Bonnie Clearwater’s roots in South Florida run deep, but her love of visual art runs even deeper. “I was born into an art family and I’ve been making art since I was a child,” says the native New Yorker. “I’ve been working in the art field my entire life.”

After earning art history degrees from New York University and Columbia University, Clearwater embarked on a career path that would lead her to Miami at a time when the city’s burgeoning arts scene was in its infancy. Following a 16-year tenure at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, she turned her sights toward Fort Lauderdale, accepting the role of director and chief curator at the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale in 2013.