A life of adventure leads to The von Liebig Art Center

Joel Kessler Joel Kessler's life has been anything but ordinary. He's hobnobbed with celebrities, shook the hands of various presidents, and literally traveled the world. Today, as executive director of the Naples Art Association, he counts himself lucky and blessed for the adventures, the people and the lessons.

Granted, his path may have been altogether different had he followed the course his family planned for him, but working at his uncle's law firm held no appeal. What did appeal to him was Wall Street, so he changed his major to economics and became a stockbroker after graduation.

After a few years in the world of finance and investment, Mr. Kessler wanted out. Answering a blind ad, which ended up

being a sales position for the Wall Street

Journal, he admitted during the interview that he knew nothing about sales, but surprisingly that was of no concern to the paper. All that mattered was that Mr. Kessler knew Wall Street and, in turn, what won him over was talk of an expense account. "I couldn't believe that I got to take people out to dinner and to the theater and someone else paid for it. It sounded like fun," he laughs.

Little did he know that his acceptance of that job would lead to 30 years in the publishing industry, operating and even starting some of his own publications along the way, including GreensFever magazine and Intele-Card News.

But it was when he combined his love of fine art with his career that the world opened up to him. "I spent the better part of my life in Europe and Asia," he says, recounting his days as associate publisher and director of ArtNews magazine as well as his stint as executive director for International Fine Art Expositions.

His wife of 46 years was by his side every step of the way, picking up and moving whenever necessary. "We've moved 14 times in our life. It was seven moves ago that I said, 'That's it.'"

When he did finally tire of the endless traveling, he and his wife settled in Miami, where he opened the Joel Kessler Fine Art Gallery. But two years later he picked up again, this time to relocate to Houston and resume his publishing career.

In 2000, a position with Gulfshore Life was the excuse he needed to return to Florida, a place he and his wife knew they wanted to get back to. From there, he joined Naples Illustrated and then came the welcome lure of retirement.

However, spending his days on the golf course and enjoying leisurely lunches with his wife were short-lived when Fifth Third Bank convinced him to rejoin the working world as its vice president and retail relationship specialist. After more than a year teaching bank personnel sales techniques, Mr. Kessler retired once more — but again, it was not to be.

When the Naples Art Association parted company with its director, Mr. Kessler, who sat on the board, was tapped for the position.

"Everyone on the board kept telling me that I should have that job," he says. "I came home and talked about it with my wife and she too said, 'You should have that job.'"

In July 2008, Mr. Kessler accepted the position of executive director with an action plan in mind: put in place a marketing plan; bring in larger, more notable exhibitions; and make the community aware of The von Liebig Art Center, home of the Naples Art Association.

"We are headed in a much more progressive direction now," he says. "It's all just a matter of the quality of our staff and having a plan."

The key for Mr. Kessler is the ability to share his passion for art with adults and children alike. By spreading the word about the center, the adult and children's classes are nearing full capacity, and efforts to bring busloads of school children to the center have been successful.

"Art changes a child's perspective on a whole boatload of things," he says, pointing out that the recent Andy Warhol exhibit, for instance, was a great experience for youngsters. And, for those children who are unable to come to The von Liebig, he's making every effort to bring the world of art to them. In fact, he's already created a program, funded by grants, that sends teachers out to Immokalee.

When asked what's next for him, he admits he's unsure.

"I didn't know I'd be doing this," he says. "This may be the ultimate adventure, but who knows?"

He jokes about not being a really good retiree, so another stab at retirement probably isn't the answer. "I may just work until I'm not wanted anymore," he laughs.