Building on the momentum and goodwill from previous classes, Class XVIII spent a wonderful Cultural Arts Day on Nov 6, 2013. The morning was spent on the visual arts at the von Liebig Center with eight outstanding local artists who demonstrated their craft and provided insights into the creative process and the local visual arts scene. The artists included potters, batik artists, watercolor artists and photographers. Going from station to station, Class XVIII was also able to get a detailed, behind-the-scenes tour of the von Liebig.
The Class next drove to Artis-Naples and were treated to a wonderful lunch in the Board Room along with private discussions with Kathleen van Bergen and her senior management team about the current state and the vision of Artis-Naples.
After a tour of the Baker Art Museum, the Class enjoyed a panel discussion about the local theatre scene with the leaders of the Gulfshore Playhouse, TheatreZone, Naples Players and Bayshore CAPA. Following were talks and performances from Naples Ballet, Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra, Opera Naples, Classic Chamber Orchestra and the Naples Music Club. Highlights included the moving viola solo by a scholarship recipient of the Naples Music Club accompanied by Myra Williams (Class XIII), a dramatic operatic aria by Steffanie Pearce, and William Noll bringing down the house with Rhapsody in Blue.
John Lyngaas