The region is flush with artists making moves. Naples message-driven painter, sculptor and poet Marvin Rouse moved from a shared creative space in Bonita Springs to his first studio and gallery, Rouse Designs, downtown on Fourth Avenue South in Naples. Marvin incurred some flooding and damage during the storm but is still working toward hosting his official opening party, with a target date of mid-November.
Nearby at the Dockside Boardwalk on Naples Bay, Cory Patterson, known as TenToTwo, does frequent takeovers at Passionfruit Art Gallery, while owner Natalia Stepina is traveling to museums around the world. When Cory is in charge, expect to see a variety of local artists, including tattooist-painter Matt “Mully” Mulhern and abstract painter Maureen Golgata. In North Naples, Quidley & Company Fine Art opened Project Space at Magnolia Square to sell a small selection of the gallery’s contemporary pieces, with a special focus on Neo-Expressionist painter Hunt Slonem.
Further north, in Fort Myers, Brian Weaver and Cesar Aguilera moved their colorful Artsemble Underground gallery from the retail-filled Bell Tower Shops to a more fitting location on the Alliance for the Arts Campus, where they plan to grow their monthly Battle of the Arts competitions—allowing participants to spread out on the vast lawn as they paint live for honors and awards.
Artists Helping Artists
Lauded Fort Myers painter Marcus Jansen starts a relief fund for local artists affected by Hurricane Ian.
Through his Marcus Jansen Foundation Fund, the Neoexpressionist painter is working with Naples-based artists Dennis Goodman and Juan Diaz to gather funds to help Southwest Florida creatives affected by Hurricane Ian. The money raised through their “Operation: Artists Helping Artists” goes toward rebuilding studios, restocking supplies and covering other expenses resulting from the devastating effects of the storm.
You can donate through Collaboratory, the Fort Myers-based community foundation, which the Marcus Jansen Fund is part of.