Join fellow painters for the kick-off meeting of the Lee County Plein Air group on Wednesday, May 15 at 9AM at the Alliance for the Arts.  The Lee County Plein Air group is a newly forming friendly, non-competitive forum for artists to meet at different locations every Wednesday to paint outdoors.  Lee County Plein Air is a group under Plein Air Florida (PAF) http://www.pleinairflorida.org and will adopt the PAF guidelines for operation.  All artists are welcome regardless of skill level.  To help encourage a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere at weekly paint-outs all artists are treated equally.  There is no instruction, no critiques and no sales.  Join fellow artists at the Alliance on May 15 to learn more about this newly forming group.

Each year, the City of Fort Myers supports arts and cultural programming through a competitive grant process.  Grants are awarded to artists who commit to make a cultural contribution to the cityscape and to enhance access by City residents and visitors to arts & cultural experiences.  Recent recipients were invited to have their work featured in the Alliance for the Arts’ May gallery exhibit with an opening reception on Friday, May 3 from 5-7:30PM.  Fort Myers Public Art Committee member Ava Roeder will lead a Gallery Walk & Talk on Saturday, May 4 from 10-11AM.  Artwork by members of the Pan American Alliance for Art, Culture & Industry will be on display in the Member Gallery throughout the exhibit.  The exhibit runs from through May 25.

The Alliance for the Arts is continuing its new Spanish language immersion classes beginning Saturday, May 11 from 10-11AM.  In this six week class children ages 4 to 7 are not just taught to speak Spanish, they are taught IN Spanish.  The immersion class provides the foundation for understanding and speaking Spanish as a second language.  Activities include language books, art projects, flash cards, interactive games and DVDs.  The cost is $60 for Alliance members or $72 for nonmembers.  Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 12 students.

The instructor, Anaily Perez, has designed curriculum for language learning programs, classrooms and private tutoring, and she has developed programs to encourage children to get excited about learning to read, while exploring their creativity.

 On Saturday, May 25 at 10AM GOLDEN Certified Working Artist K. D. Tobin will present an “All Things Acrylic” Lecture Demo at the Alliance for the Arts.  Back by popular demand, the two hour session is FREE for Alliance members or $10 for nonmembers.  This lecture packs in a ton of valuable information about acrylics, guiding attendees through the basics while opening up new possibilities.  Artists will gain information about mineral and modern pigments and how this relates to clean color mixing, glazing and the creation of fabulous new colors.  They will learn the unique properties of OPEN acrylics and get a grip on the many gels and mediums and how they can change texture, saturation and intensity of color.  They will even discover how acrylics can simulate oil and watercolor.  All attendees will receive a valuable information packet and free samples of Golden products.

The GOLDEN Certified Working Artists are professional artists with extensive acrylic product training. They have studied extensively for a minimum of six months, and completed three specialized trainings. These talented acrylic experts conduct Lectures demonstrations and staff trainings on behalf of Golden Artist Colors.  The “All Things Acrylic” lecture demo is part of the Alliance TRY IT FREE program, one of the many year round benefits to the Alliance’s more than 900 active members.

10 Performances, 10 different Casts to benefit 10 Different Charities!!!

Theatre Conspiracy is proud to announce the opening of LOVE LOSS AND WHAT I WORE, a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman, on May 9, 2013 at the Foulds Theatre, Alliance of the Arts in Fort Myers.

Each performance of the show is a reading and will feature a new cast and benefit a different Southwest Florida charity including DRESS FOR SUCCESS, ADONIS AUTISM ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION, JUNIOR FLORIDA EVERBLADES. and WGCU PUBLIC MEDIA.

Made famous in its off-Broadway run, LOVE, LOSS explores five women and how their wardrobes relate to pivotal moments in their lives. The late Nora Ephron, celebrated as a successful screenwriter, director and essayist is most proud of this particular contribution to American Theatre. The show won a special Drama Desk Award and was nominated for two Drama League awards in 2010. Nora Ephron, in an interview in Huffington Post said “Everybody associated their clothing with an important event in their life – their divorce, their marriage, falling in love, their prom nights. It’s just so powerful for women.”

The show plays May 9 – 25. Thursday, Friday and Saturdays at 8Pm with one Sunday matinee at 2Pm on May 19. Tickets to the show are $20 each and can be purchased by calling Theatre Conspiracy’s box office at 239-936-3239 or visiting www.theatreconspiracy.org. A complete list of casts and charities will also be posted on the website.

