SANCAP CHAMBER
The SanCap Chamber celebrated the Odessa Art Gallery on Sanibel with a ribbon-cutting on Dec. 18.
The SanCap Chamber celebrated the opening of the Odessa Art Gallery in the Palm Ridge Plaza on Sanibel with a ribbon-cutting on Dec. 18.
“I wanted the gallery be a place where art and language meet,” owner and artist Ilie Ruby said, adding that the gallery was “born from the storm.”
A lifelong oil painter and novelist, she returned to a daily studio practice after Hurricane Ian as a way to restore beauty and form.
“We are always pleased when we can further the islands’ reputation for art and culture,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai said. “Odessa represents the intersection of visual and literary art in a most intriguing way.”
Current collections include contemporary poetic figurative paintings characterized by expressive light and narrative depth — muses, mermaids and angels — all emblematic of transformation.
“We also feature art drawn from historical island photographs — scenes and unsung heroes whose stories I encountered while researching a historical novel I’ve been working on,” Ruby said. “We continue to offer handcrafted sterling silver and semi-precious gemstone jewelry.”
She credits her participation in the Charitable Foundation of the Islands’ Leadership Sanibel-Captiva Program and collaboration with a team of top-notch local professionals for helping to bring her vision to life and providing a framework of community insight and inspiration that helped shape the gallery’s mission.
“I am thrilled to share Odessa Art Gallery with the community and hope it stands as a testament to the strength of our islands and the healing power of art,” Ruby said.
The Odessa Art Gallery is at 2330 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel.