Thursday, January 22, 2026
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS Have you ever imagined creating art inside a real hospital room? This May 2026, an abandoned hospital in Los Angeles will be transformed into a large-scale immersive art exhibition. HOSPITAL OF EMOTIONS Heal your heART
Renowned Autistic Artist Vito Bonanno's Artwork in the Corporate Collections of AMAZON and Google
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| Mixed Media Artist Vito Bonanno |
Vito Bonanno is an internationally collected artist who lives and works on the Connecticut shoreline. He has exhibited in solo exhibitions during Art Basel Miami Beach Week, FL, Umbrella Arts Gallery, NYC & Akus Gallery, Willimantic, CT.
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| 'Brooklyn Cat' |
Bonanno taps into the daily emotional and social challenges of living with autism, placing his innermost feelings onto canvas. He is an award-winning, world-famous artist with a career spanning back to his childhood. The artist has participated in numerous art fairs, as well as national and international exhibitions, in addition to many art shows and high profile events during Art Basel Miami Beach - such as a past NIKE pop-up in Wynwood during Miami Art Week, as well as traveling in an art van Truck'N With Vito! at Umbrella Arts Gallery in NYC's lower east side, selling his art and spreading awareness about being an artist with autism.
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| 'Vito's Mind' |
He unveiled his first Solo Exhibition, 'Unfiltered V: Vito Bonanno Riding with the Train Girls', in January 2012 at Akus Gallery at Eastern CT State University which included works on paper, canvas, video pieces, a student-artist interactive mural project, and installations. Akus Gallery Director, Elizabeth Peterson stated, "The characters, objects, and ideas that inhabit Vito Bonanno's work act and interact in striking ways. Caught within the grids and map-like structures he imagines, they are often in a struggle between multiple worlds. He has found a way to tap in the intensity of focus and insight afforded him through autism to unleash a formidable creative power and vision." His winning pieces, ‘Ghost Town on Davenport Avenue’ was exhibited at the S. Dillon Ripley Center of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and then was part of a traveling exhibition that went on a two year nationwide tour of university and independent galleries. Additionally, a second winning piece titled ‘Southhaven People’, was on exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. before also partaking in the nationwide traveling exhibition that ran through September 2011.
He is one of only 16 artists in the United States selected for a prestigious exhibition of previous awardees from the VSA Emerging Artists Program in the Kennedy Center Hall of Nations with sponsorship from the Volkswagen Group of America. As part of the celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the ADA and 40th Anniversary of VSA in 2015, the exhibition included the work of select artists who represented the past 13 years of the VSA Emerging Young Artist Program; Curated by Stephanie Moore, she chose Bonanno's 'Daffy Goes to Waterbury with a Ninja Turtle' and 'SECR Toilet' to be part of the exhibition.
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| 'Daffy Goes to Waterbury with a Ninja Turtle' |
Vito is aligned with ArtLifting, which is a non-for-profit art organization that empowers artists living with disabilities through the celebration and sale of their artwork. ArtLifting is about creating opportunity, empowerment, and validation. This collaboration opened many new and exciting opportunities for the artist, which includes his work in Google's corporate collection, with art hanging in their Leesburg, VA offices, as well as Amazon, for one of their corporate buildings in Seattle, Washington.
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| 'Channels 1' |
Bonanno was diagnosed with PDD/Autism just before his 4th birthday. Because he was language delayed, his parents and teachers developed strategies that tapped into his high visual acuity, utilizing storyboard styles to relay academic and social information. He was also encouraged to draw in storyboard format to express his feelings. The storyboard grid remains prominent in his work and studio preparation today and is a poignant reminder of a boy who was trapped in his own mind.
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| One of the many art installations for 'Unfiltered V: Vito Bonanno Riding with the Train Girls', in January 2012 at Akus Gallery at Eastern CT State University |
The New England-based artist's work is image and concept-driven and embedded in his personal philosophy. His art contains the essence of his life, feelings, thoughts, and dreams, coupled with objects or topics that "get stuck in his head", including traffic lights, grids, ceiling fans, graffiti, and pop culture. For more information about this artist, for inquiries, or to commission work contact vito@vitobonanno.com / visit www.vitobonanno.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Arts, Culture, & Nature: How To Be A Tourist In The Betsy Hotel’s Backyard
With nine art galleries, live jazz every night, a packed schedule of arts and culture programming, and an in-house specialty coffee shop, The Betsy is like a city within a city. But step out their front door, and Miami Beach beckons.