The show was initially presented as a part of the 2008 summer series at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, and then as a benefit series at the DR2 Theatre in New York in early 2009. Later the same year, the show was produced Off-Broadway as an ongoing commercial theatrical production at the Westside Theatre in New York, where it continues to run as the second-longest running show in the theatre’s history. The show has been produced on six continents and more than eight countries.

THE CHARITIES AND CAST SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

May 9 at 8PM To benefit FLORIDA REPERTORY THEATRE

Carrie Lund, Susan Johnson, Tera Nicole Miller, Lisa Marie and Ivy Levinson

Florida Rep is committed to providing a first-class regional theatre for Southwest Florida; to creating, nurturing and developing an ensemble of theatre professionals who will develop long term relationships working on a wide variety of plays; to helping improve the quality of life in our community through all the arts; and to making the arts, especially theatre, accessible to all.

May 10 at 8PM to benefit HOPE CLUBHOUSE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Andrea Prather, Angel Duncan, Tera Nicole Miller, Lisa Marie and Ivy Levinson

HOPE Clubhouse is a community resource that fills a significant gap in the opportunities for people living with mental illness in Southwest Florida. HOPE Clubhouse offers opportunities for meaningful work, education, friendships, and access to housing in a supportive, caring, dignified and respectful community setting. Members of HOPE Clubhouse develop hope for recovery and achievement of their full human potential.

May 11 at 8PM to benefit ADONIS AUTISM ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION

Kathy Grey, Joann Haley, Annette Trossbach, Christine Kobie and Pat Clopton

The Adonis Autism Assistance Foundation (AAAF) will strive to enhance the quality of life for people living with autism by providing resources, activities, information, advocacy and support to those who love someone living with autism. As funding becomes available, AAAF will also provide financial assistance grants to fund autism related expenses for children and adults meeting criteria.

May 16 at 8PM to benefit WGCU PUBLIC MEDIA

Amy Tardiff, Kathy Grey, Heather Fulkerson, Christine Kobie and Pat Clopton

The Mission of WGCU Public Media is to provide media content and services that enrich the lives of our citizens and strengthen the social, democratic and cultural health of our region by fostering personal growth, celebrating human diversity and motivating community engagement.

May 17 at 8PM to benefit JUNIOR FLORIDA EVERBLADES HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

Lauren Taylor, Liz Abbot, Nancy Stetson, Joy Davidson and Karen Goldberg

The Junior Everblades program stresses the principles of good sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, respect for authority, the fundamentals of ice-skating, and the elements of hockey. Although winning is a desired outcome of this program, positive team and individual development, as well as instruction of good sportsmanship to the participating youth, will not be sacrificed to the goal of winning.

May 18 at 8PM to benefit Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation

Liz Abbot, Lauren Taylor, Karen Goldberg, Brittany Albury and Tiffany Campbell

Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, has made a lasting commitment to the prevention and cure of cancer, working tirelessly in the areas of patient care, research and education to advance one step further in fighting this disease.

May 19 at 2PM to benefit THE ALLIANCE OF THE ARTS

Lydia Black, Rachael Endrizzi, Betty Madonna, Unota Lucero and Marianette Torres

The Alliance of the Arts is the state designated arts agency: a non-profit member supported organization with a passion to facilitate and nurture the creation, development, promotion and education of arts and culture.

May 23 at 8PM to benefit ABUSE COUNCELING AND TREATMENT

Jenna Persons, Lucy Harris, Betty Madonna, Rachael Endrizzi and Marianette Torres

Act’s mission is to protect, support and educate victims of domestic violence and their children, survivor of sexual assault and human trafficking and the new and temporarily homeless in Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties.

May 24 at 8PM to benefit GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Madison Mitchell, Stephanie Davis, Jenny Smith, Denise Scott and Joan Olsen

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida builds lives, families, and communities–one job at a time by helping people with disabilities and disadvantages overcome their barriers to employment and independence.

May 25 at 8PM to benefit DRESS FOR SUCCESS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Sunny Lubner, Nancy Antonio, Madison Mitchel, Stephanie Davis, Joan Olsen

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help our clients find jobs and remain employed. The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work.