NAPLES, Florida (October 26, 2021) – Harmon-Meek Gallery and the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (CMON) are teaming up to bring the works of neo-expressionist artist Hunt Slonem to the children and families of Southwest Florida from November 8, 2021, through the end of February 2022.
Hunt Slonem’s Zoo is a collection of colorful, animal-focused artwork. The display at CMON is provided by the Harmon-Meek Gallery, which has lent exhibitions to more than a dozen museums nation-wide and has represented Slonem since 1996.
“Slonem’s animal paintings delight and inspire viewers of all ages through his repetition of objects, his highly textured use of oil paints, and his use of bold colors,” said Harmon-Meek Gallery Director and Children’s Museum of Naples Board Member Kristine Meek. “Hunt Slonem draws on personal experiences and his lifelong love of animals to inspire his paintings.”
Hunt Slonem is one of the few artists to have his work displayed in solo exhibitions on every continent but Antarctica during his lifetime. This, however, is Slonem’s first solo exhibition in a children’s museum.
“Hunt Slonem’s Zoo at CMON provides a fantastic opportunity for caregivers to talk with their children about works of art,” said CMON’s CEO, Dena Rae Hancock. “Our educators encourage adults to ask their children which piece is their favorite and why, identify the animals in each painting, and spot similarities and differences between them.”
A proud supporter of the arts, the Children’s Museum of Naples holds one of the largest collections of artwork of any children’s museum in the country. All art displayed within the museum features either children or animals.
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About Harmon-Meek Gallery
This year is the 59th season for the Harmon-Meek Gallery in Naples, Florida. The gallery is the oldest gallery in Southwest Florida and has maintained a reputation for bringing to the community American masters of national and international acclaim. Directly representing major American artists or their estates, Harmon-Meek Gallery has provided Naples residents and visitors to Southwest Florida with works of art by major American artists since January 15, 1964. Before Naples had any art museum, Harmon-Meek Gallery provided tours to area school children and to adult education classes in Collier and Lee Counties. Since 1980, Harmon-Meek Gallery has lent over 300 museum exhibitions to over 80 museums in 27 states promoting Naples, Florida, to people across the country.
About Golisano Children’s Museum
The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples is a brain-building powerhouse and Southwest Florida’s first museum devoted for children and families to learn through play. With hands-on exhibit galleries, the accessible museum invites visitors of all ages to journey through the swamps of the Everglades, weave through a maze, climb a two-story banyan tree, or experiment with the water play station. Children can become a weather forecaster, a farmer, a chef, a fisherman, an artist, an architect or a veterinarian; explore the cold of an igloo, the whoosh of the wind, the sound of the sea, and the effects of gravity. Throughout the day special activities encourage our guests to get involved, try something new and be energized. CMON offers a variety of interactive exhibits providing kids with education, play, learning, science, technology, engineering, inventions, space exploration, art, math, storybooks, creation, building, sensory and child development.
Contact: Alexa Nargi
Marketing and Membership Manager
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples
239-260-1709 | anargi@cmon.org
