Florida’s Paradise Coast will resonate with the heritage, sounds, dances, and visual arts of the Hispanic community.
Get ready to embark on a journey into the vibrant heart of Hispanic arts and culture as Florida's Paradise Coast gears up for an exhilarating celebration like no other - ¡ARTE VIVA! Presented by the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau, this yearlong extravaganza promises to be an unforgettable tribute to the rich cultural tapestry of the Hispanic community, which constitutes nearly 30% of the region’s population.
¡ARTE VIVA! recently earned two prestigious SUNsational Awards presented by the Florida Festivals and Events Association. These accolades recognize innovation, uniqueness, and creative collaboration. In its budget category, ¡ARTE VIVA! secured the First Place award for its exceptional Public Relations/Media Campaign, and an impressive Third Place for its captivating Website.
John Melleky, Arts and Culture Manager for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB stated, "Last year's inaugural season was a great success. Over 293,000 attendees participated in the diverse cultural programs offered by 20 organizations throughout Collier County. ¡ARTE VIVA! provided a tremendous platform to promote Collier County’s cultural assets because we know that Collier County Is Culture."
Last year's ¡ARTE VIVA! advertising campaigns achieved over 50 million impressions across key drive markets. Social media campaigns that showcased individual artists’ stories garnered over 7.5 million impressions, 59,000 website visits, and nearly 44,000 video views.
The second season of ¡ARTE VIVA! will bring some extraordinary new programs:
- The Naples Zoo, a new addition to the festival, will offer an exciting journey through the South America exhibit, where you'll encounter captivating creatures such as Capybaras, Coatimundis, Toucans and Tapirs.
- Gulfshore Playhouse takes the stage with Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony-nominated playwright, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and her compelling play 26 Miles in October. This heartwarming story unfolds the tale of a fractured family rediscovering the power of love.
- Naples Botanical Garden will celebrate Día de los Muertos on November 4-5. Originating in Mexico, this vibrant holiday invites the community to come together, share cherished memories of loved ones, and celebrate the bonds that unite us. This returning event from last year is a highlight of the fall calendar of events.
- Public art takes center stage with two installations. Arts organizations are working together to create a tapestry called Weaving Narratives, which will be installed at Naples Art Institute in March 2024. Now showing is The Face of Immokalee, a captivating installation at Lipman Farms in Immokalee. Photographer Michelle Tricca honors the resilient Immokalee community through a striking series of black and white portraits of its children. This moving work will also be on display at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, from November 2023 – April 2024.
¡ARTE VIVA! will also be filled with the rhythm and melodies of talented Hispanic artists. The Marco Island Center for the Arts' Musical Interludes will introduce a variety of musical talents, including Latin Grammy winner Dr. Ed Calle, local sensation L-Yen, and Latin Grammy nominee Leslie Cartaya. Meanwhile, Artis—Naples boasts a lineup that includes nationally renowned artists Gilberto Santa Rosa and Pink Martini.
This year’s lineup will also include Arts Alive! gatherings every Thursday at Naples Art District, a medley of outdoor art festivals, and much more. ¡ARTE VIVA! is set to offer residents and visitors an unrivaled assortment of events and performances throughout the year, spread across multiple locations throughout Florida's Paradise Coast. It's a heartfelt tribute to the beauty and unique contributions of Hispanic culture.
For a comprehensive list of upcoming events and to immerse yourself in the ¡ARTE VIVA! experience, please visit the ¡ARTE VIVA! website at www.arte-viva.com.
Full Event Schedule (as of Sept. 20, 202
Now – 10/15/2023 Naples Art Institute
Curated by Executive Director and Chief Curator Frank Verpoorten, this exhibit features an intergenerational and interdisciplinary group of 40 artists. Their dynamic works reflect the complexities and opportunities of the American experience today. The exhibition brings the constellation of local contemporary artists into focus. Ticket Information
Now – 10/27/2023 Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
Selected works from 30 artists depict Florida nature in a wide variety of media, including oil, acrylic, photography, metal photography, rozome on silk, digital painting, alcohol ink, watercolor, and mixed media. Ticket Information
Now - 04/07/2024
Tamara Kostianovsky: Botanical Revolution
Brooklyn-based Latinx artist Tamara Kostianovsky utilizes repurposed clothing and other textiles to create dynamic works of sculpture that reference humankind's connections to nature by echoing the forms of birds, tree stumps, plants and cow carcasses. This exhibition, the artist's first in the southeastern United States, will include new work inspired by the bird and plant life of Southwest Florida. Ticket Information
Now – 04/15/2024 Immokalee Lipman Family Farms
The public art installation The Face of Immokalee by Michelle Tricca aims to champion the Immokalee community through a series of boldly displayed black and white photographic portraits. This first-of-its-kind art exhibition in Collier County is presented on two 50-foot walls and two 53-foot semi-trailer-trucks owned by Immokalee-based Lipman Family Farms. Free Admission.
