Ring in the New Year with Fort Myers Art Walk and Saturday Art Fair Jan. 6 & 7
Art lovers can start the New Year with Fort Myers Art Walk and the Saturday Art Fair on Jan. 6 and 7.
The next monthly Art Walk will take place on Friday, Jan. 6, with local art galleries and art stops featuring new exhibits and shows. This regular cultural event draws between 1,500 and 2,500 people each month to the downtown Fort Myers River District.
Then on Saturday, Jan. 7, the organizers of Art Walk present the seasonal Saturday Art Fair. This juried art event showcases individual artists at tables along the sidewalks of First Street. The Saturday Art Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to attend. Forty artists and art vendors are scheduled to be at January's Saturday Art Fair.
The monthly Art Walk runs from 6 to 10 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. The January Art Walk will include a dozen art galleries and art stops and will feature new art shows, live music, and the traditional after party.
Some art highlights of the Friday, Jan. 6th Art Walk:
- Art of the Olympians: Showing an exhibition, Legends of '68, featuring artwork from four dynamic USA Olympians from the 1968 Olympic Games (Rink Babka, Bob Beamon, Peggy Fleming, and Al Oerter), and a collection of works by Olympic artist Steve Allen.
- Art League of Fort Myers: Opening reception for Imagination Gone Wild exhibit.
- Arts for ACT Gallery: Opening reception for a group show featuring artists David Acevedo, Todd Babb, David Belling, JoAnne Bedient, Stephen Gray-Blancett, Christina Jarmolinski, Leo Johnson, Mel Meo, George Mitchell, and Paul Rodino. Alicia Schmidt will be in the office gallery exhibiting her "Shell Series" and Pop artist Jef Hernandez will exhibit in the middle gallery room.
- daas Gallery: Opening reception for Untamed: The Art of Oliver Dominguez.
- Gallery Showcase and Information Center at IberiaBank (Bayview Court at First Street). Art Walk T-shirts are available at this location as well as buttons, maps and brochures.
- HOWL Gallery: Opening of show featuring new and existing paintings by resident painter and tattoo artist, Matt Lackey.
- In One Instant: One year anniversary and show opening of Street Walking: The works of Jim Lustenader.
- Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center: Opening for Salon d' Collage, a dynamic exhibition featuring the collaborative works of seven SW Florida artists.
- Space 39 Gallery: Group art show.
More than 40 participants make Art Walk successful each month and they include the Alliance for the Arts, AmeriDry, Art League of Fort Myers, Art of the Olympians, Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, Cigar Bar, Coloring The World, Cool Hand Luc's, daas Gallery, Downtown House of Pizza, Enjewel, First United Methodist Church, Florida Repertory Theatre, Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency, The Franklin Shops, French Connection Cafe, Hampton Inn & Suites, Happenings A&E Magazine, Hideaway Sports Bar, Hotel Indigo, HOWL Gallery/Tattoo, Ichiban Japanese & Chinese Restaurant, IberiaBank, In One Instant Gallery of Photography, Legacy Harbour Hotel & Suites, Morgan House Restaurant, River District Alliance, Savvy on First, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Select Transportation, Space 39 Gallery, Spirits of Bacchus, Twisted Vine Bistro, United Café, Bar & Bistro, The Veranda Restaurant, What's Up Dogs?, and the Young Artists Awards Program.
Held the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m., Art Walk features local and national artwork in the downtown art galleries and several art stops in the Fort Myers River District. The evening culminates with an after party at 10 p.m. The January after party will be held at Spirits of Bacchus on Hendry Street. Always a collector's item, new Art Walk buttons will be available at galleries that night. Art Walk has its own T-shirt (in red or black). Shirts are available for a $12 donation at the IberiaBank gallery showcase during Art Walk.
A free shuttle service courtesy of Select Transportation Inc., with stops planned near the art venues, and parking at the Harborside Event Center will be available for Art Walk patrons. Shuttle stops include The Oasis Condominiums, Art of the Olympians, and the Patio de Leon entrance at First Street.
A map of Art Walk, showing transportation and parking will be distributed by participating galleries. Art Walk is a rain or shine event. Art Walk was started by a group of art galleries and art enthusiasts and debuted in October of 2008. Art Walk is a River District Alliance event. For more information on Art Walk, participating galleries and links to gallery websites, visit www.fortmyersartwalk.com.
FOR EVENT INFORMATION CALL 1-855-RDA-EVENTS.
Media Contacts (Art Walk co-chairs):
Andy Howl, HOWL Gallery, andy@fortmyersartwalk.com or (239) 332-0161
Jamie Kuser, Happenings
Magazine, jamie@fortmyersartwalk.com or (239) 278-5236
FOR
ARTWORK AND IMAGES: Please contact individual galleries and art
stops.
FORT MYERS ART WALK LOGO AND MAP:
http://www.fortmyersartwalk.com/print
