Title: Artist, Educator and Author
Company: Academy of Botanical Art
Location: Sarasota, Florida, United States
Olivia Marie Braida-Chiusano, artist, educator, and author at the Academy of Botanical Art, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in education and the arts.
Ms. Braida-Chiusano, an esteemed artist, educator and author, founded the Academy of Botanical Art in Sarasota, Florida, over 25 years ago. Lauded for her contributions, her school offers botanical and nature art education to assist those interested in classical art and the sciences of botany, entomology and ornithology. During her tenure, she was sought-after by the Ringling College of Art and Design to design and teach a college-level certificate program alongside the accompanying books she wrote, which have since become the basis of her teaching programs on botanical and nature art. Apart from her work at her academy, Ms. Braida-Chiusano garnered success as an educator for the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens from 2004 to 2024.
Pivoting to the arts after successfully managing a transportation company for over a decade, Ms. Braida-Chiusano served as the president of Master Messenger – Same Day Transportation Company, where she was instrumental in providing nationwide delivery services every day of the year. Since that transition, she has become recognized as an award-winning artist and well-written writer. Her portfolio of artwork includes over 100 watercolor paintings and over 100 drawings in graphite. Moreover, she has contributed dozens of textbooks.
A State University of New York graduate, Ms. Braida-Chiusano received a Bachelor of Science in business, art and writing in 1993. She also became a certified botanical artist, making her highly qualified in her industry. She is active in her professional community as a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the Florida Watercolor Society and is the founder and president emeritus of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists. Civically, Ms. Braida-Chiusano spent many years serving on boards for community and nonprofit organizations, remaining active on the board of Ruhani Satsang USA and as a fundraiser through the International Order of Blue Knights. In light of her artistic talent, her works have been commissioned numerous times, have been featured in a multitude of exhibits in museums, gardens, galleries, universities, and with horticultural societies, and have been held in private collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
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