Exhibitions
Arts Bonita proudly presents a wide range of art exhibitions that enlighten visitors throughout the year. Some shows feature member, faculty or local student artists—others are national or international traveling exhibitions.
Our seasonal schedule focuses on a particular theme, medium, or concept. Regional artists are featured in the summer, traveling exhibitions are on display in the summer and fall, and our Annual Members Exhibition is on view in the winter.
The Center's Galleries are free and open to the public. View exciting exhibitions year-round, and buy select artwork directly from the artists—a portion of the proceeds benefits the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs.

AMERICA’S EVERGLADES: Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher
October 2-December 29, 2023
Please Note: The Clyde Butcher book signing has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We apologize for any inconvenience. We hope to reschedule for a future date.
Exhibition on display in two locations:
Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Road
Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Road
Clyde Butcher has been called the next Ansel Adams by Popular Photography magazine, he is recognized as a humanitarian for acting for the betterment of his community and is a respected conservationist for using his art to bring issues to the forefront of public consciousness. In the tradition of the nineteenth-century Hudson River School painters, Butcher composes his photographs at pristine and untarnished locations across the United States. His photography transcends political boundaries, challenging us to work together to protect natural places across the globe. In 1998, Clyde Butcher was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.


CONNECTIONS
January 11 - February 5, 2024
Performing Arts Center, Gallery-in-the-Round
10150 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 12, 6-8pm at the Performing Arts Center
“A binding or joining together”
A connection is any kind of direct relation to a person, passion, event or even science!
Colors connect, lines connect and art in general is a strong connection. Dig deep and interpret what it is that you are linked to in some way. The possibilities are endless!
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, 5pm
Artist Drop off: Friday, January 5, 1-4pm
Artist Pick up: Friday, February 16, 9am-Noon

MEMBERS ONLY EXHIBITION
February 8 - March 7, 2024
Visual Arts Center, Main Gallery & Tranovich Gallery
26100 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs
Opening Reception & Campus Open House: Thursday, February 8, 6-8pm at the Visual Arts Center
Arts Bonita turns its exhibition spotlight on our incredibly talented members with an annual member-only juried exhibition. We are honored to present our annual Member-Only Juried Exhibition, a highly-anticipated event encapsulating our members' artistic excellence. Our Member-Only Exhibition showcases artwork created by our vibrant creative community of visual arts highlighting our members' artistic skill and vision region wide. We invite you to be a part of our annual visual journey as we curate this beautiful exhibition.
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 5pm
Artist Drop off: Mon/Tues, January 29 & 30, 10am-3pm
Artist Pick up: Friday, March 8, 9am-Noon

ROMANCING THE STONE 2024
March 14 - April 11, 2024
Visual Arts Center, Main Gallery
26100 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs
Opening Reception & Campus Open House: Thursday, March 14, 6-8pm at the Visual Arts Center
Since ancient times, stone carvers have sought to set free the forms they see trapped within a stone. It is a careful and unyielding process. The relationship between the sculptor and the stone is not unlike a true romance. There are some give and takes as well as a lot of heart. When carefully and skillfully romanced, stones become extraordinary works of art. Arts Bonita is home to an exceptional stone sculpture program. This exhibition reflects the program’s level of excellence by showing the achievements of students and their instructors.

SHARING CREATIVITY: JOYCE WADDELL BAILEY AND LAURA NISITA
March 14 - April 11, 2024
Visual Arts Center, Tranovich Gallery
26100 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs
Opening Reception & Campus Open House: Thursday, March 14, 6-8pm at the Visual Arts Center
After a lifetime of studying and practicing art, two artists came together to share the same creative path. Laura Nisita and Joyce Bailey met as neighbors while living in Estero. A friendship budded at social gatherings and dinners and then formed around their mutual love of art. Both women share a lifetime of experience as practicing artists. Living only one block apart, the two were often found together visiting in their top-floor studios. Like artists in a Greenwich Village garret or Paris atelier, their conversations centered around all aspects of making art as well as art history and the work of the great artists. Although they have each moved away from their old neighborhood, they continue to share a path to creativity.
This joint exhibit shows two different approaches to rendering reality in a work of art. Nisita usually paints from a life form. She uses her extraordinary skill to render the effects of light, color, shadow, surface and reflection in her paintings. She has been referred to as a “Super-Realist” by art critics. Bailey presents a reality that usually goes unseen. She invites the viewer to see the subject through a change in scale and color palette. Tiny tillandsias (a genus of plants) are enlarged on a grid scale to 120 times their actual size. In Bailey’s paintings unremarkable forms are made significant through changes in scale and color palette.
Joyce Waddell Bailey wishes to thank the Marcus Jansen Foundation Fund/Collaboratory Fort Myers for grant support.