Author: Desiree DeMolina

As part of ongoing enhancements to the Alliance for the Arts ArtsPark and campus, the Alliance celebrated the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South Plaza with a dedication ceremony on Sept. 16. The Plaza, on the southwest corner of the Alliance campus, is made possible by a $25,000 gift from the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South to the Alliance for the Arts.

The Rotary South Plaza is part of the overarching Alliance ArtsPark & Water Wall. Project highlights include new crosswalks, sidewalk, pathways, lighting, landscaping reflecting SWFL ecosystems, a new contemporary building paint job and a reshaped retention basin that is more effective at collecting and cleaning stormwater.  All enhancements are anchored by the installation of the Caloosahatchee Water Wall by internationally acclaimed artist Michael Singer.

“We are enormously grateful for the Rotary South gift and all of the Rotarians that brought this place-making project to fruition. The Plaza has helped transform the gateway into the City of Fort Myers by creating a striking outdoor space where people can get creative and connect,” said Alliance for the Arts executive director and CEO, Lydia Black.

“The Rotary Club of Fort Myers South is honored to be part of the ongoing improvements to the Alliance for the Arts ArtsPark.  The Rotary South Plaza will serve as a gateway for the community to safely access the Alliance and enjoy all of the outstanding programs they offer,” said Suzi Ward, President of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South. “Our club is thrilled to be part of these enhancements, which will serve our community for many years to come.”

For more information on the Alliance for the Arts or the Alliance ArtsPark, visit ArtInLee.org.

The Alliance for the Arts weekly GreenMarket drive-thru service continues each Wednesday with a new time. To accommodate requests, the drive-thru pick up service will be Wednesdays between 4 and 6 p.m. at the Alliance for the Arts, located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers.

The Wednesday GreenMarket drive-thru pickup service, which was initiated when the market closed in response to Covid-19, asks market customers to pre-purchase online at ArtInLee.org/DriveThru. Menu items are released on Friday afternoons and the opportunity to pre-purchase closes at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Market customers can order fresh produce boxes, potted herbs and plants and duck and chicken eggs from Venus Veggies, cheeses from Quality Cheese, flavorful local honey from Lee Queen Bee and kombucha from Flying Eagle Kombucha SWFL. Pre-ordered items are placed in trunks by vendors.

This new evening pick-up time also takes place during the Alliance’s Food Truck-Grab-and-Go event, allowing customers to also pick up dinner while they receive their farm-fresh produce and goods.

The year-round and onsite GreenMarket is also open each and every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Alliance. While onsite, visitors are invited to explore the Alliance for the Arts’ 10-acre campus to enjoy a series of outdoor site-specific artwork installations by local artists or come inside to shop the gift shop or explore its current gallery exhibitions.

For more information on the Alliance for the Arts GreenMarket, visit ArtInLee.org or call 239-939-2787. To order online for Wednesday drive thru pickup, customers can visit ArtInLee.org/DriveThru.

The Alliance for the Arts’ September and October exhibition, Plays Well With Others, will exhibit from Sept. 11 through Oct. 17 with limited gallery and gift shop hours at 10091 McGregor Blvd.

Plays Well with Others is an exhibition curated by Jessica Todd featuring local and national artists who create work that engages with play and toys in interactive, mischievous, and subversive ways. The exhibition includes works of all media that entertain while disrupting the status quo; one could easily enjoy it as a collection of nostalgia and delight, but the artists have skillfully transformed the lighthearted theme of “play” into a critical dialogue of contemporary issues.

Alliance gallery and gift shop hours will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. 1 p.m. or by appointment by contacting gallery director Ehren Gerhard at [email protected].

Exhibiting artists include: Isabella Baquerizo (Bonita Springs, FL), Amelia Briggs (Nashville, TN) Breana Ferrara (Fitchburg, MA), Whitney Hackett (Fort Myers, FL), Chloe Lewis (New York, NY), Alexander Martin (Peoria, IL), Lebrie Rich (Portland, OR), Asser Saint-Val (Miami, FL).

Each of the Plays Well with Others artists expertly articulates broad concepts centered around play using media ranging from animation to inflatable sculpture to beading.

