BIG ARTS
\nSix artists are collaborating on \u201cCURRENTS\u201d from today, Aug. 10, through Oct. 30 in the Dunham Family Gallery at BIG ARTS on Sanibel. From left, front row, they are MariaPia Malerba and Marti Koehler; and, back row, Shah Hadjebi, Wilson McCray and Macy Noll. Dahye Kim is not pictured.<\/p>\n
Several artists are once again collaborating on an evolving piece at BIG ARTS on Sanibel. <\/p>\n
Starting today, Aug. 10, and running through Oct. 30, six artists are working together to transform the Dunham Family Gallery into an immersive underwater mural, titled \u201cCURRENTS.\u201d People can visit the exhibit throughout the process to witness their creative process and watch the artwork evolve.<\/p>\n
Last year, four artists came together for the first-ever collaboration, \u201cBIRDS!! No Words.\u201d<\/p>\n
One participating artist and BIG ARTS Gallery Director Wilson McCray explained that the idea last year came from the notation that it was the off season with little going on, but nothing was being done with the gallery. He considered an artist-in-residence program, but it would require a lot of planning.<\/p>\n
Instead, McCray decided to put up paper along the walls and invite interested artists to join.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep the gallery alive during the summer,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was an experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s piece evolved into a collaboration as the artists worked together on all parts of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a really fun thing,\u201d McCray said. \u201cPeople would return over and over to see how we were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, they decided to try it again this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s as experimental as it was a year ago,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll slowly develop it together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to McCray, this year\u2019s group will again include artists Shah Hadjebi, Marti Koehler and MariaPia Malerba. New to the collaboration for this year\u2019s mural are Dahye Kim and Macy Noll.<\/p>\n
McCray oversees the visual arts program at BIG ARTS. He works with artists from throughout Southwest Florida and around the world to bring diverse exhibitions to the community.<\/p>\n
Hadjebi is an award-winning Southwest Florida watercolor artist in Fort Myers. He draws inspiration from a lifelong artistic background, and he explores nature through expressive, intuitive painting.<\/p>\n
Koehler is a Naples native. She creates work inspired by Southwest Florida\u2019s coastal landscapes, memories, and the textures and rhythms of the natural world.<\/p>\n
Malerba is an Italian-born multidisciplinary artist. Her work blends painting, textile design and immersive installation.<\/p>\n
McCray reported that adding Kim and Noll fit right into what they are doing this year.<\/p>\n
Kim is interdisciplinary researcher and professor of digital arts at Florida SouthWestern State College. She presented a projected installation of hers in the Dunham Family Gallery at BIG ARTS in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is extraordinary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Noll is a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University, double majoring in marine biology and visual arts. She teaches scuba diving for marine research, and she creates marine illustrations and murals.<\/p>\n
McCray noted that Noll applied for a BIG ARTS scholarship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw her portfolio, I immediately thought of her for this project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The overall commitment for \u201cCURRENTS\u201d will be undersea creatures and habitat imagery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a dedication to nature,\u201d McCray said, explaining that last year\u2019s mural focused on various Sanibel bird populations and their habitats. \u201cSo it is a shift to a new arena of nature to immerse ourself in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working together on a continuous 6-by-125-foot-long expanse of paper that will be set up throughout the gallery, each artist will contribute their own perspective while building upon one another\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lots and lots of images to work with \u2014 and the imagery flows all the way around,\u201d he said. \u201cWe work on sections of it, and we switch off. Every one of us works on all parts of the mural.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCray added that they will stop at certain points to discuss the piece and what it needs.<\/p>\n
Throughout the process, BIG ARTS will share the artist schedules and photos on its social media pages, so people can plan to stop in while artists are working and follow the mural\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting process from the day we begin tacking the paper on the walls,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to come in at any time, but there\u2019ll be more and more imagery as time goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
An Artist Reception on Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. will celebrate the completion of the evolving exhibition. Open to the public, attendees can meet the artists and enjoy some complimentary wine, beer and light bites.<\/p>\n
The community is invited to stop in regularly over the next couple of months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s an extraordinary and kind of unique project,\u201d McCray said. \u201cAll of the artists are excited about it, and it\u2019s a different kind of process \u2014 collaboration is a very different way of working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very large canvass and there are six of us working on it, so it\u2019s complex,\u201d he added. \u201cBut it\u2019ll be interesting from the viewer\u2019s point to see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The galleries are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit https:\/\/bigarts.org\/<\/a> or call 239-395-0900.<\/p>\n BIG ARTS is at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.<\/p>\n