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Fort Myers Saturday Art Fair

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Name: Fort Myers Art Walk Saturday Art Fair

Date: Saturday following the first-Friday downtown Fort Myers Art Walk. The following are the remaining dates for the 2011-2012 season:

  • April 7, 2012

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Place: The Fort Myers Art Fair takes place under the awnings of the galleries, shops and offices that border First Avenue, just steps from the waters of the Caloosahatchee River in the completely refurbished and restored downtown Fort Myers River District. With wide sidewalks, majestic palms and old-time charm, this bricked thoroughfare is ideally-suited to an outdoor art fair. As an added bonus, First Street is dotted by some of the River District’s best galleries and boutiques, including Arts for ACT Gallery, the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Savvy on First and Enjewel.

Arts for ACT is located in the front of the century-old Arcade Building (right) where acclaimed winter residents, inventors and industry pioneers Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone once watched early motion pictures with their spouses and friends. Today, the Arcade Building is not only home to Arts for ACT, but to the Florida Repertory Theatre, which has been designated as “one of America’s top repertory companies” by the Wall Street Journal and as “best performing arts group” by both  Gulfshore Life Magazine and Florida Weekly.

Description: Over three dozen accomplished artists participate in the Fort Myers Saturday Art Fair, and the number grows each month. Together, they treat River District art lovers to affordable original works of art in oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media, photography, prints and giclees, wire and metal sculpture, ceramics, hand-crafted jewelry of every imaginable kind and composition, designer wear and unique artsy gifts of all kinds.

The intimate, small-town ambiance of the River District engenders casual conversation between collectors and the participating artists, who willingly share stories about where they find inspiration, how they craft the unique pieces they sell, and what drew them to the arts in the first place. If you don’t find exactly what you are looking for, they will be pleased to make what you want. They’ll even deliver it to your home!

The downtown galleries are open during the Art Fair, with many offering “Make and Take” art projects for both children or adults. This amplifies festival-goers’ art viewing experience, and whether before, during or afterwards, art lovers have numerous dining choices including The French Connection, Red Rock Saloon, Twisted Vine, Morgan House Restaurant (in Patio de Leon) and the Veranda, with United Cafe’, Bar & Bistro, Hideway Sports Bar, Spirits of Bacchus, The World Famous Cigar Bar and Hotel Indigo’s Phi in the Sky rooftop lounge offering adult beverages and their own unique atmosphere.

Cost: There is no charge to attend the Saturday Art Fair.

Parking: There is ample free parking within easy walking distance of First Street.

Organizer: Fort Myers Art Walk Committee

Director: Claudia Goode, Curator, Arts for ACT Gallery

Website: http://www.fortmyersartwalk.com.

Facebook: None at present.

More Viewing Opportunities. With more than a dozen artistic landmarks within easy walking distance, many art enthusiasts combine the Saturday Art Fair with a walking tour of the City of Fort Myers public art collection. The tour starts in at the Heitman and Bay Street entrance to Centennial Park and includes:

  1. Fire Dance,
  2. The Great Turtle Chase,
  3. Uncommon Friends,
  4. Buckingham & Page Army Airfields Memorial,
  5. Clayton,
  6. The Florida Panthers,
  7. Robert E. Lee Bust,
  8. Parallel Park,
  9. Marlin Miller American Bald Eagle,
  10. Barbara Jo Revelle Ceramic Tile Mural,
  11. Streetscape,
  12. Patio de Leon Fountains,
  13. Caloosahatchee Manuscripts, and
  14. Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.

Others time their visit to the Saturday Art Fair with a trip to the Edison Estate, the Southwest Florida Museum of History or the Imaginarium.

 

Fast Facts:

  • This is the Saturday Art Fair’s third full season. (It started in 2009.)
  • The Saturday Art Fair takes place a mere two blocks from the Bay Street entrance to Fort Myers’ historic Centennial Park.

 

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About the Author

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Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.