The Americas Through Your Eyes
Think of a place you can still picture with your eyes closed. Maybe it’s the street where you grew up, a family kitchen you can almost hear, or a stretch of mangroves you return to whenever you need to clear your head. A place like that can be the beginning of a piece of art. It can also be your way into The Americas.
This January, COCO Art Gallery Naples and the Art Council of Southwest Florida invite artists across Southwest Florida to take part in The Americas, a juried exhibition presented as part of ¡ARTE VIVA! The initiative celebrates Hispanic arts and culture on Florida’s Paradise Coast. This exhibition takes that celebration as a starting point for an artistic journey across the hemisphere, from the Arctic to the Caribbean and through North, Central, and South America.
What feels like home can mean something different from one generation to the next, even within the same family. A photographer might explore how migration has shaped a neighborhood. A fiber artist might work with a technique learned from a relative and make it their own. A sculptor might draw on the wildlife of the Everglades. The exhibition makes room for work that honors Hispanic heritage, explores contemporary Indigenous or Caribbean life, or looks closely at a landscape and what’s changing there.
Your work can be abstract, too. Think about what color, texture, or the materials you work with can convey about a place, a memory, or the feeling of belonging to more than one place. You may already have a piece in your studio that comes to mind. If it speaks to your connection with the Americas, we’d love to see it.
How to Enter
The call is open to Southwest Florida artists age 18 and older. Art Council affiliation is optional. Original 2D and 3D artwork that reflects the theme is welcome, and all work must be for sale. You may submit up to four pieces. The nonrefundable fee is $50 for the first entry and $30 for each additional entry.
Complete your online entry and payment by December 14, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Jury decisions will be sent December 21. The exhibition runs January 5–31, 2027, at COCO Art Gallery Naples in Coastland Center.
Author: JoAnne Crowson
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