Art Center Presents Art Talk Series with Rob Eder

Art has a way of telling us who we are, where we have been and how the world around us is changing. This season, Marco Island Center for the Arts invites the community to explore those stories through a four-part Art Talk Series led by artist and art educator Rob Eder.

Presented at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, the series brings art history to life through engaging presentations, compelling images and lively discussion. Each talk explores a different group of influential artists and examines the cultural ideas, personal stories and artistic movements behind their work.

“Art history becomes much more interesting when we understand the people and ideas behind the artwork,” says Eder. “These talks are an opportunity to look at familiar and unfamiliar artists in new ways and to have a conversation about why their work continues to matter.”

The series includes:

American Art Icons - Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM.

The series opens with a look at four artists who helped define what it means to make art in America: Frederic Church, Winslow Homer, John Frederick Peto and Jasper Johns. Through images and discussion, Eder will explore the distinctly American qualities found in Church’s expansive landscapes, Homer’s realism, Peto’s trompe l’oeil still-life paintings and Johns’ iconic symbols. Spanning more than a century of American art, the presentation examines how these artists transformed landscapes, everyday objects and familiar images into powerful statements about the American experience.

Acclaimed Women Artists - Wednesday, January 13, 2027, at 11:00 AM.

The second talk turns the spotlight on four influential women artists whose work challenged artistic conventions and expanded the boundaries of contemporary art: Hilma af Klint, Faith Ringgold, Yayoi Kusama and Jenny Saville.  Eder will explore the groundbreaking—and at times controversial—work of these artists, examining how they confronted questions of gender, identity, power and artistic tradition. From af Klint’s pioneering abstract work to Ringgold’s storytelling, Kusama’s immersive visual language and Saville’s provocative paintings, the presentation reveals how these women reshaped the conversation around contemporary art.

Famous Women Photographers - Wednesday, February 10, 2027, at 11:00 AM

Photography takes center stage in the third presentation, featuring Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Annie Leibovitz and Cindy Sherman.

Through iconic photographs and engaging discussion, Eder will examine how these groundbreaking photographers challenged traditional ideas of portraiture and used the camera to explore identity, celebrity, memory, family and the boundaries between reality and performance. Their very different approaches demonstrate the extraordinary range and power of photographic art.

The Wyeth Family – Three Generations of Art Wednesday, March 10, 2027, at 11:00 AM. The series concludes with a look at one of America’s most celebrated artistic families: N. C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth.

Across three generations, the Wyeth family developed distinct artistic voices while maintaining a remarkable connection to place, storytelling and the American experience. Eder will trace the evolution of their work, from N. C. Wyeth’s celebrated illustrations to Andrew Wyeth’s intimate realism and Jamie Wyeth’s expressive approach to painting.

Together, the three artists represent more than a century of American art and offer a fascinating look at how artistic traditions can be passed from one generation to the next while still evolving in unexpected ways.

This series is free to attend however we request an RSVP through our website at marcoislandart.org or by calling 239-394-4221.