Keeping it Cool at the Art Center

The new exhibit at the Center for the Arts is now open to the public through September 30, 2025, and the theme is “Keeping it Cool.” The 30 artists and 71 pieces of art conveyed COOL using the magic of their brushes, depicting water, blue skies, snow, and soothing colors. We are very familiar with blue, green, and violet hues pairing with sceneries such as the ocean, nature, sky,and alsoevoking the feelings of calmness and serenity. If you look at Monet’s water lilies, he used blues and even grays, while Van Gogh used yellows for the twinkling stars, and shades of blues to make the night sky look dreamy.  

The exhibit is now open to the public through September 30, 2025,and you are invited to come and meet the artists at a Reception on Tuesdays, August 12th and September 9th at 5:30. 

Texture and Raw Clay is on exhibit at LaPetite Galerie with creations by Jean Camposano. Jean is a ceramic artist based on Marco Island. Although she studied art at Northern Illinois University, her journey with clay began more recently - eight years ago, when she took her first ceramics class at the Marco Island Center for the Arts. Since then, clay has become her primary medium of expression. 

According to Jean, she is inspired by the tactile nature of ceramics. “I’m drawn to the texture of raw clay, both in its fired and unfired states. A piece should feel as good in your hands as it looks to your eyes.” This exhibit is open to the public through the month of August.  

Marco Island Center for the Arts is pleased to announce it received a $10,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation. These funds provide support for Every Child Deserves Art: The Next Chapter, a program that has enabled the expansion of children’s summer art programs and the continued distribution of art bags in partnership with Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. 

The Children’s Summer Program offered 30 classes during the summer of 2025 with a two-week workshop that culminated in two performances of the full musical production of Disney’s The Aristocats KIDS. These programs remain completely free of charge for all participants, and in 2025, they served 315 children through seven weeks of workshops.  

The Every Child Deserves Art initiative has also increased its outreach to underserved communities through the distribution of art bags. These monthly bags include engaging art projects and high-quality supplies that are delivered through the Our Daily Bread Mobile Food Pantry. The additional funding has allowed the Center to increase both the quantity and quality of these art kits, now distributing 150 bags each month. The program’s goal is to reach between 1,500 and 1,800 children over the 2025–2026 period. 

Additional support for Every Child Deserves Art also comes from the United Church of Marco Island, The Island Country Club Charitable Foundation, The Isles of Collier Preserve Foundation, The Marco Island Women’s Club, the Marco Island Noontime Rotary, including numerous generous individual donors who share in the belief that every child should have access to the arts.