Visual Art

Each year, the Naples Art Institute holds three outdoor art fairs, the Naples New Year’s Art Fair in January, Naples National in mid-February and the Naples Downtown Art Fair in mid-March. The Naples Art Institute Director, Frank Verpoorten, says that art fairs are the best way for people to see a lot of art in a short amount of time.

Hot Works ushers in the 2025-2026 outdoor art festival season with the Naples Fine Art Show October 25 & 26. This annual show features everything from paintings, drawings and mixed media to fine art jewelry, glass, sculpture and more.

The path of becoming a professional artist isn’t easy. Aside from developing the necessary skills in your particular field, obtaining specific materials can help separate an artist from the field.

The Trump administration’s tariff war is hurting textile and fiber artists as well as their overseas suppliers. Many of the specialty items these artists use are not available domestically.

Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts is Southwest Florida’s newest arts and culture nonprofit. The new organization is committed to providing support, education, community, and performance opportunities for BIPOC artists. We’ll learn about the new organization in an encore of our conversation this past summer with founder and executive director Sonya McCarter, board of directors member Cotrenia Hood, and dance instructor Eden Collier.

Days after the city of Miami Beach filed a similar case, Fort Lauderdale has challenged the legality of directives by the Florida Department of Transportation to remove art and markings on streets.Fort Lauderdale filed its challenge Monday at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, arguing that the department did not go through a legally required rule-making process. Such directives went to local governments across the state and have drawn heavy attention, in part, because they required removing LGBTQ-themed rainbow crosswalks.

Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts is Southwest Florida’s newest arts and culture nonprofit. The new organization is committed to providing support, education, community, and performance opportunities for BIPOC artists. We’ll learn about the new organization in a conversation with founder and executive director Sonya McCarter, board of directors member Cotrenia Hood, and dance instructor Eden Collier.

Generative AI programs like ChatGPT and DeepAI allow anyone, anywhere, to generate imagery with the touch of a button. This software can instantly duplicate styles of artists for a much lower cost, upsetting artists in the visual and performing arts.

FGCU Professor of Art Andy Owen died on June 21 following a three-month battle with cancer. For 17 years, Owen taught multiple levels of drawing and printmaking. He also played an instrumental role in the formation of FGCU’s permanent art collection.

Naples-based artist Muffy Clark Gill has a solo exhibition of works at the Alliance for the Arts titled, “Portraits of Perception.” Works in the exhibit highlight the artist’s work in the ancient Indonesian batik process and are inspired by her passion for travel.