The Key to Creativity

What is the key that unlocks your creativity?

For some it can be a walk among nature, a sunset, meeting a new person, a conversation at a cafe. Or it can come from emotions in the other side of the spectrum, losing somebody, a breakup or depression. 

Some artists wait for inspiration to visit, while others work until they hit the aha! moment.

Some go through delirious moments of creation, and then jump to moments that nothing seems to come to mind. 

Or what about the moments when you have come to a creative block? 

What have helped you to come out of it? 

For this year challenge the SBDAC wants to know what is the key to your creativity and share it to the world and help inspire more fellow humans in search for a better world. Selected art will be exhibited in the main gallery June 2nd-29th.

Best of show winner & SBDAC Staff Pick Announcement : June 2nd at 7:30 pm

People’s Choice Award Announcement: During Dueling Pianos on June 16th at 7:30pm

Ballots for voting for People’s Choice will be available during gallery hours until June 16th.

Vote for your favorite!

$1 for 2 Votes – $10 for 22

About the Judges:

Ava Roeder: Ava grew up on a farm in Upstate New York, but had the opportunity to spend time in the great museums in New York City. She received a B.S. in Art Education from The University of Bridgeport, Connecticut and an M.S. in Art Education at the State University of New York.  It was happenstance that brought her to Fort Myers in the mid seventies when she began teaching in the Lee County School system. The last 20 years of her 39 year teaching career was spent at Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts, where she was a founding faculty member and the Chair of the Visual Arts Department. She developed a rigorous curriculum and a set of activities, giving students an edge on the knowledge and skills of art making and art history. She was a Visual Arts National Board Recipient, chosen as Art Teacher of the Year by her peers, founding member and Chair and Vice-chair of Lee Art Education Association, and a member of Florida Art Education Association, founding member of Lee ACE (Arts for a Complete Education) Coalition, and served as an examiner in the International Baccalaureate Art and Design component. Ava is a founding member of the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee, board member of the Alliance for the Arts, volunteer for Art in Healthcare, and heads the Chalk Block event at ArtFest Fort Myers. Ava has exhibited at; The Alliance for the Arts, Cape Coral Arts League and other various venues. She has been a judge for the Bonita Springs National Art Festival, Bonita Springs Art Center, Pine Island Art Association, Cape Coral Art League, and the Art League of Fort Myers. In her free time, Ava enjoys her surroundings of plants, bugs and other critters that visit her at her home and studio.

Liz Bello: Matthews oversees the Office of Communications and Public Affairs in the City of Fort Myers, which includes the arts & culture division. Prior to joining the city, Liz was the VP of Development and Innovation at EMPG, a global development and assets firm, and previously led marketing for Samsung, Sony and Zebra Technologies. She was also the Public Information Officer for the City of Miami Beach. Liz is a passionate supporter of the arts, and is a trained dancer and artist herself, and driven by social equity issues and promoting the arts as a way to foster understanding among cultures. At age 26, she founded Florida Performer Magazine, the state’s first performing arts magazine, which was later acquired by a large media conglomerate. In a past life, she was a reporter in NYC. She has a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in Journalism and Communications Management, and an MBA from Louisiana State University. She is also pursuing a PhD in Public Affairs.

Nora Sharpe Beyrent: currently lives and works in Naples Florida. Since she was very young she gravitated towards the arts, studying dance, music, and the visual arts. In 2000, she graduated with a BA in Music with an emphasis on violin performance from Rollins College in Winter Park Florida. Shortly after, she became a Music Teacher and Art Club Director in Orlando Florida, where she taught Kindergarten through Fifth grade for four years before moving to New York City. In 2005 she began taking continuing ed classes at Parson’s The New School in Manhattan and later completed a Fine Arts Certificate. During her time at Parsons, she attended a three-week Plein Air Painting course with her mother. In 2011 Nora completed her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in Chelsea, Manhattan. After graduation, she continued to create works from her downtown Manhattan studios and became a member of TOAST (TriBeCa Open Artist Studio Tour). She exhibited through TOAST and soon was appointed a seat on the Board of Directors where she served for several years before moving back to Naples Florida in 2017. Her work has been exhibited throughout Lower Manhattan, her hometown of Naples, FL, and Osaka Japan.