¡Arte Viva! Festival in Naples begins yearlong celebration of Hispanic culture

¡Arte Viva!, a yearlong celebration of Hispanic art and culture that includes the opera, museums and live performances, kicks off in Naples Wednesday morning.

12 organizations will hold 50 events lasting long past Hispanic Heritage Month, going all the way until next June. 30% of the Collier County population is Hispanic, so organizers say festivals like this are an important part of uniting the community. The events will happen at places like the Naples Art Association, the Naples Botanical Garden and the Baker Museum.

WINK News spoke to John Melleky, Collier County’s arts and culture manager, who says there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

“As we were coming up for the name of this festival, it was a way to showcase art and life,” Melleky said. “Arte Viva is a word that really is kind of a conglomeration of two words: ‘arte,’ which is ‘art,’ and ‘viva,’ which means ‘life’ or ‘celebration.’ Even though it’s not a traditional word or traditionally grammatically correct, we thought it was important to really meld the two words together to create this logo and this festival.”

People will have a chance to watch performances, learn about Hispanic art and try a variety of foods.

“A lot of the arts and culture organizations got together and collaborated to really bring Hispanic culture to life,” Melleky said. “We know that 30% of the community here and Collier County are of Hispanic culture, so the organizations felt it was important to come together and really celebrate the culture.”

If you would like to participate in the coming festivities and check out a list of the events, visit the Paradise Coast website.