Events

Karla Pirona is a figurative oil painter whose work serves as a bridge between cultural inheritance and contemporary experience. She is the pioneer of Venezuelan Neorealism, a pictorial movement rooted in the psychological depth of mestizaje and the diasporic experience, which explores how identities are formed at the intersection of history, geography, and time. Karla's work has been shown internationally and is held in numerous public and private collections, continuing to document the evolution of place and identify through the lens of Narrative Realism. A local artist, Karla is a member of the American Artist Professional League, the National Oil & Acrylic Painters' Society, Bartow Art Guild, the Portrait Society of America, and the Polk County Arts & Cultural Alliance.

Born in a Hungarian farming community in 1925, Vilma Guttenberger was influenced by Durer, Rubens, Murillo, Rembrandt, and especially Vermeer. Her later years were spent in Winter Haven and Lakeland. Vilma's daughter Veronika graciously loaned the works for this exhibit

Works by 10 Central Florida artists blur the boundaries between sculpture, craft, and conceptual art, emphasizing slowness, tactility, and process in contrast to mass production and digital speed.  

Open Saturdays, 10-4. Public Artist Reception on June 8, 6pm. Artists will begin picking up their work on June 27 at 3pm

Featured artists are: Joy Calhoon, Dianna Davidson, Sheri Fox, Todd Fox, Candace Knapp, Patricia Knapp, Kimberly Miller, Marcia Morse Mullins, Kimberly Smith, and Carol Zeman. Exhibit curated by Marcia Morse Mullins

LINK TO ONLINE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE:  https://www.flipsnack.com/A6E8ECA8B7A/vessel-form-catalog_final/full-view.html

This much-anticipated annual exhibit presents recent works by Guild members. Open Saturdays from 10am to 4pm; exhibit closes on May 30 at noon. Awards reception and Meet the Artists May 11 from 6–8 pm.

Step into a playful underwater world where color, imagination, and gentle sea creatures meet. Cheryl's paintings celebrate ocean life through a whimsical lens - octopus, rays, jellyfish, and fish drift through vibrant waters, creating scenes meant to feel friendly, magical, and alive.

Darlene’s watercolor paintings preserve the spirit of Old Florida through landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, and rural life—ranches, roundups, reflections on water, and changing light. 

Exhibit open Saturdays, 10am to 4pm. Don't miss her reception on March 9!

Connie’s mixed media works fuse the warmth of wood with the spark of electricity through Lichtenberg burning, creating vivid, lightning-etched compositions inspired by emotion, travel, and nature. Exhibit open on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Opening reception and Meet the Artist February 9 from 6–8 pm.

Tony’s evocative photography captures the quiet tension between motion and stillness, where the seen dissolves into the felt. Through blurred light and softened edges, The In-Between invites viewers to linger, slow down, and rediscover presence. Exhibit open Jan 3-24 on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Opening reception and Meet the Artist January 12 from 6–8 pm.

Join a collection of talented artists that tend to see life in a most different, usually whimsical, way! Exhibiting Artists include Connie Combs, Peggy Gallaher, Terisa Glover, Rita McIntyre, and Ellen Simms.

The Best of Polk Exhibit is in its second year of showcasing the highest level of visual artistry in Polk County. The exhibit will be open to the public during regular library hours in the Pamplin Gallery on the 2nd floor of Bartow Public Library from Oct 16 through Nov 29. Library is closed on Sundays. This is a juried and judged show featuring a $2500 prize for Best in Show. In all, $5,000 in prizes will be awarded to Polk County artists. Awards will be announced at the event's Awards Reception on Oct 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Exhibit featuring the watercolor critters and portraits of Candi Cardenas

Stunning photography by Wm Bruce Nickens

Exhibition of artwork created through a collaborative effort. Each piece was started by a member and finished by a different member. The exhibit will include a photograph of what each piece looked like when it passed from one artist to the next.

This show consists of work done, mostly within the last year, with many paintings that have not been shown yet. The subject matter of the paintings range from portraits of friends and family to treasured objects. Half of the show are oil paintings, the other half of the show feature  gouache paintings on scrapbook paper.

Paper is ubiquitous yet rarely considered beyond its ability to hold pigments in a two-dimensional format. The fibers used to create it yield different types of paper that lend themselves well to varied forms of 3-dimensional art. This exhibition will explore the materiality of paper and its metamorphic qualities whether cast, cut, collage, folded, twisted, quilled, woven, stitched, or otherwise manipulated. 

This exhibition strives to demonstrate that the language of mathematics is not just functional; it’s profoundly beautiful. This exhibit will showcase how geometry, fractals, tiling, tessellations, and algorithms serve as tools to craft breathtaking patterns and shapes that inspire wonder.