From Sarasota to Marco Island and Venice and Sanibel to Arcadia and LaBelle, Southwest Florida is home to more than a dozen art centers. Most host visual art exhibitions showcasing member, regional and nationally renowned artists that change every month. In October, there are 30 shows at these venues.
“Olive Branches Carried Us Home” [Art Center Sarasota]: In this solo show, Karina Yanes combines symbols of Palestinian endurance and identity with imagery drawn from her family’s stories of life in Palestine, reflecting on how cultural symbols and lived experiences intertwine to carry traditions and memories across generations. Their transformation into ceramic gives these narratives the power to endure. Karina is a Gainesville-based artist whose work is rooted in her upbringing as a Puerto Rican Palestinian Midwesterner. She received her MFA from the University of Florida, and her work has been shown in group exhibitions across the country. She recently had a solo exhibition at the Morean Center for Clay and has an upcoming solo exhibition at Greenwich House Pottery in 2027. She has been an artist-in-residence at ACRE, Craigardan, the Open Studio Residency at Haystack School of Craft, and the CIRCA Graduate Exchange. She was a 2024 recipient of the NCECA Graduate Fellowship and was selected for "Fresh Squeezed 8: Emerging Artists in Florida" at the Morean Arts Center. Opens Oct. 8. Runs through Nov. 14.
“St. Pete Ceramics” [Art Center Sarasota]: This exhibition brings together functional ceramic works by Beth Miranda, Ethan Fielder and members of St. Pete Ceramics, all created in the temporary studio that emerged from the aftermath of a devastating fire that destroyed their studio on January 28, 2026. Alongside the artwork, the exhibition shares the story of resilience, rebuilding, and the remarkable community that carried the studio forward. A portion of all artwork sales will directly support the ongoing effort to rebuild and permanently re-establish St. Pete Ceramics. Opens Oct. 8. Runs through Nov. 14.
“Joy in Motion” [Art Center Sarasota]: In this solo exhibition, Jorge Blanco showcases a collection of drawings, prints, and sculptures that celebrate playfulness and joy. Blanco is a Venezuelan American artist, internationally recognized for his public sculptures, graphic design, and illustrations. He studied industrial design at the Neumann Institute of Design in Caracas before continuing his artistic training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. His story is one of evolution, from a curious child inspired by abstract art to a celebrated artist whose colorful, uplifting sculptures dot public spaces. Blanco served as the creative director of the Children's Museum of Caracas, and he is widely recognized as the creator of the long-running comic strip El Náufrago (The Castaway). Since relocating to Sarasota in 1999, Blanco has completed numerous public art commissions throughout the United States, Venezuela, Japan, and Europe. His large-scale sculptures have been installed in civic spaces, parks, museums, educational institutions, and private collections, and his work has been exhibited extensively in galleries and museums internationally. Opens Oct. 8. Runs through Nov. 14.
“Strange Weather” [Art Center Sarasota]: This exhibition celebrates the surreal, inviting artists to explore worlds where reality bends, logic dissolves, and the unexpected becomes possible. Strange Weather serves as a metaphor for moments of transformation, uncertainty, and the uncanny rather than literal atmospheric conditions. Artists were encouraged to create work that embraces dreamlike imagery, psychological landscapes, improbable juxtapositions, and the strange beauty of the impossible. The juror for this group show was Danny Canton, who graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in cinematography and has been in the film industry for over 50 years with experience as a director, producer and most notably as a director of photography. He has worked on a variety of projects including feature films, television programs, behind-the-scenes and making-of studio films, industrial films, commercials, and documentaries. Canton continues to teach film for the Sarasota Film Society at Lakewood Ranch Cinemas and he is working on a number of projects including directing a documentary on local sculpture artist, Jorge Blanco. Opens Oct. 8. Runs through Nov. 14.
“I Am Humanity” [Pat Buster Gallery at Venice Art Center]: Features a solo exhibit by Kelly Jarr. Closes Oct. 8.
“Fall Members Show” [Venice Art Center]: Showcases work from local members alongside a special exhibit by the Venice Area Garden Club. Opens Oct. 16. Runs to Nov. 5.
