BIG ARTS to host collaborative evolving art
Several artists are once again collaborating on an evolving piece at BIG ARTS on Sanibel.
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 “CURRENTS.” People can visit the exhibit throughout the process to witness their creative process and watch the artwork evolve.
Last year, four artists came together for the first-ever collaboration, “BIRDS!! No Words.”
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.
Instead, McCray decided to put up paper along the walls and invite interested artists to join.
“To keep the gallery alive during the summer,” he said. “It was an experiment.”
Last year’s piece evolved into a collaboration as the artists worked together on all parts of it.
“It was a really fun thing,” McCray said. “People would return over and over to see how we were doing.”
So, they decided to try it again this year.
“It’s as experimental as it was a year ago,” he said. “We’ll slowly develop it together.”
In addition to McCray, this year’s group will again include artists Shah Hadjebi, Marti Koehler and MariaPia Malerba. New to the collaboration for this year’s mural are Dahye Kim and Macy Noll.
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.
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.
Koehler is a Naples native. She creates work inspired by Southwest Florida’s coastal landscapes, memories, and the textures and rhythms of the natural world.
Malerba is an Italian-born multidisciplinary artist. Her work blends painting, textile design and immersive installation.
McCray reported that adding Kim and Noll fit right into what they are doing this year.
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.
“She is extraordinary,” he said.
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.
McCray noted that Noll applied for a BIG ARTS scholarship.
“When I saw her portfolio, I immediately thought of her for this project,” he said.
The overall commitment for “CURRENTS” will be undersea creatures and habitat imagery.
“It’s a dedication to nature,” McCray said, explaining that last year’s mural focused on various Sanibel bird populations and their habitats. “So it is a shift to a new arena of nature to immerse ourself in.”
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’s work.
“There’s lots and lots of images to work with — and the imagery flows all the way around,” he said. “We work on sections of it, and we switch off. Every one of us works on all parts of the mural.”
McCray added that they will stop at certain points to discuss the piece and what it needs.
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’s progress.
“It’s an interesting process from the day we begin tacking the paper on the walls,” he said. “It’s interesting to come in at any time, but there’ll be more and more imagery as time goes on.”
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.
The community is invited to stop in regularly over the next couple of months.
“I think it’s an extraordinary and kind of unique project,” McCray said. “All of the artists are excited about it, and it’s a different kind of process — collaboration is a very different way of working.”
“This is a very large canvass and there are six of us working on it, so it’s complex,” he added. “But it’ll be interesting from the viewer’s point to see how it goes.”
The galleries are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit https://bigarts.org/ or call 239-395-0900.
BIG ARTS is at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email