09/23/2023
Family Fun Day: Honrando Nuestra Historia
Family activities and games will explore Hispanic and indigenous contributions to the 10,000 Islands regions. Free Admission
10/06/2023 – 01/06/2024 Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch
Expressing and highlighting and heritage and identity through food. The Ancestor’s Table exhibit will present and analyze identity in diaspora. Free Admission
10/12/2023 - 11/04/2023 Gulfshore Playhouse
When Beatriz receives a late-night call-for-help from her estranged teenage daughter Olivia, she spirits her away on an impromptu cross-country road trip. 26 Miles is the story of a broken family rediscovering love by Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony-nominated playwright, Quiara Alegria Hudes. Hudes, who is of Jewish and Puerto Rican descent, wrote the book for the hit Broadway musical In The Heights with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Ticket Information
10/15/2023 - 06/30/2024 Artis—Naples
Florida Contemporary 2023-2024
This annual exhibit presents a selection of notable visual artists practicing in Florida. Highlighting the breadth of artistic approaches to personal, local, and global themes, Florida Contemporary invites visitors to celebrate the state’s vibrant scene. Miami-based Yanira Collado is a conceptual and installation artist. Using found objects she makes three-dimensional collages that examine the layering process of memory and history. Pepe Mar, born in Mexico and now in Miami, combines assemblage, collage, and painting. His exuberant work explores a broad range of issues, including fashion, history, LGBTQ history, and science fiction. The exhibition also includes Tampa artist and professor emerita Mernet Larsen. She had created narrative paintings depicting hard-edged, enigmatic characters that inhabit uncanny worlds filled with tension and wry humor. Ticket Information
10/17/2023 - 11/30/2023 Marco Island Center for the Arts
Día de los Muertos Grass Wall - Outdoor Art Installation
Marjorie Pesek of Marjorie Pesek Fine Art works with students at Marco Island Center for the Arts to create multidimensional Grass Walls that will be decorated by children during free summer art programs, with crafts that celebrate the Day of the Dead. The project will teach children about the holiday and the cultural creations will be on display in the Art Center’s courtyard in October and November of 2022. Free Admission
10/26/2023
Claude Bourbon – Progressive Blues
Claude Bourbon is known throughout Europe and America for amazing guitar performances that take blues, Spanish, and classical stylings into uncharted territories. Claude’s inimitable style incorporates all five digits on each hand dancing independently but in unison, picking, picking, and strumming at such speed and precision that his fingers often seem to melt into a blur. Ticket Information
10/31/2023 – 02/02/2024 Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
2023 Natural Selections: Painting Annual Exhibition
This juried exhibition in the art gallery of the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center showcases painted works that reflect Florida’s flora and fauna and will feature Hispanic artists. Opening reception set for Nov. 2, 2023. Ticket Information
11/02/2023 - 11/21/2023 Marco Island Center for the Arts
Bruce Hecksel – Terra Guitarra
Bruce Hecksel’s Terra Guitarra is a series of paintings created using the guitar shape as a symbol to imagine the whole world is singing. The landscapes are heavily influenced by the Nuevo Flamenco style of guitar used by the artist who is part of the guitar duo Terra Guitarra®. Free Admission
11/04/2023 - 11/05/2023 Naples Botanical Garden
Día de Los Muertos Celebration
Join Naples Botanical Garden for a joyous Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration! With origins in Mexico, this colorful holiday is a time for our community to share memories of loved ones and celebrate our families and friends together. Discover the significance of this holiday and its rich culture through special displays, tours, and more. Immerse yourself in live music, dance performances, and delicious dishes. Bring the whole family for an adventure in color, aroma, and flavor. Ticket Information
11/09/2023
Master guitarist Bruce Hecksel and singer-songwriter Julie Patchouli blend music from their two musical projects Patchouli and Terra Guitarra. Terra Guitarra® is reviewed as “one of the top nuevo-flamenco groups in the world” – Zone Music Reporter. Their soulful fusion of blazing Spanish and world guitar instrumentals, heartstring-tugging lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, and epic folk rock anthems infused with visible onstage chemistry guarantees to make the night an uplifting one of music that will leave you uniquely inspired and excited to pick that old guitar back up. Ticket Information
11/18/2023 - 04/27/2024 Third Street South
Third Street South Farmers Market
There is no better way to experience the heart of a culture than through its food. As part of the larger city-wide celebration, the Third Street South Winter Farmers Market will feature a focus on the culinary delights of many Hispanic and Latin cuisines, with many of our favorite vendors returning and exciting new vendors joining the lineup. The Third Street South Farmers Market was first established in 1994 and today reflects the participation of nearly 60 vendors, the majority of whom are local agriculturally based businesses. Free Admission