One of the world’s most iconic destinations, Miami Beach has a dynamic artistic energy to match its vibrant nightlife and trademark beach scene. Live music, modern art, rich history, and spectacular architecture.
The Art Deco Historic District
Miami Beach’s glamorously retro Art Deco Historic District is made for wandering, awash in color and brimming with architectural landmarks. The area is a street photographer’s dream — with pastel backdrops and plenty of unusual shapes and styles. For the history buff, book a walking tour and get the stories behind the district’s distinctive architecture. True art deco enthusiasts should stop by the Art Deco Museum and the Art Deco Welcome Center for an even deeper dive into Miami Beach’s fascinating architectural heritage.
Ocean Drive
The quintessential Miami Beach street, Ocean Drive is the Art Deco capital of the world, spanning 1st to 15th Streets and buzzing with restaurants, shops, and a world-famous row of hotels. Cruise down the newly car-free Ocean Drive, on foot or by bike (available for rent right in front of The Betsy), and refuel with a sunset cocktail on The Betsy’s porch, with a front row seat to the magic of Miami’s most iconic avenue.
Monday, January 19, 2026
❄️ WINTER * $1,800.00 Innovate Grants for Art + Photo
WINTER * $1,800.00 Innovate Grants for Art + PhotoInnovate Grant awards (2) $1,800.00 grants each quarter, to one Visual Artist and one Photographer. In addition, (12) honorable mentions (6 in art and 6 in photo), will be featured on our website and join a growing community of vibrant and talented artists. Innovate Grant's commitment extends beyond the grant cycle by promoting the work of selected winners and honorable mentions into the future. For more information and to apply visit https://innovateartistgrants.
Innovate Grant supports artists and photographers through quarterly grants. We've simplified the grant process, so that artists and photographers can focus on making their innovative work. The work should speak for itself and our application reflects that.
Deadline: Thursday, March 19, 2026 – Submit by 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time
Region: US & International
Awards: 2 x $1,800.00 USD Grants // 12 x Honorable Mentions
Apply Online Today
https://innovateartistgrants.
Thursday, January 15, 2026
KX2 Studio Video + Recent Installations + Upcoming Events and Shows
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Thursday, January 8, 2026
NSU Art Museum presents Teen Exhibition: CALL FOR TEEN ARTISTS!
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Sunday, January 4, 2026
Enjoy the Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series at Lummus Park on Miami Beach Sunday, January 4th at 5pm.
The Betsy Hotel is proud, as a member of the Ocean Drive Association, to actively partner in presenting a concert on the Ocean Drive Promenade every Sunday evening. Enjoy an oceanside concert with Ocean Drive Association’s free weekly music series. Pack a picnic blanket or lawn chair to stake out your seat on the lawn. Showtime is at 5:00 PM.
The Ocean Drive Association presents a resident-centric and family-friendly concert series, bringing music outside of the concert hall and into the community.
These events are free and open to the public-- and will take place in Lummus Park between 14th Street and 14th Place. Bring your chair, blanket, and picnic - ENJOY! Rainy-day location is inside The Betsy Hotel lobby!
This program is part of the weekly Promenade Sunday Concert Series generously underwritten by The City of Miami Beach, The GMCVB and The Ocean Drive Association.
The Bass presents Third Thursdays: Miami Beach A Million Years Ago
Thursday, January 15th from 6–9pm enjoy 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀: 𝗠𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗼 at The Bass featuring Talk & Tour with Historian Malcolm Lauredo. Experience an immersive outdoor walking lecture that blends storytelling, mobile projections and archival discovery. Led by local historian Malcolm Lauredo, reimagine Miami and its beaches long before its iconic skyline and shores.
Take a deep dive into its geological and cultural past with a tour route around the museum block featuring wall projections that promise to bring historical findings to life. Concluding back inside the museum, guests are invited to explore the pop-up research tent of treasured articles, photographs, artifacts and more.
Limited seated based on first-come, first-served. Complimentary admission, RSVP HERE.














