Year: 2015

The Alliance for the Arts is pleased to announce its newest staff member, Director of Membership & Development Jodi Cohen. Ms. Cohen was previously with The Philadelphia Orchestra as Project Manager in Global Initiatives and Government Relations, where she co-founded the China Residency and Tour Project. As a lifelong advocate of the arts, Cohen has worked in development and as a grant writer for various arts organizations. She will be responsible for the coordination and management of Alliance membership services and development programs.

Our 29th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibit opens Friday, June 5 with a public reception from 5-7:00PM. The exhibition features 57 pieces by 43 artists residing in Florida. This year’s juror, Fran Gardner, is Professor of Art & Art History at the University of South Carolina Lancaster. She will be on hand during the opening reception to present awards, including $750 cash for Best in Show and a $250 Golden Artist Colors gift certificate for 2^nd place. The exhibit runs through June 27.

Featured artists: Melissa Barry, Katherine Boren, Paulette Boudreau, Lee Brotherton, Andy Browne, Donna Chase, Steve Conley, Deborah LaFogg Docherty, Karen Dobies, Toni Ferrell, Samuel Frazer, Lia Galletti, Muffy Clark Gill, Francesco Gillia, Whitney Hackett, Geoffrey Hamel, Krista Johnson, Leo Johnson, Megan Kissinger, Mary Klunk, Jay Lana, Joanne Marley, Deborah Martin, Carolynn McGahey, Kellen Mills, Jan Palmer, E.J. Pavsek, Renee Rey, Eric Riemenschneider, Roy Rodriquez, Alicia Schmidt, Herb Sklar, Robert Sowers, Richard Stanton, Ed Takacs, Guy Tieman, Patricia Anderson Turner, Daniel Venditti, Mary Voytek, Beau Wild, Charles Wren, Patricia Zalisko and Peter Zell.

A native South Carolinian, Fran Gardner lives and works in the communities of Heath Springs and Lancaster. She earned her BFA from Columbia College (1982) and later, her MFA from Vermont College of Norwich University (1993). She is professor of art and art history at the University of South Carolina Lancaster where she teaches a variety of studio courses, art history, and art education. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally and published in numerous magazines and books. In addition to creating, exhibiting and writing, Gardner teaches workshops, and judges exhibitions. She often consults with artists about deeper meaning in their work and how to improve writing about their art.

Gardner will host a Gallery Walk and Talk on Saturday, June 6 from 10-11AM. It’s free, and open to the public.

We are now accepting applications for Fall for the Arts 2015. This 13th annual free family festival from 10AM-3PM on Saturday, October 17 is a fantastic way for artists and cultural organizations to engage directly with families from across Southwest Florida. Artists can demonstrate their talents and sell their work, and organizations can present their upcoming seasons. Fall for the Arts features live performances throughout the day on the Alliance Margaret Morrow Frizzell Amphitheater stage, with games, craft stations, face painting and food on the field.

Online registration must be completed by August 1, 2015 to ensure inclusion in event marketing materials. The fee is $50 for Alliance member artists and organizations or $70 for non-members. The fee includes a covered 10’x10’ vendor space, 6’ table and 2 chairs. Click HERE to register online now.

The Alliance for the Arts is issuing a call to poets who would like to see one of their original works included in the 3rd annual Broadsides: Poetry off the Shelf event on January 28, 2016. Selected poems will be compiled into an anthology and given to visual artists who will each choose one to work with. The finished pieces will then be printed, exhibited, and sold during the event and afterwards. Finished broadsides will consist of a graphic illustration germane to the featured poem printed on one side of an 11″ by 17″ sheet of paper.

Broadsides are a form of written communication, typically designed to be posted in a public place. Traditionally, broadsides contain a mixture of text and images. From the 1600s to the early twentieth century, this visual medium was used to convey information, issue proclamations, make revolutionary statements, or publish the lyrics to poetry and songs. Indeed, our Declaration of Independence was first printed as a broadside.

To be eligible for entry, poets must be able to attend the Broadside Event on January 28, 2016. Poets chosen to participate will be notified in early October, 2015. Click HERE for details, or to submit your work online now.