This exhibition is generously funded through the City of Fort Myers Arts and Culture Grant program.

The Alliance will host a free, virtual opening reception on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. Guests will be able to hear statements form the artists over their work and engage with questions and feedback throughout the night. Pre-registration is required at ArtInLee.org/PlaysWellOpening.

The Alliance will also present a series of online artist talks throughout the exhibit. These behind-the-scenes looks offer unique insight into each artists’ inspiration, process and the context behind the work. Be part of the conversation, express your thoughts and ideas or simply sit back and enjoy the discussion.  Pre-registration is required at ArtInLee.org/ArtistTalks.

While gallery admission and scheduled artists’ talks are free, a $5 suggested donation sustains the future of arts in southwest Florida.

For more information about the exhibit, visit ArtInLee.org/PlaysWell or call 239-939-2787. For details on the Alliance’s current programs and precautions, please visit ArtInLee.org/Covid-19.

The Alliance for the Arts weekly GreenMarket joins markets across the country in celebration of National Farmers Market Week.

“This year has thrown a new challenge at markets as they work to stay safe and keep up their essential work of getting food to the community and supporting small businesses,” says GreenMarket Manger, Whitney Tucker.

The year-round GreenMarket is open each and every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers, FL. Discover an exclusive selection of locally grown, caught and cultivated foods and other products available for purchase.

Farmers, vendors and market-goers are asked to follow CDC guidelines:

• Vendors will be required to wear face coverings or masks, limit product handling and provide any necessary handwash or sanitizer stations for themselves and their patrons
• No sampling of products will be allowed at the market
• Vendors will be spaced out to follow physical distancing guidelines
• Patrons are asked to wear masks, pay in exact change and not linger on property.  Please note:  public restrooms will not be available.
• Patrons and vendors not feeling well are asked to stay home

The Wednesday drive-thru pickup service initiated when the market closed in response to Covid-19 also remains in operation.

While onsite, visitors are invited to explore the Alliance for the Arts’ 10-acre campus to enjoy a series of outdoor site-specific artwork installations by local artists or come inside to shop the gift shop or explore its current gallery exhibition, Pain, Process and Promise.

For more information on the Alliance for the Arts GreenMarket, visit ArtInLee.org or call 239-939-2787. To order online for Wednesday drive thru pickup, customers can visit ArtInLee.org/DriveThru.

For the last 15 years, the Alliance for the Arts, a nonprofit visual and performing arts center in the heart of Fort Myers, and the Lee County Port Authority have partnered on a project called Art In Flight, which brings art to the public spaces and the millions of travelers at Southwest Florida International Airport.

The current exhibit, Pop of Color, features a diverse collection of 29 artworks that use line, shape, texture and color to amaze the senses. With a varied collection of styles and media, artists on display demonstrate the wide possibilities of abstract art from clean and crisp edges to wild and energetic strokes of paint.  Various materials and their textures are explored as well with everything from found objects to sculptural, low relief mixed media. Pop of Color will exhibit now until May 2021.

“We are thankful for this continued partnership with the Southwest Florida International Airport to present the Art in Flight exhibit,” says gallery director Ehren Gerhard. “Each year, millions of travelers are welcomed to southwest Florida. The Alliance for the Arts is honored to share the beautiful work of our local artists and celebrate the unique creativity of our region.”

Artists on display in Concourse B: Stacey Brown, Deborah Butler, Betsy Djamoos, Anne Friedman, Janet George, Julie Griffin, Marilyn Hedlund, Karri Leamon, Bruce MacKechnie, Leila Mesdaghi, Roy Rodriguez, Caitlin Rosolen-DeJesus, Alyssa Stoff, and Ronnie Walter.

Artists on display in Concourse D: Brooke Anderson, Katherine Boren, Annette Brown, Maria Collier, Paula Eckerty, Cheryl Fausel, Kate Ferriter, Kristin Herzog, Carol Imes-Luscombe, Nick Masiello, Caren Pearson, Alicia Schmidt, Grayson Stoff, Jennifer Unwin, and Barbara Yeomans.

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