Art Fest Naples began as a fundraising idea for Eden Autism Services. Twenty-eight years later, the annual art festival is still going strong, benefitting Meals on Wheels, which is supported by more than 175 St. Vincent de Paul volunteers and provides over 79,000 meals annually to homebound seniors and disabled residents.
The two-day festival takes place along the sidewalks that bisect Fleishmann Park. It’s consistently ranked by Sunshine Artist Magazine in its top 100, and was 57th in the nation in the fine art and design category from 2010 to 2020. Every genre and medium is represented, and the casual outdoor setting gives artists, collectors and festivalgoers the opportunity to exchange ideas and information.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19.
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Fleischmann Park is located just south of the Coastland Center Mall on Fleischmann Boulevard at Goodlette-Frank Road.
This annual show offers Southwest Florida residents and visitors an opportunity to browse and purchase fine art that includes paintings in oil and acrylic, watercolors, drawings in graphite and pastels, art photography, blown glass, turned wood pieces, sculptures, metal works, ceramics and pottery, fiber art, hand-crafted fine art jewelry and a variety of 2D and 3D mixed media pieces.
“Some of the nation’s finest artists will be participating in Art Fest Naples, displaying and selling their work ranging from oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, blown glass, turned wood pieces, sculptures, jewelry to a variety of mixed media,” states Art Fest Naples Director Taire Malloy.
Admission is free, although a $5 donation to support St. Vincent de Paul’s Meals on Wheels program is encouraged.
“We are grateful to be the beneficiary of Art Fest Naples,” said Diane Van Parys, Art Fest volunteer coordinator and St. Vincent de Paul Naples board member. “Community support through events like this ensures that we can continue serving Collier County’s homebound residents.”
The Sanibel Invitational Art Festival was also scheduled for the weekend of January 18 and 19, but organizer Boulderbrook Productions found it necessary to cancel the show due to damage suffered on the island as a result of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.