Author: Desiree DeMolina

The Alliance for the Arts is excited to announce Saturday mornings at the ARTCade. The program invites kids and families to participate in free visual arts projects, games, creative activities inspired by current gallery exhibitions between the hours of 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on select Saturdays. This project is made possible thanks to grants from Publix Super Market Charities and The Cape Coral Kiwanis Foundation.

The next project is Small Works from Small Hands on Dec. 15, presented by Samantha Howard and inspired by the current Small Works Exhibit: Off the Wall. Students will create string art ornaments, mini wreaths, pinecone owls or pom-pom Santas.

Additional dates include Feb. 16 and April 20. ARTCade takes place on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Alliance for the Arts located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. 33919 Fort Myers, FL. Details for each program will be posted as soon as they are available.

For more information on this event, call 239-939-2787 or visit ArtInLee.org/ARTCade.

Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts held its 20th Annual New Play Contest Fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Alliance for the Arts located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort  Myers FL  33919. The contest provides opportunity for audiences to get involved with the contest process itself, rather than the end result.

Unlike most new play competitions, this contest welcomes works that have been produced before. The three finalists for the 2018-2019 New Play Contest were selected from over 600 entries across the United States, Canada, Israel, Thailand and England. Finalists included: Flying by Sheila Cowley, Engagement Rules by Rich Orloff and America’s Sexiest Couple by Ken Levine.

An excerpt from each play was presented as staged readings, without costumes and props. After the conclusion of the final reading, the audience voted on which play they wanted to see, which will be given a full production in the Alliance for the Arts’ 2019-20 Season. The playwright also received the Janet & Bruce Bunch New Play Contest Award.

The winner of the New Play Contest is Engagement Rules mostly a comedy by Rich Orloff. A four-character comedy with bite, Engagement Rules follows the intertwined lives of two couples who advise and support each other on challenges of love, sex and the soul. The younger couple (early 30s) is recently engaged, and the older (in their 70s) has been married over fifty years.

“Processing over 600 entries is a daunting task, but the impact of a good script will be felt immediately. I think the audience would agree all three play finalists are worthy of production,” says artistic producing director Bill Taylor. “Unfortunately we only pick one winner and we look forward to the production of Engagement Rules.”

The playwright, Rich Orloff, is one of the most popular unknown playwrights in the country. His plays have received over two thousand productions, numerous awards, and oodles of laughter. Author of over a dozen one-acts and 80 short plays, Rich’s short works have had over 1,800 productions on six of the seven continents… and a staged reading in Antarctica! Born and raised in Chicago, and a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, Rich currently lives in New York City.  He likes to get out of town frequently to remind himself what the rest of the world is like.

Tickets for the current Alliance for the Arts theatre season can be purchased at ArtInLee.org/Theatre or by calling 239-939-2787.

The Rotary Club of Fort Myers brings  The Screaming Orphans back for an outdoor concert on Feb. 23 at the Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33919. Comprised of four sisters from Ireland, The Screaming Orphans are known for their high-energy music that blends pop rock with traditional Irish music. The concert benefits the Rotary Trust Club of Fort Myers and offers a night of music, food and a good cause.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the music kicks off with MacGilliossa at 6 p.m. The Screaming Orphans take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Food trucks and beverage station will be available to offer a variety of food, wine and beer for purchase. Blankets and lawn chairs are encouraged, but coolers will not permitted.

Attendees can save big with $25 presale tickets, which can be purchased online at ArtInLee.org/Orphans or by calling 239-939-2787. Tickets purchased at the gate are $35. Kids under 12 are free with an adult.

The concert is presented in partnership with The Rotary Club of Fort Myers and sponsored by The Dorcey Law Firm.

The Alliance for the Arts’ January exhibit, Magnetism, features award-winning artists Ken Hoffman and Alexander Martin. The show runs from Jan. 11 through Feb. 2 at the Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33919 and explores themes such as identity, connection and pressures of society.

Ken Hoffman’s anthropomorphic paintings reveal the closeness between people and animals, and speak to our society’s political and cultural scene. These provoking paintings pair well with the unexpected abstractions that Alexander Martin showcases with his Boys Will Be Boys series.

By addressing human roles of identity through these unusual outlets of color and mixed media, both Hoffman and Martin express an emerging sense of our unexpected realities that will draw you in like a magnet. Engage in the provocative wonderland that interconnects animals and abstractions of found objects to reveal the dynamism and whimsy of our society through paintings, installations and more.

The opening reception will be held on Jan. 11 from 5 – 7 p.m. and is open to the public. A conversational walk and talk with the exhibiting artists will be held on Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. during Alliance for the Arts Weekly GreenMarket. Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public, but a $5 suggested donation helps keep arts programming accessible.

The Alliance for the Arts is seeking Florida artists to submit their work to the Annual All Florida Juried Exhibit. This award-winning show is the Alliance’s longest running exhibition and features pieces created by artists working in a wide variety of media from all over the state of Florida.

This year’s juror is Lynn Whitelaw, the founding Director and Curator of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, located on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Whitelaw’s curatorial efforts have resulted in over one hundred and forty exhibitions shown at Hillsborough Community College, the Tampa Museum of Art and the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

The opening reception will be March 8 from 5 – 7 p.m. The juror will be on hand to present awards including $1,000 cash for Best In Show, a 2nd Place gift certificate, $100 cash for 3rd place and Jurors Choice Award(s) of Alliance for the Arts membership(s).

Categories for entry are sculpture, painting (including oil, acrylic, collage, water color and mixed media), photography, prints and drawing.  An entry may consist of 1 to 3 artworks. All entries must be submitted online no later than Jan. 28, 2019. Artists can download the prospectus and submit their work online at ArtInLee.org/AllFlorida2019.

A conversational walk and talk through the gallery with the artists and juror will be held on March 9 at 10 a.m. during the Alliance GreenMarket. Receptions and talks are open to the public and do not require tickets or reservations. While gallery admission is free, a $5 suggested donation keeps Alliance programming affordable and accessible. The show closes on March 30, 2019.

The exhibition is kindly sponsored by Elemental Stone and Waterworks.

For more information, call 239-939-2787 or visit www.ArtInLee.org/AllFlorida2019.