. Go to naplesart.org for more information or to apply.
Naples Art 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 youth, all taught by seasoned professional artist instructors. Register for classes online.
Several extraordinary ticketed events are scheduled in the coming season, the famed Scene to be Seen held at the Flexjet private terminal hanger in November, Dinner with Artists in October, January and April and For the Love of Art in March. Tickets can be purchased at naplesart.org. Naples Art is actively seeking sponsors to join Happenings Magazine, éBella Magazine, Florida Weekly, Spotlight Magazine, Dragon Horse Ad Agency, 90.1 WGCU, WAVV 101.1, 96.9 WINK FM, FOX News 92.5, and Sunny 106 in support of the arts, educational programs and these events. For more information, contact Patrick Blake Renda of Dragon Horse Agency at 305-306-3992 or by email at pbr@dragonhorseagency.com
Amy Schlehr is CEO and executive director of the Naples Art Association.