11/18/2023 - 04/28/2024 Artis—Naples
The Face of Immokalee is a public art project created through a multi-year collaboration between the residents of Immokalee, Florida, and Naples-based photographer Michelle Tricca. Consisting of large-format black-and-white portrait photographs of Immokalee residents of varying ages and backgrounds, the project celebrates the individuality of the members of this community best known for its agricultural contributions. Ticket Information
11/18/2023
An Evening with Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa brings the heat to Artis—Naples! Affectionately known as El Caballero de Salsa (The Gentleman of Salsa), Santa Rosa has won six Grammy Awards and sold millions of records in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. He is undeniable salsa gold. Santa Rosa has performed with his band in iconic venues across America — including Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden — and toured internationally across South America and Spain. Santa Rosa grew up listening to the classic salsa of the ’50s and ‘60s and has taken inspiration from the great music of the genre’s early years. With a sound that evokes romance, intelligence, joy, spice and undeniable suave, he continues to be at the forefront of salsa music. Ticket Information
11/28/2023 Marco Island Historical Society
Florida and the Untold Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis – Zoom Discussion
In this presentation based on the book Above and Beyond, New York Times bestselling author Michael Tougias chronicles the thirteen harrowing days of the Cuban Missile Crisis and outlines the steps President Kennedy made to reach a decision on a course of action. Special emphasis is given to the heroes of the crisis: the U-2 pilots who flew from Orlando to Cuba to secure proof of nuclear missiles. Ticket Information
12/09/2023
Feliz Navidad Piñata Creation Workshop
Prepare for the holidays with artist Mercedes Perez who will be demonstrating the art of creating piñatas in the Naples Art District. Ticket Information
01/08/2024 – 02/27/2024 Marco Island Center for the Arts
Just Another Canvas: Tattoos as Art
This exhibition explores the history of this unique art form as well as the reasons why people choose to use their bodies as a canvas for art. Two of the featured artists are Cuban-born Pollyanna Fernandez and Jose Luis Bermudez. Having trained as fine artists both Fernandez and Bermudez continue to paint and show their work. They have also become renowned tattoo artists in Miami where their art can be seen on living canvasses. Free Admission
01/18/2024
Originally from Matanzas Cuba, Yenier Alvarion (L-Yen) performs urban music that maintains a Latin melody that includes genres such as Reggaeton and Merengue. Enjoy this concert that has a sound, rhythm, and message that will have the room dancing. Ticket Information
01/27/2024 – 01/28/2024 Mercato
Experience the sophisticated, fun, and vibrant Mercato Art Celebration Art Show hosted by Naples Picasso Events. This two-day extravaganza offers Naples residents and visitors the perfect blend of shopping under the sunshine and memorable evenings filled with dining, drinks, entertainment, and captivating fine art from renowned national and international artists. Free Admission
02/05/2024 - 02/27/2024 Marco Island Center for the Arts
La Petite Exhibition Margarita Angel
Exhibition of weaving by Colombian native Margarita Angel. Angel is drawn to eye the world in mystical terms, a way of seeing that has allowed her to discover the narrative potential in every single thing, to look for the meanings that lie in the gestures, and in the emotional physicality of time and space. Free Admission
02/06/2024 – 04/26/2024 Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
2024 Natural Selections: Photography Annual Exhibition
This juried exhibition in the art gallery of the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center showcases photographic works that reflect Florida’s flora and fauna and will feature Hispanic artists. Opening reception set for Feb. 8, 2024. Ticket Information
02/10/2024
As part of their Second Saturday Open Studios, visit the Naples Art District, comprised of 100 artists to view unique artwork inspired by Pablo Picasso. Meet the over 100 artists creating paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, fiber arts, ceramics, glass, and more. Free Admission
03/02/2024
Festival Under the Stars 2024: Zarzuela and Flamenco
Join Opera Naples’ Festivals Under the Stars at Cambier Park for Zarauela and Flamenco, an evening of classic Spanish song and dance. Zarzulea is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, incorporating operatic songs as well as folkloric dance. This evening will also feature Flamenco, the popular dance from the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, Spain. The evening will be conducted by Artistic Director Ramón Tebar and features the Naples Festival Orchestra. Ticket Information
03/09/2024 - 03/10/2024 Marco Island Veteran’s Park
The Marco Island Center for the Arts in collaboration with MauRich Productions & Events Inc., is proud to host this inaugural, major art show for the 2024 winter season on Marco Island. The Fine Art Show will take place in the newly renovated Veteran’s Memorial Park. The Marco Island National Fine Art Show is a juried show and will feature approximately 200 artists in mediums such as ceramics, painting, jewelry, sculpture, metal, wood, mixed media 2D and 3D and photography. Free Admission
03/09/2024
Pink Martini Featuring China Forbes
Eclectic, classy, and universally appealing, internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini once again brings their charm to Hayes Hall. Founded by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, the band was created to perform reliably entertaining music that could appeal to all people, regardless of political affiliation or nationality. Decades later, Pink Martini has performed countless sold-out shows, bringing their unique sound to enthusiastic fans around the world. Their innovative sound blends jazz, classical, and world music genres into something that feels equally timeless and fresh. Ticket Information
03/14/2024 Marco Island Center for the Arts
Dr. Ed Calle – Legend of Latin Jazz
Latin Grammy award winner for Best Instrumental Album (2015) and a five-time Grammy nominee, Calle is a renowned musician, composer, orchestrator, scholar, professor, and leader. Throughout his legendary career, Calle has become one of the most recorded saxophonists in history appearing on more than 1,500 albums, almost 10,000 singles, and countless television and movie soundtracks with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Celia Cruz to Sylvester Stallone and Andy Garcia. Ticket Information
03/23/2024
En Plein Air Painting Festival
Join the celebration of the new South American Trail of the Naples Zoo. Among the botanical and wildlife exhibits at the Naples Zoo, the artists of the Naples Art District will paint in the "en plein air" style. Ticket Information
04/11/2024 Marco Island Center for the Arts
Caribbean, Afro-American, Afro-Latin, and Latin American musical rhythms create a harmonious fusion in Leslie Cartaya's music; a Grammy and Latin Grammy Nominee singer-songwriter and producer that has been able to tour internationally as an independent artist. Cartaya has a wide range of repertoire going from the most dance-able and hot Latin rhythms to more soothing and romantic sounds that incorporate Salsa, Son, Rumba, Funk, Pop, and Reggae. Ticket Information
For more information about participating in ¡ARTE VIVA, please contact John Melleky, Arts and Culture Manager, for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB at john.melleky@colliercountyfl.
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About Florida’s Paradise Coast
The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the official source for area travel and tourism information about Florida's Paradise Coast. Located in Southwest Florida, this premier vacation and meeting destination offers leisure and business travelers a variety of exceptional year-round amenities and attractions. Set along a 30-mile Gulf of Mexico coastline ribboned with white-sand beaches, visitors will discover a sophisticated, yet casual atmosphere highlighted by a lively social scene, robust arts and culture activities, exceptional restaurants, luxury boutique shopping and plenty of outdoor adventure experiences. Home to over 90 public and private golf courses, sports enthusiasts have access to a variety of championship courses; pickleball and tennis facilities; and water activities ranging from kayaking to sailing charters. Outdoor adventures include exploring the world-famous Everglades – the only sub-tropical mangrove wilderness in the U.S. and home to endangered wildlife and over 350 species of birds. Florida’s Paradise Coast is truly where the high life meets the wildlife. Recent accolades include being named the No. 1 “Best Beach Town in the U.S. to Live In,” No. 1 “Healthiest and Happiest City in America” and “One of the Best Small Cities in the U.S.” Located just two hours from Miami, three hours from Tampa, and four hours from Orlando, Florida’s Paradise Coast is easily accessible by Interstate highway. Travelers outside of the Sunshine State can fly into Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), Punta Gorda (PGD), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Miami (MIA). For more information about Florida’s Paradise Coast, call 800-688-3600, visit ParadiseCoast.com, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
About ¡ARTE VIVA!
¡ARTE VIVA! is a collaborative initiative that brings together the arts and culture organizations and hospitality partners of Florida’s Paradise Coast to communally celebrate the artistic contributions of the Hispanic community. The year-long celebration features local events, exhibitions, performances, and educational opportunities throughout the destination. Presented by the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB and supported by the Collier County Board of County Commissioners, ¡ARTE VIVA! will enhance the visitor experience as well as offering residents community-wide educational and entertainment experiences throughout the year. For the most recent information about the event schedule, please visit ¡ARTE VIVA!. For information about participating in this yearlong project, contact John Melleky at john.melleky@colliercountyfl.
Media Contact:
Sandra Rios, Sandra.Rios@colliercountyfl.