Vincent and Lucia by Jeff and Dale Ocasio
Vincent and Lucia by Jeff and Dale Ocasio

The Alliance for the Arts’ January exhibit, Animal Life, will feature local artists Jeff and Dale Ocasio, Lily Hatchett, Felipe Maldonado and Terry Lynn Spry. Working in different mediums, these artists transform paper, canvas, clay and masking tape into a rampaging herd of artistic wonder. The show runs from Jan. 12 – Feb. 3.

The opening reception will be held on Jan. 12 from 5 – 7 p.m. and is open to the public. A conversational walk and talk with the exhibiting artists will be held on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. during SoCo Second Saturday. Admission to the gallery is free, but a $5 suggested donation helps keep arts programming accessible.

About Jeff & Dale Ocasio

Jeff and Dale Ocasio, husband and wife, work collaboratively to create ocasiocasa artworks. Sculpting with paper masking tape over wire and reclaimed objects is where their artwork begins. Each sculpture is encased with layers of acid‐free glue, color is added with more layers of acrylics, and protected with matte varnish. Many of the duo’s sculptures are documented through digital illustrations and animations. Their work draws attention to the enchantment ordinary things, creatures and nature ‐‐‐shinning a light on hidden worlds.

Join Jeff Ocasio at the Alliance for the Arts in a hands-on workshop to learn the technique of sculpting with masking tape on Jan. 20.

About Lily Hatchett

Hatchett is an award winning visual artist who uses mixed media as her palette. She is a full-time artist, performance artist and independent filmmaker. Performing with paper, her Paper Grotto Live sculptures become containers for video, dance and music.

About Felipe Maldonado

Living and working in Cape Coral, Felipe Maldonado is currently the new department head and ceramics teacher at North Fort Myers High School for the Arts and Media. Felipe is currently working on pursuing a graduate program in the next 2 years, while having the opportunity to be in various shows around the southwest Florida area. Most recently, Felipe had the opportunity to co-present an Florida Gulf Coast University research project at the 2017 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Portland, Oregon.

Kings Game by Terry Lynn Spry
Kings Game by Terry Lynn Spry

About Terry Lynn Spry

Terry Lynn’s paintings have been exhibited in national and local juried art shows. She graduated from the Phoenix Institute of Technology with a degree in production art and went on to study with Nina Conner. Terry Lynn’s desire to pass on her passion and love for the arts lead her to teaching at the Alliance for the Arts. Terry Lynn lives in Lehigh Acres Florida with her husband son and 2 dogs.  Her first love is oils and painting big and in a juxtapose style.

Spry offers multiple classes throughout the year, including Classical Painting and Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

Registration for the Winter Arts Camp at the Alliance for the Arts, a four-day program during the public school winter recess, is now open. The camp is presented in partnership with Florida Rep Education and runs Jan. 2 – 5.

Campers are invited to follow Alice down the rabbit hole in a whimsical retelling of Lewis Carroll’s most prominent classic, Alice in Wonderland. Students ages 5-18 will be immersed in a series of scenes and songs showcasing some of Carroll’s famously zany characters as Alice and her friends journey to the world of Wonderland. The program combines visual and performing arts.

Winter Arts Camp is $185 for the week and held at the Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers FL 33919. Drop off begins at 8:45 a.m. with camp starting at 9 a.m. each day. Aftercare is available for an additional cost.

The Alliance for the Arts will present Diva Comedy Night on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. in the theatre. This one night of side-splitting standup comedy features funny and fierce female comedians all from Florida. General seating tickets are $15 for Alliance members and $20 for non-members.

About the Divas

Mariannette LaPuppet, also known as ‘LaPuppet’ is an actress and creative writer of almost 30 years. She got her start on the comedy stage when she got a speeding ticket and instead of taking a class at the world famous ‘Improv Comedy Traffic Schools’ she convinced them to let her ‘teach’ them. Since then she has been bringing stages to life with her hysterical characters, animated storytelling and clever ‘Marianalogies’. She was a semi-finalist in the first Nick@Nite’s search for ‘America’s Funniest Mom’, Finalist in Comic Cure’s Florida’s Funniest Female, Winner of the 2015 Annual Comedians Ball in Florida and has worked alongside some of comedy’s heavy hitters like Dom Irrera and the legendary Paul Rodriguez.

Shana Manuel is a criminal defense attorney by day and stand-up comedian by night. When not in court defending the innocent she keeps her comedy chops sharp by writing about her daily life experiences and is well known for her hysterical Facebook comments. She keeps audiences entertained with her quick wit and smart humor. A crowd favorite at clubs like The Improv she was also the winner of the 2016 Pride Comedy Festival in Florida.

Angela Nacca represents all the moms, wives, working and menopausal woman of the world Angela Nacca will keep you laughing, telling her stories of her 37 year marriage (without going to jail) her career in the medical profession of the trials of menopause. Born and raised in New Haven, she was a finalist in Florida’a Funniest Female and placed 2nd in ‘The Ultimate Miami Comedian and was selected as one of the Top 101 comedians to compete in The World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas.

Trinidadian born Cindy-Ann Boisson (CinCin), spends way too much time in Florida explaining her name is not short for Cynthia! In 2014, she took a standup comedy class at The Improv at Hard Rock Fort Lauderdale, performing to a packed audience on graduation night! Since then, CinCin has performed at several festivals and venues throughout South Florida, New York City and the place she calls ‘home’ Trinidad and Tobago. In April 2017 she participated in Comic Cure’s Florida’s Funniest Female Competition and was among the finalists!

Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts presents a limited run of  Your Love, Our Musical by Rebecca Vigil and Evan Kaufman from Jan. 11 – 14.

Fresh off their successful run in New York City, comedic musical improvisers interview a couple in the audience about their relationship and spin an impromptu musical about the couple’s love story. Using their unique chemistry, vocal skill and improvisational abilities, Vigil & Kaufman transform an audience’s story into bombastic choruses.

The interactive show was accepted into the 2015 New York City International Fringe Festival, where it won Best Acting. In 2017, the production appeared on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listings: New York.

Individual tickets to each show are $25, $11 for students or $22 for Alliance members. Performances are Jan. 11 – 13 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.

Vigil and Kaufman will also host a Musical Improv Toolkit Workshop on Jan. 13. The workshop will focus on song structure, improvised choruses, rhyming and scenes becoming a song.

“The premise sounds nearly impossible, but the execution is reliably brilliant.” — The NY Times

“They’ve mastered the art form, their chemistry as artists… as much a part of the show as the chemistry behind the couple they feature.” — The Village Voice

“Perhaps it could even warm the heart of the most jaded millennial.” — Bedford & Bowery

The Alliance for the Arts’ presents a free outdoor screening of A Christmas Story on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. on the GreenMarket lawn. Blankets, coolers and lawn chairs are welcome for first come, first serve seating.

Admission is free, but a suggested $10 family donation helps the Alliance continue offering affordable and accessible programming. Donations may be made onsite the event or in advance at ArtInLee.org/Ralphie.

This program is sponsored in part by Pediatric Dentistry of Fort Myers and Hello SWFL.

About A Christmas Story

A bespectacled boy named Ralphie wants only one thing for Christmas: an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle! The infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, an irritable department store Santa, and a triple dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the obstacles that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish.