Art Center Ringing with Holiday Cheer

The Marco Island Center for the Arts has been a hub of holiday cheer since December 1st with its traditional Festival of Trees kicking off the merry season. The Festival enjoyed its best season ever with over 60 creative trees finding their special places in the community. The silent auction bidding was down to the wire,and the honor for the People’s Choice Award was a red, white, and blue Salute to the Gold Star Families from the Marco Island Shell Club. 

Glazed and Amazed, the Center’s Annual Clay Exhibit is running through January 6, 2026. This is a beloved holiday season tradition celebrating the local talents of clay artists as they explore color, texture, and creativity with their vibrant glazed creations. The clay artists were given free rein to use their imaginations, resulting in a range of exciting pieces from functional to purely sculptural pieces that fit perfectlyon holiday tables to focal pieces for bookshelves or hallways. There is something for everybody in this exhibit, and each selectionsupports local artists and the Marco Island Center for the Arts.   

There are over 30 clay artists/exhibitors for Glazed and Amazed. Jean Camposano, President of the Marco Island Clay Guild said,“This is an annual fundraiser for the Marco Island Center for the Arts. It is the perfect time and venue to showcase members’ creations, and this annual exhibitunderscores the creativity of local clay artists and their collective impact to the community.” 

The Mini Masters exhibit at the Rush Gallery is a collection of tiny masterpieces,five-by-five in size andfor a set price of $50 each, perfect for the holiday gift giving season. There is a certain appeal to adding miniature pieces from your favorite local artists. Though diminutive in size, their presence on top of a mantle, bookshelf, or coffee table creates a striking focal point. And with your purchase, you are supporting local artists and the Marco Island Center for the Arts. 

La Petite Galerie artist Judith Chinskidebuts “Travels with Brush” through January 6, 2026. This is Chinski’s series of miniature watercolors which chronicles her summer journey through Europe, capturing the essence of small villages in their picturesque settings along the coasts of Spain, Italy, and France. She began her travels with an eight-day art class in Calella de Palafrugell, along Catalonia’s Costa Brava. 

Chinskiinvites you to visit the beauty of sunlit cafes, fishing boats, and elegant stone arched passageways depicted in her Travels with Brush exhibit. She also took time to purchase a cashmere scarf made from a cashmere goat farm she visited. 

Through Travels with Brush, Chinski hopes to share the beauty she encounteredthrough winding medieval streets, charming shops, and rice fields where the famed Arroz de Pals is grown for paella, and she recalls the irresistible gelato shops that sweetened her journey.