Southwest Florida’s museums regularly curate traveling art exhibitions as well as artworks from their permanent collections. During May, visitors will find the following shows in museums from Sarasota to Naples:
“Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks” [Sarasota Art Museum]: This groundbreaking exhibition explores the intersection between design innovation and technological advancements in footwear. “Future Now” features over 70 futuristic designs from the Bata Shoe Museumʼs holdings as well as loans from other prominent institutions, collectors, designers, and inventors. Presenting digitally designed and 3D-printed shoes, sneakers made from mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics, and footwear created for the metaverse, the exhibition explores how cutting-edge technologies, unexpected materials, and new ideas are transforming footwear today. Featured designers and brands include Salehe Bembury, rtfkt, Mr. Bailey, Zaha Hadid, JEMS by Pensole, Safa Şahin, EKTO VR, Saysh, Benoit Méléard, SCRY, and many more. Closes May 4, 2025.
“Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old” [Sarasota Art Museum]: Multidisciplinary artist Chris Friday invites visitors into imagined sanctuaries in her first solo museum exhibition. Best known for her large-scale, yet intimate, figurative chalk drawings, Friday explores the literal and metaphorical safe havens we create for self-preservation in her new site-specific installation. Opens May 4 and runs through August 10, 2025.
“Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press" [Sarasota Art Museum]: Featuring works by 17 artists, this nationally traveling exhibition celebrates African American artists who are reshaping the contemporary art world, including Martin Puryear, Kerry James Marshall, and the Gee’s Bend Quilters. Opens May 4 and runs through August 10, 2025.
“Jillian Mayer: Slumpies [Sarasota Art Museum]: Jillian Mayer explores our ever-increasing relationship with technological devices, and the impact device usage has on our bodies through her interactive sculpture series, “Slumpies.” Blurring the line between fine art and functional objects, “Slumpies” invites viewers to sit, climb, slump, and curl up, using these sculptures much like furniture. In doing so, visitors explore how Mayer’s objects provide support for the various postures we assume while using technology. Run through August 19, 2026.
“Seventeenth-Century Dutch Paintings from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: This long-term installation in Gallery 10 of the Museum of Art showcases five outstanding examples of 17th-century Dutch painting on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Featuring a dramatic seascape, an expansive landscape, and captivating portraits set in detailed interiors, this exhibition offers a window into the vibrant artistic production of the Netherlands as the small nation rose to global prominence in the 17th century. Runs through November 1, 2026.
“Sandy Rodriguez: Currents of Resistance” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: Sandy Rodriguez (b. 1975) is a Los Angeles- based Chicana artist and researcher whose practice engages historic materials and techniques of the Americas to paint visual histories. “Currents of Resistance” is the culminating exhibition of her 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission. This exhibition was developed over the past two years and created across multiple sites, including the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood, Florida; Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency, Joshua Tree, California; and Mar Vista, California. The installation investigates resistance to colonial and environmental exploitation through an interdisciplinary lens and makes visible the Gulf region’s intertwined histories of cultural resilience and ecological transformation. The multimedia installation comprises video, audio, a 40-foot paper panorama, and a “cabinet of curiosities.” This exhibition features a new series of site-specific works art works originally commissioned by The Hermitage Greenfield Prize and The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Andy Sandberg, artistic director and CEO, Sarasota County, Florida in 2023 in collaboration with The Greenfield Foundation. Runs through August 10, 2025.
“Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic and Mediums” [Circus Museum, Tibbals Learning Center, John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: “Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums” explores the essential role art and objects played for mediums and magicians “communicating” with the dead during the 19th- and 20th-century Spiritualism movement in the U.S. and Europe—a time when people actively debated and wondered, "Can spirits return?" Paintings, posters, photographs, stage apparatuses, costumes, film, publications and other objects will transport visitors to the age of Harry Houdini, Margery the Medium, Howard Thurston, and the Fox Sisters, among others. Believers, skeptics and everyone in between will gain a new perspective on the timeless draw of mediums and magicians, séances and magic shows. The exhibition is accompanied by a generously illustrated 144-page companion book with thematic essays by curators from The Ringling and other experts in the field. Runs through July 13, 2025.
“Robert Rauschenberg: A Centennial Celebration” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: With support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Ringling joins an international roster of institutions honoring Rauschenberg’s centennial for a year of global activities and exhibitions that examine the artist through a contemporary lens, highlighting his enduring influence on generations of artists and advocates for social progress. The centennial’s activation of the artist’s legacy promotes cross-disciplinary explorations and creates opportunities for critical dialogue. Learn more by visiting rauschenbergfoundation.org. Runs through August 3, 2025.
“Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: This is an exhibition of 41 ceramic sculptures by 36 female contemporary Japanese artists. “Radical Clay” spans veterans of the field to emerging artists. Encompassing a large range of styles, conceptual approaches, and techniques, the exhibition celebrates their individual and collective triumphs and broader impact. This exhibition is drawn from the collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz and curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, the Art Institute of Chicago. Closes May 11, 2025.
