Year: 2014

The Alliance gift shop is expanding into the gallery on Saturday, November 15 when local artists sell their hand-crafted works in a wide variety of mediums from 10AM-1PM. This is the perfect opportunity to find unique gifts while supporting working artists! Coffee and refreshments will be provided by Publix Super Markets. Alliance members receive 10% off their total purchase.

Featured artists include Aboriginals: Art of the First Person (jewelry & sculpture), Jayne Baker (candles, boxes & jewelry), Stephen Bufter (woodworking), Zdenka Fiala (glass & polymer clay jewelry), Me & Mathilda (felt & soft glass), Susan Mills (coffee filter handbags & more), Jeff & Dale Ocasio (masking tape sculptures), Alicia Schmidt (oil paintings), Marta Sicajan (jewelry), Union Artist Studios (a variety of visual arts), VEMA (paintings), and Chris Young (pottery). When you’re done shopping you can explore the “200 Under $200” exhibit in the Main Gallery which features works by more than 100 Alliance member artists, and visit the Alliance GreenMarket that takes place every Saturday from 9AM-1PM.

There will be a second Gift Shop Explosion on Saturday, December 13 featuring Aboriginals: Art of the First Person (jewelry & sculpture), Stacey Brown (purses, jewelry, cards, paintings & books), Gay Cable (jewelry), Lucy Garcia (jewelry & cards), Katie Gardenia (fiber, dolls & jewelry), Marc Geldon (pottery), Joel Loeper (pottery, paintings & sculpture), Debby Lynne Rennirt (jewelry & fused glass), Union Artist Studios (a variety of visual arts), and Rose Young (fiber art).

The Alliance gift shop supports local, independent artists and is continuously restocked with new truly unique items including jewelry, hand bags, pottery, paintings, fabric art, repurposed art, hand-made books, photography, and much more.

The Lee County Homeless Coalition, Community Cooperative, National Association of Social Workers SWFL Unit, and the Alliance for the Arts will mark National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week on Thursday, November 13 at 6PM with a screening of a new documentary called Storied Streets exploring homelessness across America. The feature length film profiles the homeless and the formerly homeless and their struggles to survive. Their stories are real, raw and compelling. These stories, coupled with the fact that right now homelessness is growing at an unprecedented rate in America, is the genesis behind Storied Streets. The film provides a window into their struggles, question stereotypes and change the way you feel about homelessness.

“The more people we talk to who know homelessness first hand—families, veterans, young adults—the more I realize that they live lives very similar to mine and yours. When I hear how they have come to find themselves homeless, I know we could all be just a few missteps away from finding ourselves in the same situation. And as they struggle to get out, the rest of society sees them as a nuisance or an eyesore, if they even see them at all.” –Thomas Morgan, Producer/Director

The screening begins at 6PM and is free and open to the public. Limited seats are available. Please RSVP to [email protected] by November 11.

The Alliance Member Gallery Book Club continues on Tuesday, November 18 from 6:30-8:30PM with a discussion of Confessions of an Art Addict by Peggy Guggenheim. A patron of art since the 1930s, Peggy Guggenheim, in a candid self-portrait, provides an insider’s view of the early days of modern art, with revealing accounts of her eccentric wealthy family, her personal and professional relationships, and often surprising portrayals of the artists themselves. This book captures a valuable chapter in the history of modern art, as well as the spirit of one of its greatest advocates.

Alliance individual memberships are $50 per year, families can join for $75 per year, and college students can become a member for just $15. Membership benefits include 20% discounts on all classes & camps, free open studio sessions, discounts on concert & theatre tickets, and member only exhibition opportunities. Click HERE to learn more or become a member now.

Southwest Florida poets can share their work on Saturday, November 1st when the Poetry Alliance presents a spoken word and poetry open mic at the Alliance for the Arts from 7-9PM. It’s free and open to everyone, although a $5 suggested donation is encouraged to support future free programming at the Alliance. The Poetry Alliance gathers monthly, sharing their work and exploring ways to advocate for poetry in Southwest Florida.

Members of the SWFL Florida Fine Craft Guild will demonstrate their techniques on Saturday, November 1st during Artists@Work at the Alliance for the Arts. This free, family friendly demo day runs from 10AM-1PM during the weekly Alliance GreenMarket. See a wide variety of work from local artists including Martha Grattan (Hand-Built Pottery), Lorraine Capps (Fused Glass), Bobbi Robertson (Eggshell Art), Dale Eulitz (Beaded Jewelry), Lisa Tully (Beaded Embroidery), Sue Archer (Glass Painting & Casting), Angela Aradia & Al Liccardi (Raku Firing), Nancy & Bill Giffin (Nantucket-style baskets woven over glass vases), Sandra Mae Rashan (Polymer Clay Jewelry), Trudy Sampson & Lynn Ondercin (Stone Sculpture), Renee Farr (Mosaics), and Katrina Parker (Doll Making). Saturday, November 1st is also the Taste of the GreenMarket, when you can sample offerings from market vendors and participate in an interactive cooking demo and tasting beginning at 10:30AM.

Members of the SWFL Fine Craft Guild combine old world craftsmanship with contemporary techniques to produce unique works of art. For more information about Artists@Work visit ArtInLee.org or call 239-939-2787. Save the date February 28th, 2015 for the next Artists@Work which will feature additional members of the SWFL Fine Craft Guild.