Month: March 2013

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets and enjoy the film with your family and friends under the stars on the Alliance lawn!

Featuring the hit song Somewhere Out There, “An American Tail” is the heartwarming story of the Mousekewitz family’s journey to America and their young son, Fievel, who gets lost along the way.  Landing in a bottle, he washes ashore in New York harbor where, determined to find his family, he comes face to face with the perils and opportunities of the New World.

The movie begins just after sunset at 7:45PM.  A suggested $5 donation helps ensure 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 Alliance Family Movie Night Series concludes on Friday, April 19 at 8:00pm with The Muppets.

Judith A. Rubin, Ph.D. believes in the transformative power of the arts.  The psychotherapist and longtime Sanibel resident is a pioneer in the field of art therapy.  A past President and Honorary Life Member of American Art Therapy Association, Rubin is also the author of six art therapy books, director of 10 films, and the President of Expressive Media.  The Alliance for the Arts is offering an opportunity for the community to view her film BREAKTHROUGH and participate in a conversation on the value of art and therapy on Wednesday, March 27.  The screening, in the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance, begins at 7:30PM and will be followed by a discussion led by Rubin.  A $5 suggested donation is requested at the door.

BREAKTHROUGH, with a run time of 51 minutes, captures the intimate experiences of eight artists who have undergone psychoanalytic treatment.  The film demonstrates the growth and freedom made possible by facing the pain that both psychoanalysis and creation can bring into awareness.  The artists presented in BREAKTHROUGH found themselves held back in their lives and work because of traumatic events and unresolved emotional issues from their pasts.  The film shows how the combination of analytic therapy and creative work liberated them.  Rather than dulling an artist’s creative edge, the film demonstrates how self-awareness can facilitate personal growth and creative freedom. 

In addition to having a local director, BREAKTHROUGH features long time local favorite and Emmy Award winning flutist Kat Epple, who composed the film score, and Emmy Award winning editor, Connie Bottinelli, who worked with Rubin on the film.  Both will be on hand for the screening and discussion.

Emerging from the vibrant east coast beach town of Deerfield Beach, The Resolvers have quickly become one of the South Florida music scene’s premier alternative reggae acts.  The 10-member band captures the essence of the classic reggae sound: natural acoustic percussion, deep bass grooves, worldly drum rhythms, tasty vintage keyboards, bluesy guitar licks and multi-part vocal harmonies…then blend it with modern songwriting craftsmanship to create their own familiar-yet-purely-original take on world music. They will continue the Alliance for the Arts’ 2013 Bruce T. Gora Sunset Concert Series on Sunday, March 10.

The Resolvers are now in the process of recording their first full-length album, all while continuing on a demanding performance schedule of more than 120 shows a year. After releasing their first 5-song EP in 2008 they made their international debut at the 2009 Jamaican Jazz & Blues Festival, followed by a California tour where they were warmly welcomed. They were selected to play at Florida’s largest festival, Sunfest 2009 and were voted to play the first annual DubFest. They shared the stage with many international artists such as Matisyahu, The Wailers, Yellowman, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Badfish, SOJA, and Mishka among others.

Gates open at 4:00pm & concerts begin at 5:00pm.  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 Margaret Morrow Frizzell 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 concert series concludes on Sunday, April 21 with the Nashville-based Indie Folk Rock band The David Mayfield Parade. Click here to purchase tickets online.