“Embodied” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: The figure is one of the oldest records of our existence as a species capable of storytelling; depictions of the human body constitute some of the oldest subjects in art. “Embodied” expands on the definition of the human figure by bringing together diverse representations in painting, sculpture, fiber, video, and mixed media by some of the most exciting artists working in the 20th and 21st centuries. Runs through September 21, 2025.
“The Greatest Show on Earth” [John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art]: This latest addition to the museum celebrates the era of modern circus that began with Irvin Feld’s purchase of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in 1967. The Greatest Show On Earth® Gallery modernizes the museum’s expansive history of the circus by exploring the first 50 years of the Feld family’s stewardship during which the spectacle of the show brought the circus experience to new heights. The new exhibit continues the story, found throughout the Circus Museum, of how Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey grew to become one of the most well-recognized brands in the world. The gallery space is designed to evoke the excitement of seeing a live show, while also representing the full spectrum of the production experience from both front- and back-of-house perspectives. Visitors can explore artifacts, costumes, and media footage in an engaging and multisensory experience throughout the exhibition area. This is permanent exhibition that is periodically updated with new artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection.
“William S. BURROUGHS & David BRADSHAW: Seven Deadly Sins” [Bob Rauschenberg Gallery ANNEX]: For William Burroughs the theme of control was a central and universal concern. Whether control by addiction to drugs, money, power or religion, he believed that such things act as a virus that is not acting in the best interest of its host. Combining lush silkscreened imagery in metallic inks with original woodblock printing from shot-gun-blasted plywood panels, Burroughs created a lavish portfolio pairing texts and works on paper (with an accompanying book) for Lococo-Mulder Editions/New York in 1991. This inaugural Rauschenberg Gallery Annex exhibition features Burroughs’ original “Seven Deadly Sins” with seven uniquely “shot” Burroughs books and a new series of drawings by David Bradshaw – tracing the custom Pat Crawford “scorpion” knife that was gifted to William Burroughs by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on a visit to meet the renowned author in Lawrence, Kansas in 1993. Opens in new annex space in Building J/Library, Lobby-Room 118 on May 3 and runs through August 2. There will be no opening reception for this exhibition.
“Florida Contemporary” [The Baker Museum and Hayes Hall Galleries]: This annual exhibition presents three notable artists practicing in Florida. Highlighting the diversity of artistic approaches to personal, local and global themes, the 12th edition of this exhibition invites visitors to celebrate the state’s vibrant art scene. The artists selected for the 12th edition of the exhibition are Amer Kobaslija, Jacksonville; Cynthia Mason, St. Petersburg; and Marielle Plaisir, Miami. Listen on WGCU to an overview of the exhibition. Listen on WGCU to ‘Marielle Plaisir installation at The Baker Museum explores a legacy of Colonialism. Listen on WGCU to ‘St. Petersburg artist Cynthia Mason’s wall constructions at Baker Museum reflect early training as architect.’ Listen on WGCU to ‘Jacksonville artist Amer Kobaslija’s paintings at Baker Museum explore Florida landscapes, people and history.’ Located in the Kohan, Newell and Friends of Artis—Naples Galleries of Hayes Hall. Runs through June 29, 2025.
“Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Obra Sonora” [The Baker Museum]: For more than three decades, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has integrated art, science, architecture and technology into his trailblazing artistic practice. The internationally celebrated Mexican Canadian artist is known for his participatory installations, which have been showcased in major solo exhibitions at the Hirshhorn Museum, SFMOMA and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, among many others. The exhibition features monumental works such as “Atmosphonia,” a sound and light environment featuring 3,000 audio channels playing on custom-made speakers with LED lights, and “Sphere Packing: Bach,” a 10-foot-diameter sphere that supports 1,128 speakers — each playing a different composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. “Obra Sonora” is the first museum exhibition to explore Lozano-Hemmer’s use of music, voice and sound, and it will be the largest-ever museum presentation of his work in the southeastern United States. Located on the third floor of The Baker Museum. Runs through June 15, 2025.
“In the Making: Sketches, Studies and Maquettes from the Permanent Collection” [Baker Museum of Art]: This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore artists’ creative processes by showcasing over 30 works from The Baker Museum’s permanent collection. Among the featured artists are Olga Costa, Sonia Delaunay, Morgan Russell, Mark di Suvero and Alice Trumbull Mason. The comprehensive exhibition provides a rare chance to witness the evolution of an artwork, from initial sketches to fully realized works of art. Located on the first floor of The Baker Museum. Runs through fall 2025.