“Bowe and Bruno” [Venice Art Center at Jacaranda Trace]: Bowe creates resin and wood artworks. Carol Anne Bruno is an author and an artist currently based in Venice. Originally from New Jersey, she received her BA in art from William Paterson University. Her work reflects over 30 years of study in spirituality and nature. She typically works with acrylic canvas, some found objects, and covers most pieces in resin. She enjoys bringing elements in the background to emerge toward the foreground in her abstract paintings. Currently on view.
“Norman Holloway” [Venice Art Center Inn at the Beach]: Exhibit includes watercolor paintings by Norman Holloway.
[DeSoto Arts Center]: No exhibitions reported to be opening this month.
“Are You Afraid of the Dark?” [Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda]: In the darkness, the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. Visit the main gallery at the VAC and discover how VAC artists have turned shadows into stories, mystery and wonder. Opens Oct. 7. Runs to Nov. 5.
“Student Show” Exhibit [Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda]: This exhibit celebrates the work of the Visual Art Center’s students. Opens Oct. 7. Runs to Nov. 5.
“Dark Art” [Grand Atrium, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center]: “Dark Art” celebrates work that explores the mysterious, macabre, surreal, gothic, eerie, and beautifully unconventional. But darkness is more than haunted imagery and creatures of the night. It is also deeply human. It is grief and resilience. Anxiety and healing. Fear and transformation. Isolation and hope. The dreams that keep us awake. The memories we cannot shake. The emotions we struggle to put into words. "Dark Art" invites artists to transform these experiences into powerful visual expressions. Whether revealing monsters from mythology, psychological landscapes, unsettling beauty, social commentary, or personal catharsis, you’ll find it in this exhibition. Closes Oct. 15.
“Cervine: Out of Darkness” [Capital Gallery, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center]: “Out of Darkness” is an ongoing series chronicling the artist Shannon Thomas’ journey towards healing and self-acceptance after surviving rape and sexual assault. In 2016, during the immediate aftermath of one such experience, the artist created her first depiction of the cervine women as a metaphor for the ways in which she felt she had been hunted, targeted, and subjected to violence. The depiction of the head of a deer on the body of a woman created a striking and haunting image that echoed the ways in which the artist felt she had been dehumanized and reduced to nothing more than her sex at the same time that it created an image that was ethereal, disturbing, and powerful. Over the past decade, the imagery of the cervine women has continued to evolve as the artist has navigated various stages of recovery and healing. This collection of work stands as a testament of hope as it captures the depths of darkness during a journey towards the reclamation of bodily autonomy. Each piece is created by beginning with an empty black surface, a symbol of the darkness of abuse, trauma, and the long road towards recovery. The paintings are created using a unique subtractive technique reminiscent of a classical underpainting. This is a statement both of how beauty can be carved from darkness and how the process of recovery is never truly finished. Likewise created using white on black, the drawings show how the artist found light in a dark situation. Each drawing is inspired by classical works from artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi that depict women who have been sexualized such as Salome and Susanna or who have come to be known for their powerful rage and acts of revenge such as Judith. By revisiting these historical pieces next to paintings depicting her own personal journey, the artist situates her own story (and that of many contemporary women) of survival after rape and sexual assault within a greater narrative of the feminine experience throughout a patriarchal history. Thomas received her BA in studio art and gender and women’s studies from Hollins University where she began painting subtractively as a comment on the ways in which both beauty and healing can emerge from darkness. As a survivor of rape and sexual assault, her work pulls heavily on her own experiences as she explores the ways in which art can serve as both an act of protest and an act of healing. Her work is held in private collections throughout the US, Canada, and the UK, and has been exhibited throughout the east coast.
“Passage: A Themed Members Show” [Main Gallery, Alliance for the Arts]: “Passage” brings together a diverse selection of original works by Alliance for the Arts member artists exploring transition, movement, transformation and the spaces between where we have been and where we are going. From shifting seasons and aging to physical journeys, symbolic crossings and personal transformation, artists interpret the theme through a wide range of perspectives and media. Representational paintings, imaginative works, sculpture, collage, mixed media and text-based pieces reveal “passage” as both a physical and deeply personal experience. Together, the works invite viewers to pause and reflect on the continual movement and transformation that shape our lives. On display through Oct. 31.
