2026 Emerging Artist
The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, in partnership with Artel Gallery, offers a grant opportunity for emerging artists. The purpose is to provide support and exposure for one new artist each year.
Arcoiris Cuetara-Higa has been selected as the 2026 Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival Emerging Artist.
Visit the Emerging Artist booth on O'Keefe Alley near the Gazebo.
Are you an emerging artist? Or know of one?
The GGAF Emerging Artist Program is a mentoring program designed to help create the opportunities for up and coming Artists. Our goal is to give this next generation of Artists the foundation they need to begin their art show careers.
Arcoiris Cuetara-Higa
Arcoiris Cuetara-Higa, known professionally as Arco, is a self-taught artist originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, now based in the Pensacola area. He is the founder of Arco’s Art Studio, where he creates wildlife-focused artwork inspired by a lifelong passion for animals, nature, and visual storytelling.
Working primarily in acrylic on wood panel, Arco blends realistic animal portraiture with surreal symbolism and environmental themes. His signature series, Reflections of the Wild, features animals wearing reflective sunglasses that reveal contrasting views of the natural world thriving habitats, damaged landscapes, and the fragile balance between beauty and loss. Alongside this series, Arco is also developing additional collections such as Poise in White, which focuses on elegant wildlife portraiture, refined white space, and the quiet strength of each subject.
Selected as a 2026 Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival Emerging Artist, Arco continues to build a body of work that combines technical realism, playful visual storytelling, and conservation-minded themes. His artwork can be viewed at arcosartstudio.com
Bear Essentials
Florida Panther