Adult Student Show at Marco Center for the Arts

The Adult Student Show at the Lauritzen and Rush Galleries has over 71 pieces on exhibit showcasing forty students. The exhibit, which runs through May 2nd, also features seven teachers who participated by showing pieces for a new class next season such as Basket Weaving. Mirror Mirror, a large clay platter with cows, and Mirror by Rinny Ryan is another example of what’s new next season.

La Petite is also celebrating Marco Island Academy’s ¡ARTE VIVA! Collection through May 2nd.  These posters were made by students from Mr. Eder’s Creative Photography Class and the Spanish National Honor Society. The posters highlighted how diverse Hispanic Culture can be. There are 12 different Hispanic cultures identified among the student population. This exhibit will include paintings and digitally manipulated portraits of Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Arturo Cisneros (Puerto Rico), and Miguel de Cervantes (Spain) just to name a few.

Arlette Villela, Class of 2023, created a poster, “The Diversity of Hispanic Culture.” She wrote, “While so many people think of Hispanic Culture, they think of the same things for every country. They think that because they speak the same language, they will have the same culture, when in fact, it is quite the opposite.  Each country has a history that has shaped their culture. Their culture is unique to themselves and what makes the people from that country and the country itself. But while these countries have very diverse cultures, it is what unites all of them.”

“As one who is very proud of her Hispanic heritage, the recent Easter holiday comes to mind when we speak of Hispanic culture. The holy week leading up to Easter is called Semana Santa (Holy Week). There are no Easter bunnies, or Easter Egg hunts, and no chocolate-covered eggs either in our culture. The Semana Santa is about the religious side of the culture filled with religious masses in local churches, processions and elaborate religious floats mourning the death of Christ.”

Marco Center for the Arts is also featuring something very special – a stone sculpting class with Joel Shapses. Students may bring a work in progress or start something new and try working with alabaster, soapstone, or whatever stones are available for purchase from the Art Center.  

The objective of this class is to create your own sculpture with an emphasis on creativity. The instructor will discuss what makes a good sculpture and the use of different stones, hardness, durability and which tools to use. Students will leave with their own original sculpture and feel more confident in carving with stone.

Shapses is an intuitive sculptor who is able to take the natural beauty of a piece of stone, such as alabaster, and transform it into a higher art form. Visit Joel’s studio in Naples if you are in search of that “wow” piece. Or better yet, take his class at the Marco Center for the Arts. That’s exactly what Dick James of Marco did and he brought two alabaster stone sculptures to the Exhibit.