“Time No Time” by Dayhe Kim [Foulds Theatre Gallery at the Alliance for the Arts]: “Time No Time” is an immersive installation exploring time and memory as processes of becoming, dissolving and re-emerging. Drawing from photographs taken during Kim’s travels and ideas developed over the past six years across natural landscapes in the United States, the exhibition examines shifting perceptions of presence, memory and temporality in digital space. Kim uses video, photography, light, sound and reflective screens to create an environment where past, present and future converge. Subtle color shifts, horizon-like lines and changing light blur the boundaries between the physical and virtual, inviting viewers to experience time as something fluid, elusive and constantly unfolding. On display through Oct. 31.
“Selected Works by Marian Fuller” [Member Gallery at the Alliance for the Arts]: Marian Fuller transforms found and recycled materials into richly textured mixed-media works that reveal the beauty hidden within everyday life. Inspired by neighborhood walks, international travel, thrift stores and overlooked objects, Fuller encourages viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover unexpected meaning in ordinary things. Working with handmade paper, reclaimed materials, shredded credit cards and other found objects, Fuller embraces experimentation and sustainability. Each piece reveals its story through layers of texture, detail and unexpected materials, inviting visitors to look closely and discover the subtle surprises within. On display through Oct. 31.
“Emphasis: A Mural Project” [Alliance for the Arts 10-acre campus]: This round of the Alliance’s outdoor mural project features artworks by 13 artists from all over the country. Featured artists include: David Neeld, Lawrence Phillips, Bruce MacKenchie, Andrea Facusse, Denise Chasin, Gwendalin Aranya, Jenny Pearl, Julio Julio, Alisa Sozonyk, Peter Harrington, Carolyn Steele, Sandi Ludescher, and Nancy Cunningham. For more, visit “Alliance’s latest zig zag mural project places ‘Emphasis’ on 13 area artists.”
“New Perspectives II [Tribby Arts Center]: Shell Point is defined not only by the residents who call it home, but also by the dedicated employees whose talents and hard work shape the spirit of the community. This second staff exhibition at the Tribby Arts Center showcases the creativity of Shell Point employees. Displayed on the first-floor Shell Point Gallery, the exhibition features original works by full-time, part-time, and on-call team members. Runs to Oct. 16.
“Poster Power” [The Legacy and Overlook Galleries at Tribby Arts Center]: Since Tribby Arts Center opened in 2021, the galleries have presented more than 70 exhibitions, and each one was accompanied by a poster designed by the design team of the Shell Point marketing department. This exhibition presents nearly 60 of those posters, along with a few iconic objects from the exhibitions. This is a “can’t miss” exhibition for anyone interested in the power of graphic design. Runs to Oct. 16.
“The Witching Hour 5: Parallax” [Main Gallery, Cape Coral Art Center]: In this juried open call exhibition, “Parallax” invites viewers into a shifting landscape of visual illusion, where perception is fluid and reality feels uncertain. On display to Oct. 29.
“Artists Among Us” [Cape Coral Art Center Side Gallery]: An annual exhibition of artwork made by Art Center employees. On display to Oct. 29.
“Wish You Were Here” [Art League of Cape Coral}: The artworks in this exhibition feature places or events the exhibiting artists want to remember or share. The theme includes places they have traveled to, places close to home, and even home itself. Opens with reception on Oct. 8. Runs to Oct. 31.
“Studio 1: Featured Artists” [Studio 1 at Art League of Cape Coral]: This exhibition features art instructors Donna Cole and Jack Collins as well as Hui Conti on the east wall and Gayle S. McGrath on the west wall. Opens with reception on Oct. 8. Runs to Oct. 31.
