Month: April 2013

The Alliance for the Arts concludes its series of Outdoor Family Movie Nights on Friday, April 19 with The Muppets, starring Jason Segel and Chris Cooper.  Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets and enjoy the film with your family and friends under the stars!

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary and Mary from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.

The movie begins just after sunset at 8:00PM.  A suggested $5 donation helps continue free family programming remains at the Alliance.  Support for Family Movie Night generously provided by Briers CPA, DinoLingo.com, Riverside Realty, Staging Matters and Winged Foot Title.

The 2013 Bruce T. Gora Sunset Concert Series wraps up on Sunday, April 21 when The David Mayfield Parade takes to the Margaret Morrow Frizzell Amphitheater stage at the Alliance for the Arts.  The indie folk rock act is well-known on the jam band circuit and has often played with The Avett Brothers.  The concert begins at 5PM.  Lawn chairs and coolers are welcome and encouraged.  Alliance member pre-sale tickets are $15.  Tickets at the gate, which opens at 4PM, are $20.

Growing up in Kent, Ohio, David Mayfield was surrounded by Bluegrass music. At the age of twelve he was playing bass for the family band, traveling from festival to festival, along with his younger sister, noted songstress, Jessica Lea Mayfield, singing and absorbing the stories and lessons taught by road hard veterans, all the while picking up tips on how to play a lick on guitar or mandolin. By the time he was a teenager, Mayfield had won several national awards for his guitar and mandolin playing and his reputation was being forged in the world of Bluegrass as a player to watch out for.

But over the years he’s forged an indie folk rock style that caught the attention of Scott & Seth Avett.  The three quickly developed a friendship, leading them to invite David to sit in with them dozens of times including their 2010 Bonnaroo & Merlefest sets.  After urging him more and more to make a record of his own, when he took to the studio the Avett’s were quick to lend their voices.  The David Mayfield Parade is the culmination of that encouragement. The music and showmanship reflects the numerous influences that come from a lifetime of being immersed in American music and channeling its unique forms with sincerity and celebration from the howl of early rock-n-roll, to the low lonesome twang of folk and country with a voice that is all at once heartbreaking and inherently hopeful.

Gates open at 4PM & concerts begin at 5PM.  The Nosh Truck will be selling food, but guests are encouraged to bring their own coolers, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy a picnic on the amphitheater lawn.  General admission tickets are $20.  Pre-sale tickets are $15 for Alliance Members, and are available at the Alliance for the Arts, located on the corner of Colonial and McGregor in Fort Myers.  Proceeds from the concert series will benefit Alliance Education and Outreach Programming.  The 2013 Bruce T. Gora Sunset Concert Series is sponsored in part by LCEC & The News Press Media Group.

 The Alliance for the Arts is now calling for entries for its 27th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibition, to be displayed May 31 through August 2.  This year’s juror is Frank Verpoorten, Director & Chief Curator at the Patty & Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art.  Mr. Verpoorten has more than 15 years of experience at cultural institutions and museums in Brussels, Belgium and New York City.  Originally from Brussels, he moved to New York City in 2002, where he served in curatorial roles at the Museum of Modern Art, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Dahesh Museum of Art and, most recently, as Cultural Attaché for the Representation of the Government of Flanders (Belgium) to the U.S.  He’ll host a Gallery Walk and Talk on Saturday, June 1 from 10-11AM.  It’s free, and open to the public.

Deadline for submissions is April 20.  Artists must reside in Florida to be eligible.  Only original artwork will be accepted.  Categories include sculpture, painting (including oil, acrylic, collage, watercolor & mixed media), photography, prints and drawings.  Prizes will be awarded, including $750 for Best in Show.  Winners will be announced during the opening reception on May 31.  Entries must be submitted digitally to [email protected] or delivered to the Alliance on CD by 5PM on Friday, April 20.  The 2013 Prospectus is available at the Alliance or online here. The 27^th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibition is proudly sponsored by Finemark National Bank & Trust.

The Alliance galleries and gift shop are a great place to find unique and innovative work from artists from around Florida and beyond.  The Alliance for the Arts proudly supports artists and arts organizations in our area as the state designated Local Arts Agency for Lee County. The Alliance campus and galleries are open to the public from 9AM to 5PM Monday through Friday and from 9AM to 1PM on Saturdays, located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard just south of Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

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Images attached:

1. Alliance Logo
2. Frank Verpoorten

Annually, the City of Fort Myers supports arts and cultural programming through a competitive grant process.  Grants are awarded to artists who commit to make a cultural contribution to the cityscape and to enhance access by City residents and visitors to a spectrum of arts & cultural experiences.

The Alliance for the Arts’ May exhibit will feature a variety of artwork created by recent grant recipients.  The opening reception is Friday, May 3 from 5-7:30PM.  The exhibit will run through May 25.  The public is welcome to come and view the work, meet the artists and enjoy the opening celebration.  Public Art Committee member Ava Roeder will lead a Gallery Walk & Talk on Saturday, May 4 from 10-11AM.  Artwork by members of the Pan American Art League will be on display in the Member Gallery throughout the exhibit.