“Entangled in the Mangroves: Florida Everglades Through Installation” [Baker Museum of Art]: This exhibition features nine South Florida artists whose work explores various aspects of the Everglades ecosystem. One of the world’s most extensive wetlands, the Everglades currently faces critical threats from the impacts of our changing climate. This exhibition intends to raise awareness about the unique ecosystem’s importance and the urgent need for its protection. The exhibition fosters connections between activists, Indigenous communities, scholars and scientists to inspire multidisciplinary approaches for solutions benefitting all species. Showcasing various media — including drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and video installations — the exhibition is designed to engage visitors of all ages, inspiring them to take action as protectors of the ecosystem. Runs through September 21, 2025.
“Louise Nevelson: Dawn’s Forest” [The Baker Museum and Hayes Hall]: The monumental sculpture “Dawn’s Forest” by preeminent American artist Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) is one of the most iconic works in The Baker Museum’s permanent collection. The work is made of various white-painted abstract wood elements, some as tall as 25 feet, created by Nevelson in her signature assemblage style over a period of more than a year. This is a permanent exhibit located in the Drackett Gallery and throughout Hayes Hall.
“Imogen Cunningham: A Timeless Lens on Nature, Form & Identity” [Naples Art Institute]: Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976) was a pioneering American photographer whose work redefined fine art and documentary photography. Spanning over six decades, her career explored intimate portraits, sweeping landscapes, and botanical studies, all marked by technical mastery and emotional depth. A key figure in the West Coast photographic movement and a collaborator with Group f/64, Cunningham’s innovative approach shaped modernist photography in America. This exhibition celebrates Cunningham’s diverse artistry, from striking floral close-ups to compelling portraits of artists and intellectuals. Her ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary continues to inspire generations of photographers and art lovers. Runs through August 3, 2025.
“Robert McCabe: Images of an Enchanted Land” [Naples Art Institute]: Robert McCabe (born 1934) is an American photographer known for his evocative black-and-white images capturing the landscapes, architecture, and daily life of Greece, as well as other regions including France, Italy, and the Caribbean. His work, often described as timeless and poetic, documented Mediterranean culture with a keen eye for composition and authenticity. "Images of an Enchanted Land" brings together a selection of McCabe’s most iconic works from the 1950s, portraying Greece’s timeless beauty and resilience. Highlighting his ability to capture the unique interplay between light, shadow, and place, he has not merely created a historical archive, but a poetic narrative that explores time, memory, and the human condition. Runs through August 3, 2025.
“Folklore, Fish Tales & Family Stories: Legends of the Everglades [Museum of the Everglades]: Every year Museum of the Everglades collaborates with is local school – one of the last two K-12 public schools on a single campus in the state of Florida – to create an exhibit that celebrates a specific aspect of this unique community. Students submit artwork, photos, videos, stories, interviews and more to help share a part of the character and history of the area with visitors from around the world. A contest with cash prizes is held with a variety of categories open to currently enrolled students of all ages. This year the Museum of the Everglades has challenged them to share stories of the Everglades area they might have heard growing up that might stretch the truth or push the boundaries of belief. This includes myths, legends, tall tales and ghost stories, but also legendary acts or accomplishments by colorful characters from the region’s past – including ancestors and family members. This exhibit broadens the understanding of the surrounding community and its unique culture by sharing its distinctive folklore through creative, artistic, and literary expressions composed by our local students. The exhibit will be augmented with historic information and established traditional stories that provide context for the creative responses the students have submitted. Opens May 6 and runs through September 6, 2025.
“Memories of Collier County Through the Art of Phil Fisher” [Collier Museum at Government Center]: Phil Fisher says, “I like to think of my paintings as a sanctuary for those who feel anesthetized by technology.” Fisher has been painting in Naples, in watercolors and oils, for the past 53 years. The majority of his work is done “plein air,” so he has a visual preference for landscapes. This exhibit features his paintings of beloved Naples locations, as well as commissions now part of the Collier County Museum collection. Closes May 31, 2025.
“Perspectives From Southwest Florida Ranch Life” [Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch]: Meagan Watkins, a local Immokalee photographer and cattlewoman, has spent the past few years cataloguing and photographing the animals, women, and men that help shape our landscape and local economy on ranches throughout Southwest Florida. Come see and learn about Florida ranching through pictures and stories, as told by someone who lives it. Runs through June 21, 2025.
“The Florida House: Marco Island’s Mackle-Built Model Homes” ” [Marco Island Historical Museum]: This exhibit delves into the fascinating history behind Marco Island’s Mackle-built model homes, which can be traced back to the post-World War II “Florida House” crafted by builders and developers hoping to entice Northerners to the Sunshine State. Constructed during the modern development of Marco Island by the Deltona Corporation from 1965 through the 1970s, these 72 diverse models were designed, inside and out, to embody the elegant tropical living the Mackle Brothers envisioned for the “crown jewel” of their planned communities. Runs through June 7, 2025.
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.