“Currents” [Dunham Family Gallery at BIG ARTS]: Following the success of “BIRDS, No Words” in 2025, BIG ARTS once again invites visitors to experience art as it unfolds. "Currents" transforms the Dunham Family Gallery into a collaborative underwater mural created by six artists over the course of almost three months. Working together on a continuous 6-foot-tall by 125-foot-long expanse of paper throughout the gallery, Shah Hadjebi, Dahye Kim, Marti Koehler, Mariapia Malerba, Wilson McCray and Macy Noll each contribute their own perspective while building upon one another’s work, allowing the mural to gradually evolve into an immersive underwater environment. Throughout the process, BIG ARTS will share artist schedules and photos on our social media so visitors can plan to stop in while artists are working or follow the mural’s progress. For more, read/hear “Four artists will turn BIG ARTS’ Dunham Family Gallery into a giant mural over six-week span beginning in August.” Closing reception Oct. 30. Runs to Nov. 8.
“Color and Shapes” [West Gallery, BIG ARTS]: Each summer, BIG ARTS Outreach Program partners with The Heights Center to provide more than 120 students in grades K–8 with hands-on visual arts experiences that encourage creativity and self-expression. In 2026, students explored the work of Piet Mondrian, Henri Matisse, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, and Jean Arp, drawing inspiration from each artist’s distinctive style to create the collaborative mural. On display to Feb. 7, 2027. Artist reception Nov. 14.
“Architecture of Human Ties” [BIG ARTS Mezzanine Gallery]: Marie-Chloé Duval examines the underlying frameworks —both physical and invisible— that organize human interaction and perception. Grounded in close observation of contemporary society, the series positions painting as a space of inquiry, asking viewers to look beyond first impressions and consider the systems that quietly shape how we relate, move, and belong. Marie-Chloé Duval, a former criminologist, is a New York-based painter who maps the unseen architectures of human connection. In her work, movement, perception, and social structures collide within fragmented, evolving compositions. Opens Oct. 23. Artist reception Friday, Oct. 30. Runs to Jan. 17, 2027.
“Alchemy & Magic” [Main Gallery at Arts Bonita Visual Arts Center]: “Alchemy & Magic” is an immersive exhibition that draws on the rich visual language of ancient mysticism, celestial charts, and esoteric traditions. Featuring both two-dimensional and three-dimensional works, the show transforms paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces into portals where matter becomes metaphor and imagination becomes ritual. Inspired by symbols like the ouroboros, constellations, sacred geometry, and elemental diagrams, the artists explore themes of transformation, awakening, and cosmic connection. Metallic surfaces, shifting light, and layered textures echo the alchemical process—burning, dissolving, recombining, and refining. At its heart, “Alchemy & Magic” is a celebration of creative transmutation: the power of art to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, and the visible into something profound and unseen. Runs to Oct. 31.
“Seasons of Color” [Hinman Gallery-in-the-Round, Arts Bonita Center for Performing Arts]: “Seasons of Color” is a vibrant, immersive art exhibition celebrating the dynamic interplay of hues, textures, and forms inspired by the cyclical rhythms of nature’s seasons. This showcase invites artists to explore the essence of spring’s renewal, summer’s warmth, autumn’s transformation, and winter’s serenity through both 2D and 3D artworks. From bold paintings and intricate drawings to evocative sculptures and mixed-media installations, the exhibition embraces a spectrum of creative expressions that capture the emotional and visual energy of each season. Each artwork should reflect the unique spirit of a season—whether through the vivid greens of sprouting life, the fiery reds and golds of falling leaves, or the stark elegance of winter’s icy palette. "Seasons of Color" invites contemplation of time, change, and beauty, offering a multisensory experience that resonates with the ever-shifting cycles of the natural world. This exhibition welcomes diverse perspectives and innovative interpretations of the theme. Join us in celebrating the kaleidoscope of life through art. Runs to Oct. 29.
“Life Beneath the Ruins” [Marco Island Center for the Arts]: Featuring James Pryor, Judy Becker, Jean Camposano, Nancy Norman, Joel Shapses, and Dick James. Opened Oct. 5. Runs to Nov. 24.
Randy Keenan [The Petite Gallery at Marco Island Center for the Arts]. Opened Oct. 5. Runs to Oct. 27.
“Day of the Dead” [Grass Wall Installation at Marco Island Center for the Arts] Opens Oct. 12. Runs to Nov. 13.
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.
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture.
