Naples sculptor Joel Shapses featured in new book
Published on November 03, 2025
Naples sculptor Joel Shapses featured in new book about “Marco to Miami” art exhibition
Book highlights Florida’s diverse artistic voices from Marco Island to the heart of Miami
Naples, FL: (November 3, 2025) . . . Naples sculptor Joel Shapses is featured in Marco to Miami: Gulf Coast Creativity Meets Miami’s Cultural Pulse, a new book about the collaborative summer art exhibition presented by the Marco Island Center for the Arts (MICA) and the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCAA).
Marco to Miami unfolded in two parts: from May 5 to July 1, 2025 at MICA, featuring 15 Cuban, Latin American and Hispanic artists from MoCAA’s collection; and June 20 through July 20, 2025, at MoCAA, spotlighting 14 prominent Southwest Florida artists. The series emphasized dialogue between regional styles – such as Caribbean and Latin American influences – through shared materials and artistic inspirations, fostering cross-cultural understanding. This approach built on MICA’s involvement in Arte Viva!, a county-wide celebration of Hispanic heritage and artistic diversity in Collier County, which served as a foundation for the event’s themes.
Shapses contributed an abstract raspberry alabaster piece Etude, named after the musical term for a short expressive study. The sculpture evokes warmth and sensuality with its rich pink to reddish-purple hues. It explores movement in stone with soft curving forms suggesting shape by water or wind. Simple at first glance but layered with nuance upon closer reflection.
Curated by Lisett Llorens, Marco to Miami captured Florida’s Gulf Coast creative energy while connecting it to Miami’s dynamic cultural landscape. Participating Southwest Florida artists included Lisett Llorens, Garry S. Wheeler, Judith Carlin, Terry Carter, Gianpaolo Curreri, Nan LaRosa, Randy Keenan, Karen Swanker, Myriam Kriel, Nancy Norman, Ann Vreeland, Bea Stinson and Barbara Parisi. MoCAA artists included Ivonne Ferrer, Milena Martínez Pedrosa, Jorge Rodríguez Diez, Carlos Enrique Prado, Adriana Dorta, Carolina V. Garcia, Mai Yap, Bella Cardim, Leticia Sánchez Toledo, Jens G. Rosenkranzt , Luis Cruz Azaceta, Aldo Menéndez, Jorge Salas, Cundo Bermúdez and Ruben Torres Llorca.
The 64-page book, available on Amazon.com features striking photography, artist interviews and essays exploring the intersection of coastal artistry and urban innovation.
“Being part of this exhibition between Marco Island and Miami was both inspiring and energizing,” said Shapses. “It showed how different Florida’s artistic voices can be — and how exciting it is when they come together.”
For more information about Joel Shapses and his work, visit www.joelshapsesstudio.com.
About Joel Shapses Gallery
Joel Shapses is an award-winning sculptor renowned for his abstract and contemporary works in stone, glass and mixed media, with more than 85 awards to his name including the National Sculptors Guild’s Excellence in Sculpture. His eponymous gallery, located at 6240 Shirley Street, Suite 102 in Naples, houses over 100 original sculptures, paintings and ceramics. Serving as a prominent landmark in the Naples Art District, the gallery features works by architect/painter Richard Diedrich and painter/ceramicist Joan Eshkenazi, alongside Shapses’ monumental sculptures displayed in his working studio across the street. The gallery operates on an appointment-only basis. For more information, visit www.joelshapsesstudio.com or call (954) 830-3156.