About Us

Arts Bonita at a Glance

Operates two campuses: the Visual Arts Campus and the Performing Arts Campus.
Serves as one of Southwest Florida’s leading cultural organizations, combining education, performance, and community engagement at scale.
Present three Award Winning National Art Festivals downtown Bonita Springs at Riverside Park, which raises funds for educational programs.

Arts Bonita began in 1960 with just 15 members, one teacher, and small art classes at the Community Center on Old 41 Road.
Incorporated in 1991, the organization continued to grow and eventually secured land for a permanent home.
The first phase of the Visual Arts Campus opened in 2000, followed by the second phase in 2002.
Also in 2000, Arts Bonita launched the Bonita Springs National Art Festival—now an award-winning, nationally recognized fine art festival.
Acquired two buildings in 2014 and transformed into a multidisciplinary performing arts center.

Over 30 years of awarding High School & College Scholarships, providing direct tuition support to emerging artists pursuing continued training and higher education in the arts. May 21 Award Reception
Expanding outreach partnerships include:
- Bonita Springs Elementary
- Café of Life
- Gargiulo Education Center
- New Horizons
- Oak Creek Charter Academy
- Spring Creek Elementary
- Young Life Capernaum
Provides in-school, after-school, and summer arts education programs.
Focused on access for underserved youth and special needs populations, integrating curriculum-based arts education to enhance academic outcomes.

Offers more than 750 classes, workshops, master classes, and one-night events annually.
Disciplines include:
- 3D: glass, ceramics, sculpture, metalwork
- 2D: painting, drawing, printmaking, jewelry, mixed media
Led by an exceptional faculty of professional working artists, widely regarded as one of the strongest instructional teams in the region.
The sculpture program is one of the most distinctive offerings in Southwest Florida. Few programs provide year-round, hands-on training in stone carving, metalwork, and clay within one integrated studio environment.
One of the few organizations in Florida offering a structured classical drawing atelier program, rooted in the European tradition and focused on rigorous observational training, figure work, and technical mastery.

Arts Bonita’s Master Workshops bring nationally and internationally recognized artists to the Visual Arts Campus for immersive, multi-day intensives.
These workshops provide rare access to high-level, specialized instruction not typically available in the region, attracting both dedicated students and visiting artists.

Acquired in 2014 and transformed into a multidisciplinary performing arts center.
Includes the 400+ seat Hinman Auditorium and the 200+ seat Moe Auditorium (black box theater).
Rapid programming growth:
- FY24: fewer than 50 performances
- FY25: over 100 performances
- FY26 (projected): over 200 performances
Presents a wide range of programming, including leading artists in blues, rock, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, tribute, theater, comedy, and more.

A distinctive model combining exceptionally talented high school and college performers with professional actors.
Produces large-scale, technically demanding musicals at a level that rivals leading regional theaters.
Recent productions include Titanic the Musical, Carrie, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Hadestown.
Provides a professional-caliber training environment where students are fully integrated into high-level productions.

Increased from a $2.5 million organization to a projected $4.5 million organization in under three years.
Expanded programming, education, scholarships, and community impact across both campuses.