The Center for the Arts on Marco Island opened its 2024-2025 exhibition season with a show that features 60 pieces created by members of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Women Artists. NAWA is the first women’s fine art organization in the country, and its members represent all areas of the visual arts from painting, drawing and print-making to sculpture, photography, encaustic, video art, installations and mixed media.
“NAWA has shown their work at the Marco Island Center for the Arts before,” said the center’s Executive Director Hyla Crane. “One of the artists who’s shown her work here is Joanne Sanborn, who is a resident here on Marco Island.”
Sanborn is known nationally for her Everglades landscapes. The focus of her work is to draw attention to the fragile ecosystem with strong, expressionistic compositions rich with uncommon color. She invites the viewer to take a breath and become engaged in the natural world and hopes that enjoyment of her work will encourage attention to Everglades preservation.
“Muffy Clark Gill is the other artist who’s helped organize the exhibition," Crane added.
Gill is an award-winning artist and master silk painter who has worked in the batik process for almost 50 years. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Volusia County Courthouse, the office of the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee, the executive board room at Florida Gulf Coast University, South Florida State College in Avon Park, the Marco Island Historical Museum and the Collier County Museum in Naples.
The exhibition has been organized around the theme of timelessness.
The work in the show reflects the unique perspective of the participating artists, who drew from their own individual life experiences to create a body of work that reflects the people in their lives, their creativity, their passions, and their inspirations.
“This show will delight and engage everyone who comes to see it,” Crane adds.
The exhibition runs through November 25.
MORE INFORMATION:
The National Association of Women Artists was founded in 1889. It is the oldest professional women’s fine arts organization in the United States.
NAWA’s mission is to foster public awareness and interest in the visual arts created by women in the United States.
The Florida chapter of NAWA was founded in 1995. It extends NAWA’s mission by providing highly visible Florida venues, designing art education opportunities for its members and promoting art education in Florida communities.
Open to all female artists 18 years of age and older and U.S. citizens or permanent residents, NAWA has three main membership categories for artists – juried Signature Members, Associate Members and Graduating Student Members.
The history of NAWA is a testament to the strength and resilience of a group of strong women who would not accept being shut out of the art salons, galleries and art exhibitions open to male artists during the 19th century.
