Arts Blog

The days are ripe for a little jaunt to Cummings Nature Center (6472 Gulick Road, Naples), where you can take in the glory of nature's full blush in reality and on canvas. Through September 8, "Fantastic Fauna," featuring paintings by regional artists Mary Mullard and Anne Smoral, will be on display alongside specimens from the RMSC collections.

Maximize your visit by hiking the trails in the 900-acre preserve. CNC is open to the public Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Holiday hours on Saturday, July 4, are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Though the trails are open five days a week, the next naturalist-led nature hike is set to be held Saturday, June 27, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with a theme of "Family Fun: Secrets of Lilliput." This all-ages hike will have kids searching for pixie cups and tiny British soldiers in a miniature forest, and holding earthworms and bugs. Dress in play clothes!

Admission is $3 per person or $10 per family, and free to RMSC members. For more info, call 374-6160 or visit rmsc.org.

Beginning Saturday, June 20, The Schweinfurth Art Center (205 Genesee Street, Auburn) is offering a trio of summer exhibitions. The main gallery will feature "Industrial Nature: Works by Michelle Stitzlein," featuring found object art, which includes piano keys, broken china, rusty tin cans, electrical wire, bottle caps, and plastic bags.

The Schweinfurth will also feature "Material Remix," an exhibit of work by four artists who, like Stitzlein, specialize in utilizing found, recycled or repurposed materials. The group includes Ann Smith Larson of Portland, Oregon, who creates small moving robots resembling animals and birds and integrates broken electronics and machine parts; Jennifer Maestre, a Massachusetts-based artist, internationally known for her unique pencil sculptures; Jonpaul Smith, of Ohio, who creates tapestry-like assemblages with hundreds of interwoven strips of discarded consumer packaging and other collected paper; and Baltimore-based Susie Brandt, a textile artist who has taken what she calls "Aloha shirts" and turned them into "trees of life."

And "Functioning Systems" will feature artwork by Mary Giehl of Syracuse, whose work is inspired by microscopic images of bacteria, algae and other elements found in nature, Giehl's fiber work includes intricate crocheted and felted pieces.

All three shows will remain on view through Sunday, August 16. The exhibit reception will be held Saturday, June 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. On Sunday, June 21, the Schweinfurth will host a special Community Art Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Michelle Stitzlein will lead children and parents in the creation of a large butterfly mosaic with bottle caps for display at the Art Center. The event is free and open to the public

The Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and free to children under 12 and members. For more information, call 315-255-1553 or visit myartcenter.org.

For more events, visit our calendar.