October is National Arts & Culture Month. This year’s theme is “Stories Unite Us.” Every artwork in this year’s Naples Invitational tells a story.
Post-Pop Painter Richard Kirk focuses exclusively on subjects that include the word “pop” in their names, like in his painting “Two Pop-Shpop.” He favors subjects such as Tootsie Roll Pops, lollipops and Pop Tarts.
Carmelo Blandino’s four-panel painting, “We are Ethereal,” was originally created as a public art mural for Naples Bayshore District, but when red tape thwarted the project, he put the panels to another use.
Brett Harvey’s gypsum and steel study, “Opulent,” is based on his observations about the trajectory of our species.
These and works by 30 other artists are on view at the Naples Art Institute through Nov. 30.
MORE INFORMATION:
Naples Invitational Biennial Exhibition highlights artistic excellence, cultural relevance, and imaginative vision. Bringing together approximately 30 artists across generations and disciplines, it offers a compelling look at the American experience through a distinctly local perspective.
Richard Kirk’s “Two Pop-Shpop” celebrates both humor and nostalgia, while reflecting on consumer culture through a contemporary lens.
Kirk has a background in freelance illustration. After transitioning away from that discipline, Kirk initially explored a wide range of styles and subjects. A recent breakthrough came with the development of a unique painting process: Each composition is built methodically from top to bottom, one square at a time. By completing each segment before moving on, the artist maintains momentum and focus – even when balancing a demanding teaching schedule. This structured yet playful approach underscores the artist’s ongoing exploration of image-making in the post-Pop era.
After his mural project was sidelined by bureaucratic red tape, Carmelo Blandino brought his panels back to the studio, “where they remained, patiently awaiting the opportunity to be showcased in a setting worthy of their vision,” states the artist in the plaque adjoining “We are Ethereal.” “They were created for you, the people of Naples, to enjoy and to inspire, and I hope they are fulfilling the purpose I intended for them. I’m delighted that they have now found such a beautiful environment, reflecting the spirit and intention with which they were made.”
Blandino has earned critical attention for creating radiantly conceived, passionately resolved canvases and drawings. “Forging evanescent beauty from inchoate chaos, the artist moves beyond the disquieting malaise of today’s art world with emotional fearlessness, choosing instead to walk an illuminated path,” adds the plaque adjoining Blandino’s oil on canvas.
In “Opulent,” Brett Harvey explores his own emotional experiences while concurrently making observations about our species. In this artist proof, the figure represents society, sitting on top of a powerful base of knowledge, yet neutered by instinctual use of antiquated thought patterns. “These ancient modes of thinking that served us well through evolutionary time and into the early days of humanity can be counterproductive in modernity,” states the plaque accompanying the work, “while objective ways of thinking like reason are what allow us to come together and make the world a better place for all.”
Born in Boston, Harvey graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the New Hampshire Institute of Art and a master of fine arts degree from the New York Academy of Art.
For more, hear/read:
- “Lynda Fay Braun brings spiritual order to chaos in Naples Invitational exhibition;”
- “With ‘Picasso’s Mirror,’ Naples Invitational artist Mary LeGarde captures Picasso’s gentle side;”
- “Naples Invitational artists Tammra Sigler and Carolyn Reed tethered by loss;” and
- “Naples artists comes full circle at this year’s Naples Invitational.”
October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). It is the nation’s largest annual celebration of arts and culture. It’s a moment to honor the artists, educators, veterans, arts administrators, and community leaders whose creativity strengthens democracy, fuels our economy, and tells America’s story.
This year’s theme, "Stories Unite Us," reminds us that creativity defines who we are as a nation and who we aspire to be. Yet at a time when federal arts and humanities funding faces real threats, protecting the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is more urgent than ever. These investments aren’t line items—they are lifelines that sustain local economies, safeguard heritage, and provide healing and education in every community.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
